A new CBS News Poll found that a majority of Americans (51%) want Congress to pass a health care bill with a public option: WHAT KIND OF HEALTH CARE BILL SHOULD CONGRESS PASS? One WITH a public option           51% One WITHOUT a public option  16 No bill at all             [...]

A new ABC/Washington Post poll finds support for the overall health care reform effort working its way through Congress remains nearly evenly divided in this country. Over the past few months, public opinion has solidified, leaving Obama and the Democrats with the political challenge of enacting one of the most ambitious pieces of domestic legislation [...]

Here’s some good news to start your week. Eric Kleefield round up the tracking polls spanning McCain’s campaign “suspension”…

John McCain is gaining in the polls nationally, according to several independent measures. The general consensus among political analysts is that McCain’s relentless personal attacks on Obama are taking their toll. Obama’s week-long vacation and McCain’s saber-rattling during the Georgia/Russia conflict didn’t help, either.

David Plouffe, Sen. Obama’s campaign manager, gave a presentation you could nickname “viability in Powerpoint” to the DNC and members of the media in Washington today. It shows that Obama is consolidating Democrats, performing extraordinarily among women and well among Hispanics in recent polling, and of course is turning red states such as Virginia, Florida and Missouri blue.

It is very interesting, and shows what kind of historic year this can

A new Rasmussen Reports poll from Maine showing Sen. Susan Collins up on Rep. Tom Allen 49%-42%. Allen has cut a 16 point lead in half and has knocked Collins below the 50% mark for the first time. I guess it turns out that being a senator from a blue state while fast-tracking President Bush’s Iraq policy, trade policy and Alitoesque judges is not a good thing.

This used to be considered a swing state. If more polls come out with numbers like this, however, it may be another state Bush-McCain has helped into the Democratic column:

MADISON (June 12, 2008) — In the inaugural UW Dept. of Political Science/WisPolitics.com survey taken immediately after Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign, Barack Obama leads John McCain by a 13-percentage point margin in the Badger state.

ARG conducted two polls over the past few days and found Obama with a small lead in Oregon, 50% to 45%, and Clinton with a West Virginia like 65% to 29% lead in Kentucky. For more information and analysis, go here.