Chris Cillizza delves into the internalsof the Washington Post pollthat has support for a “public option” in health care ticking back up. It’s lousy for Republicans. Only 19 percent of Americans trust the GOP to make the right decisions, and just 37 percent want Congress to pass a bill with Republican support if it doesn’t include the public option. Just as ominously, it has the Democratic lead in the generic 2010 ballot test at 12 points, illustrated in the graph after the jump. Image has not been found. URL: /wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Picture-891.png
Clearly, there was momentum for the GOP this summer that has slowed or reversed in autumn. The party used that momentum to get top candidates into key Senate and House races, which will reap benefits if voters are angry at the Democrats a year from now. But the 1993-1994 scenario is not, so far, repeating itself. We’ll have a lot more clarity about this in two weeks, after votes are counted in gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey and in special congressional elections in California and New York.