The continuing debate in the Senate on health care reform, and the sound and fury on the TV networks, talk radio and the blogosphere have left public opinion almost exactly where it was in October and November. The public is still split, with almost identical numbers of adults supporting "President Obama’s proposals for health care reform."

This is one of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,276 adults surveyed online between December 7 and 14, 2009 by Harris Interactive®.

Some of the key findings include:

- With 43% supporting and 45% opposing, the country is deeply split on “President Obama’s proposals for health care reform” (we use these words even though the president is not an author of any specific proposal).

- The public was also equally split in October (45%-45%) and November (40% to 41%).

- Democrats and Republicans remain highly polarized. Independents are marginally more opposed (48%) than supportive (44%) of the president on health care reform.

- Large numbers of people continue to believe in the criticisms of “the president’s proposals”:

* 68% of adults believe they would result in higher taxes;

* 62% believe they would result in a “government-run” health care system (not everyone thinks that would be bad);

* 53% believe they would reduce people’s choices;

* 52% believe they would “not be good for people like me”;

* 48% believe they would “hurt Medicare.”

- The public is also divided, 43% to 41%, on whether “the system we have now is better than what the president is proposing.”

- While the public remains split on whether President Obama’s proposals are good (48%) or bad (52%), a 57% to 43% majority thinks that the proposals of the Democrats are bad.

- A larger 65% to 35% majority thinks that the proposals of the Republicans in Congress are bad.

Different questions about reform get different answers

It should be noted that the polls tend to show substantial support for health care reform in principle, but less support for “President Obama’s proposals” for reform (with the public still divided). As this survey also shows, a clear majority of the public oppose the “plans proposed by the Democrats in Congress” and an even larger, almost two-to-one, majority oppose the “plans proposed by the Republicans in Congress.”

So what?

It would seem that arguments of those supporting and opposing the president’s efforts to achieve health care reform are canceling each other out, or are equally effective.

Given the reservations many people have about the “president’s proposals,” it is noteworthy that support has not declined recently – perhaps because of the unpopularity and lack of credibility of Republicans on this issue.