Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Stem Cells
Send this Bill to Bush's desk now, and force him to sign it or veto it, so we really know where he stands. I have a hunch he'd cave in to pressure to sign it. He needs to start working on some sort of legacy (besides the legacy of car bombs in Iraq).
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WASHINGTON -- Polling, advertising and grass-roots organizing, the pillars of a strong election campaign, now spill over routinely to congressional battles embryonic stem cell research among them.
The embryonic stem cell issue flared during the 2004 presidential campaign and may soon come before the House. Republicans who dissent from President Bush's policy are circulating a poll designed to show they have the party's voters on their side even if many fellow GOP lawmakers are not.
The survey, taken among 800 Republican voters nationwide, showed 90 percent job approval for President Bush and 88 percent favorable support for Republicans in the House. Both levels far exceed recent results of surveys taken of voters of all political persuasions.
At the same time, 57 percent of those surveyed in the Republican-only poll said they favored embryonic stem cell research, with 40 percent opposed. On a follow-up question, 54 percent said it was more of a research issue, while 40 percent said it was more of an abortion issue.
"Anytime you see a poll like that, that's a strong preference," said Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., the leading supporter of stem cell research. "Members of Congress understand polls. I think the other thing that's important is who takes polls."
