In a shocking and mysterious piece of news, Sarah Palin has announced that she is stepping down from her position as Governor of Alaska.

Details are still coming in, but she has said that she will give up her position at the end of the month, and turn the state reins over to the deputy governor at that time.

So far, no one knows why she’s making the move but, for the moment, speculation is all over the map.

UPDATE: Palin’s husband Todd Palin, has issued a statement claiming that the Governor is stepping down to “Do the kind of things for Alaska and the coutry she can’t do as Governor.”

-Robert Laurie

According to a recent CNN Opinion Research poll conducted from June 26th to June 28th and released July 1st, only 20% of those questioned think they’ll be better off under Obama’s health care plan.

35% said they’d be worse off, and 44% said things would be about the same.  The margin of error was +/- 3%

In addition, the poll found that the number of people who believe that the health care system needs a “great deal” of reform has now shrunk to 55%.  Before last year’s election that number stood 7 points higher.

More bad news for the Obama plan came when 54% of the people polled said they believed that health care costs would go up if it was passed.  Given that the whole point of a national system is to lower costs, the number is telling.

The one bright spot for the Democrats came from the fact that, so far, only 42% of the people are buying into the Republican argument that the plan will force private insurers out of business.

Dems have been heavily spinning the data, trying to claim that we should add the 20% to the 44% giving them a solid 64% who are allegedly for the plan.  The problem  they’re facing is the fact that nothing in the numbers indicates that. 

The idea that 44% of the people thinking Obama’s system won’t change anything equates to 44% support is an utter fallacy.  It’s entirely possible that the 44% could just as easily be saying “If it’s not going to change much, leave it the way it is and avoid the new bureaucracy.”

In fact, the Poll goes on to show that the mandate for Obama’s plan is very narrow indeed, with only 51% saying they favor the president’s approach.

In a recent interview, John McCain commented on the numbers, suggesting that as people learn more about Obama’s bill, support will continue to erode.  “I believe that’s because it’s like a fish, the longer it sits out in sun, the less it smells good.”

-Robert Laurie