Blue Dog Jim Cooper responds to Kos Poll showing him in trouble, pledges to support public option

[jefferson_dem]

TN-05: Jim Cooper responds, pledges to support public option
by kos

We released a poll noting that Blue Dog Rep. Jim Cooper's constituents aren't happy with his handling of the health care issue. He has responded.

Private polls are inherently inaccurate, and most people disregard them. He who pays the piper calls the tune, and the Daily Kos got what it wanted.

The whole premise of the poll is that I oppose a public option, and that is simply not true. I have repeatedly said that I’m FOR a public option, and that there are multiple ways to do it. I agree with Sen. Chuck Schumer’s position on the issue, and the Daily Kos is not attacking him. The Daily Kos can assign a false position to me if it wants, but it’s not accurate.

In addition, I did find things to like about this poll! Only 23% want to replace me? That’s great, since 34% VOTED to replace me in 2008. At this point, I might be gaining support.

But the real reason you have to doubt a poll like this is the following: President Obama won my district with 56% of the vote. This poll shows his favorable number at 66%, up 10 points. While I would like to think that President Obama’s numbers were that good, we all know that the polls have been bad for our President this month. The President has lost ground all over the country, but in the 5th district of Tennessee, he’s up by 10? I wish it were true, but I doubt seriously that it is.

I will continue my fight for health reform. We need to cover EVERYONE, and we need to do so responsibly so that we don’t bankrupt the country. This has always been my position, this is the President’s position, and I will continue to work with him to get the job done.

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http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/24/771724/-TN-05:-Jim-Cooper-responds,-pledges-to-support-public-option