What Matters More - Process or Results?

A new ABC News/Washington Post poll over the healthcare bill contains a small nugget for politicians to consider.   

The poll asks whether people would prefer a public option that includes support from Republicans or no Republican support.  51% said they preferred the public option with no Republican support.   

ABC News' Jake Tapper writes:

The question has some relevance, since Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, is the only Republican lawmaker to show willingness to vote for a health care reform bill pushed by Democrats, but she opposes the public option. Some in the White House have worked hard to bring Snowe on board, thinking she provides cover for moderate Democrats and wanting to be able to say they passed a bill with bipartisan support. Some in Congress have argued that Snowe's support is not worth it, given her opposition to the public option.

If Americans are in favor of a public option passed with zero Republican votes, one has to wonder if the Republican opposition is doing anything other than reinforcing their image as the "party of ‘no'."