The public option, which is opposed by Maine's two GOP Senators, is very, very popular in Maine according to the DailyKos poll of voters in the state. McJoan broke down the numbers for us. Overall, the margin is 58% - 29% in support, with 13% not decided. For independents, the breakdown is a startling 67% - 20% with 13% undecided.
This does beg the question: Who are Senators Snowe and Collins representing? It's pretty clear their constituents want something that the Senators won't give them.
The Maine Twins, as McJoan dubs them, have truly benefitted from taxpayer-funded health care, as I've noted before:
I did a little research on the Senators from Maine, both of them have had publicly funded health care for most of their adult lives. Olympia has been in the federal system since 1978 when she was elected to Congress. But even prior to that, she served in the state legislature and was a staffer for a Congressman. Collins was a Hill staffer for twelve years, spent several years working for the State of Maine and the federal government before she was elected in 1996. For both Senators, health insurance has always been available -- and funded by taxpayers.Also, there's a lot of attention focused on Senator Rockefeller's revelations that Senator Snowe is being treated quite badly by her fellow Republican Senators. Let's face it: Olympia Snowe really doesn't belong in the same caucus as Jim DeMint, Tom Coburn, David Vitter and Jon Kyl. She was right when she said her party had has changed. It has. For the worse.
