Position Taking in the Health Care Debate

The Senate begins the health Care debate in earnest today. There is no clear majority opinion on health care (remember to look at those margins of error) which is probably why certain moderates in the Democratic Party are having such a hard time committing to a position. For more see this New York Times article on the health care debate.



Also, Andrew Gelman reminds us that generally speaking, politicians have a lot of leeway in how they vote. His research suggests that the benefits to moderation for a member of the House are probably about 2% in the general election.

And some members do seem prepared to vote their conscious without concern for public opinion. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said, "I don't think about that stuff. I'm just -- I'm being a legislator. After what I went through in 2006, there's nothing much more that anybody [who] disagrees with me can try to do." And Michael Bennet (D-CO) seems prepared to vote for reform even if it will cost him his position.