This is good news for Democrats if they can leverage it:
A new AP poll finds that Americans who think the law should have done more outnumber those who think the government should stay out of health care by 2-to-1.
The toplines for the poll [pdf] show that the main areas where people are confused about the reform bill center around coverage for illegal immigrants. There’s broad (80/20) agreement that drug manufacturers and insurance companies make too much money. And, by 60/40 margins, there’s agreement that minorities and the poor will get better care as a result of the bill, while a smaller majority thinks that whites and the middle class will not get better care.
Reading this poll, it’s clear that “kill the bill” is political suicide, that traditional Democratic constituencies think the bill benefits them, and that overall people are interested in more change to the healthcare system, not less.
Thomas
This has been so clear from the get go. Especially once the public option died there was a great deal of unhappiness with this law on the left of the spectrum. But of course we didn’t get that in the news media analysis because it didn’t fit into the “liberal overreach” narrative the Goppers push and that the media had adopted.
Mr. Furious
This will certainly be the first, last and only time I hear THESE poll results. It doesn’t fit the media’s narrative, and the Dems are two fucking stupid to leverage it.
Happy fucking Monday.
Michael D.
Given that Democrats never seem to take advantage of any position they hold that polls well, I don’t see why you’d think it’d be different this time around…
Seems to always be, “Well, let’s see what Mitch, John, Sarah, & Glenn think first!”
Mr. Furious
Thomas reminds us of another point never broken out by the press—a significant portion of those “dissatisfied” with the Democrats or Obama are actually Democrats / liberals who are disappointed in the decisions made by the governement—specifically NOT ENOUGH OF THE CHANGE THEY EXPECTED.
Doesn’t mean they are voting Republican.
Johnny Pez
Oh, mistermix, you’re such a cut-up! You slay me!
Mike from Philly
All of this is common sense and pretty much has been clear during the entire debate – including the tea party media circuses.
Which of course means that all of this will be promptly ignored and that we can count on Blue Dogs backing repeal and Obama supporting compromise after the November elections.
EIGRP
So….. Good News for Republicans.
Eric
jrg
@Johnny Pez:
Right? If my Cocker Spaniel had a square butthole, it would poop tiny little bricks. If my aunt had a scrotum, she’s be my uncle.
Keith G
If a tree falls in the forest, but no one….
If a decent progressive reality exists, but no one….
The hoi polloi may not be celebrated for their steadfast rationality, but a neat thing about the American mass is that all things being equal, they tend to instinctively support the underdog if the issue is correctly framed as one of simple justice.
But there has to be a fight and not a whining capitulation. I think polling would show basic support for many fundamental progressive ideas. Unfortunately, those ideas must be enunciated and exhorted and not left to rot in an empty forest.
Thomas
@Mr. Furious: Definitely, Mr. Furious [“Mystery Men” was way underrated by the way]. Whenever a democrat is elected and then proceeds to abandon the bulk of the things he/she ran on to get elected voters always end up with some extreme right winger running, but we never get an option from the left. We never get someone running saying they will vote for the things the incumbent actually promised in the first place. It is as though liberal/progressives are an almost unrepresented constituency. Why is this?
Legalize
But but but, the Dems never should have had the healthcare vote at all because it gave the GOPers an issue to use against them in the midterms!
cmorenc
@Mr Furious:
That. But not only will many Dems be too stupid to leverage it, there will be too many blue dog dems seeking to gain leverage from having opposed it. Take Mike McIntyre D-NC (southeastern corner of the state) for one egregious example. These jackasses actually think they can successfuly triangulate themselves against the real right-wing GOOPer running against them by running on a GOP-lite platform, and still expect the democratic base to be willing to turn out to support them come election day.
Davis X. Machina
Wow. Someone even less popular than colored people receiving a Federally mandated social provision.
Didn’t think that could even happen.
JohnR
yup. So, will they vote to repeal it as soon as the Congress reconvenes, or wait a little while to let Fox build up the pressure first so they have some rationalization?
Ross Hershberger
We’ll hear about this poll all right. The GOP will add up the numbers of those who think HCR goes too far and those who think it doesn’t go far enough and roll out a media blitz stating that a majority of the public opposes HCR and the Dems failed.
