From the Washington Post/ABC News poll:
Three-quarters of Americans say that they support openly gay people serving in the U.S. military, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, a finding that could lend momentum to the Obama administration's effort to dismantle the policy known as "don't ask, don't tell."That's a pretty big number. And, it should lead to momentum. This also shows broad support for a new policy across the ideological spectrum:
The percentage of Americans who say they support gays openly serving is the same as a Post-ABC News poll found in July 2008; both are far above the 44 percent who said so in May 1993. In the new poll, majorities across party lines favor such a policy, with support among Democrats (82 percent) and independents (77 percent) higher than among Republicans (64 percent).Not many allegedly "controversial" issues get those kinds of numbers. Looking at these poll results, John wrote at AMERICAblog Gay:
It's amazing how on so many issues, from the public option to gays in the military, the Democrats in Washington are so far behind the American people. They're actually afraid to follow through on their own promises, promises they were elected on, promises that the overwhelming majority of Americans support, even Republicans. What's the problem?What is the problem?
Again, this should lead to momentum. But, whether or not it will is still an open question. As we reported yesterday, there's still no path for repeal of DADT. Let's hope these new numbers spur "the administration’s point man in the Senate, Jim Messina" and everyone else involved into action.
