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Gov. Peter Shumlin at the H.202 Bill Signing May 26, 2011 (photo: VT Governor's office)
Vermont’s new Democratic Governor Peter Shumlin has become more popular since his close election in 2010 according recent PPP polling.
45% of voters approve of Shumlin to 36% who disapprove. The good news for him is that he’s on narrowly positive ground with independents at 41/34. The bad news is that he has virtually no support from Republicans- only an 11% approval rating- and GOP voters are more unified in their disapproval (73%) of Shumlin than Democrats are in their support for him (71%). That approval rating with his own party is decent but certainly not in the same league with his statewide colleagues.
Even if he’s not setting the world on fire approval wise Shumlin does appear to be a little bit stronger than he was back in November when he defeated Brian Dubie by just a 2 point margin. In a hypothetical rematch Shumlin would now lead Dubie 48-40, thanks largely to a 47-38 advantage with independents.
Earlier this year Shumlin managed to do something historic, enact a law (H.202) that will create a truly progressive universal health care system, modeled on single payer, in the state. While it is impossible to know if that law is responsible for Shumlin’s stronger poll numbers, it is proof that Democrats can pass very progressive health care reform and still maintain the support of independents.
Progressive health care reform is not an inherent political loser, just because federal Democrats horribly destroyed themselves by taking a year to pass an awful corporate-friendly bill.
Regular voters actually like real progressive health care reforms when that is what is offered. Expanding public health insurance programs is popular. During the health care debate large majorities always supported allowing people to buy into Medicare, the public option, and expanding Medicaid. It is the corporatism people hate.
23 Comments
may this spread to other states
Just doing this one thing could have saved the House in 2010 and guaranteed a victory for Obama in 2012.
73 % of repukes hate him so he must be doing something right.
Jon have they received exception from the feds yet? I thought the feds had to OK something first before they can start.
Yes, a great move by the Gov. and just wish others were this brave. It must be nice to be in a state with limited crazy people.
Yet there hasn’t been recent news about the waivers and amendments to ACA which will be needed for this to actually work.
HHS can do waivers, but can’t amend ACA. What’s the cranky GOP going to let through the House to amend ACA for VT — aren’t they still gunning for ACA’s ultimate demise rather than improving it or correcting errors?
The process of obtaining the dozen or so needed waivers is going to take years
If the politicians would read the polls on policy preferences, rather than party or ideological (liberal, conservative, moderate) identification, they would realize that whatever they call themselves, most Americans (by 60-70%) support strongly progressive policies.
Thanks thats to bad I hope the citizens VT win this in the end.
Thanks maa8722
Yes that would be great but all they’re listening to is lobbist that don’t have the nation citizens best interest in mind;)
“he has virtually no support from Republicans- only an 11% approval rating- and GOP voters are more unified in their disapproval (73%) of Shumlin”
This statistic reveals something about the GOP I’ve been saying for 15 years now, these people view everything from an ideological perspective, period. This governor has done something really good for his constituents, and because it doesn’t agree with conservative orthodoxy, it’s disapproved of by the GOP. Nevermind the health care approach of conservatives via the free market has failed miserably, it matters not.
These people have proven to be anti-intellectual, non-thinking, incurious, and ideological to a fault. It doesn’t matter that Reagans’ prescription of Supply-side, trickle down economics has proven a complete failure for the past 30 years, you still hear these people touting Reagan’s polcies as the panacea to all that ills America, totally disregarding the fact that Reagan’s policies are the main cause of America’s ills.
These people live in the world of fairy tales of pink unicorns where up is down, and a lie is the truth. Facts doesn’t enter conservative world, and as far as they’re concerned we’ll keep following their free market ideology right over the cliff, because they’re persuaded that somehow that magic pink unicorn is indeed real, and the free market fairies they believe do really exist and will make the world all better, if we only believe.
And it’s not just the Tea Party.
Right On
Shumlin for president 2012!
Shumlin might make a point of the waiver issue by threatening to secede from the union. Goober Stupidhair of TX didn’t lose any ground by doing so.
If the citizens of VT – and Americans across the country – were made aware of what Shumlin is trying to do – and that his hands are tied by Obamacare – that might help to catapult the (good) propaganda.
Pure BS that Vermont or any state can’t get the Health Care they are ENTITLED to as human beings. Especially on account of Obama’s Abortion of HCR. Democrat? Obama? RUFKM?
Many of us are watching VT and hoping that the state succeeds in their approach to healthcare because it could serve as a model for the rest of us.
I concur with it’s not just conservatives doing this business. A good chunck of both parties are knee deep in it.
It’ll be a challenge for every self-identified “liberal” to open their eyes to this truth.
Not easy for everyone to let go of the partisanship, I guess, and focus on what’s important.
I’d love to see him primary Obama. I’d love to see ANYONE primary Obama.
Details on the law and the needed law and waivers is here:
http://my.firedoglake.com/papau/2011/08/03/vermont-single-payer-detail-federal-waivers-laws-needed/
No ACA law change is needed unless a waiver before 2014 is wanted. Erisa modification is a nice to have if it can be passed.
Details are here:
http://my.firedoglake.com/papau/2011/08/03/vermont-single-payer-detail-federal-waivers-laws-needed/
Houston!
We have found a real Democrat!!!!
Democratic Governor Peter Shumlin of Vermont
Peter Shumlin for President of the USA 2012!!!!
We need to run this guy for Pres
I’m a long way from Vermont… Did Shumlin have a well funded machine working against him in the media there? A succesful program there will definitely bolster efforts in other areas, but that’s different than duplicating Shumlin’s success in the same manner somewhere else.