What? That already happened? I must be suffering from political abuse fatigue.
Binzinerator
Sigh.
gene108
My Rep, John Adler, NJ-03, didn’t vote for HCR. I remember calling his office to express my displeasure. Some Republican front group ran an ad on T.V. saying he did and that he voted with Nancy Pelosi 90% of the time.
Adler launched a couple of effective (in my opinion) ads targeting his opponent, former Eagle’s offensive tackle John Runyan, for not at all being involved in politics and failing to vote regularly and that Runyan tried to get a cow or something as a pet, so his land could be classified as a farm, saving him money on taxes.
Unfortunately, I’ve seen several Republican groups attacking Adler, but nothing from Adler’s side in fighting back.
Linda Featheringill
We are still fighting.
From ActBlue:
And DCCC has a program where a donation is matched 2:1 by some of the more prosperous progressives. These folks got a little of my Social Security check. I believe they plan to spend this money on professionally organized get-out-the-vote efforts.
And ActBlue is helping Scott McAdams in Alaska. They seem to think that with the Murkowski [sp?] write-in campaign, McAdams has a shot at that seat.
And DCCC has targeted 29 seats currently held by Republicans, with energy, money, talent, and optimism.
No, you won’t hear any of this on Fox News, or the rest of the MSM either. But it is 5 weeks until the election and that is a long time. And we are still fighting.
[I think a lot of these efforts will be effective.]
justawriter
Atrios neatly distills the problem Obama is having with a lot of progressives.
Brachiator
@justawriter:
Here’s an interesting quote from the link:
Some progressives seem stuck in wanting the Obama Administration to say, “We’re sorry we failed you,” and to emphasize the inadequacy of their accomplishments.
While this may satisfy some progressives, I don’t see that it is effective political strategy going into the elections.
On the other hand, I think that there has been some rise in the polls related to health care because Obama has gone out to sell it, and because more provisions have kicked in, and employers have had to provide information about this.
When you are informed that some of your previously uninsured adult children can now be put on your health care plan, it becomes harder to think about voting against it.
Of course, the fact that some Congress critters are running from health care is another sad sign that the Democrats are committed to the idea that in disunity there is strength.
Nick
@justawriter: Oh that’s bullshit, they have to sell their accomplishments, not nurse progressive butt hurt.
kay
I read the whole thing and I think it’s a lousy poll. Their opinions are completely incoherent, and that’s because the questions are so broad they’re all but useless.
They want…someone to do more to reform health care, but they also express a preference for smaller more limited government?
I actually thought we were further along on this. We’re still at wave a magic wand stage. We’re still not at the point where anyone is willing to talk about why health care in the US costs so much, and what we might have to do to change that, considering we somehow let it become 1/6 of our economy. Big changes! Everybody ready? I don’t think so.
We can’t get there from here. We’re not even at the starting line. Let me know when they’re ready to have a real debate.
Nick
@kay:
Does anyone remember The Simpsons episode where Itchy and Scratchy’s ratings were falling, so the producers took Bart and the other kids into a private room where the Exec. Producer was hiding behind a two way mirror and the producer asked the kids if they want Itchy and Scratchy to do X, Y and Z and they kept saying “yes” to everything?
That’s what this reminds me of
DO YOU WANT BETTER HEALTHCARE?
YEAH!
DO YOU WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT?
No, not really
RalfW
A new poll (and a likely-voter one, at that) shows 60% support in Minnesota for taxing upper-income households more to pay for the basics of state government. Sure, this might look like ‘soak the rich’ but it’s also an indicator that there are a lot more rational voters out there than it sometimes appears if one watches TeaParties echo around the media bubble.
I think health care will play out similarly. Whether elected Democrats go with polls, or with their last marginal voter modeling/knee-knocking-pant-peeing crumble to the right, well, that’s another matter. The Federal tax cuts fiasco donesn’t give one confidence.
kay
@Nick:
They think health insurance costs too much, but not health care.
And to think that, you have to know next to nothing about what Medicare costs. Which 25% of them are ON, judging by the age breakdown.
Oh, we have a LONG way to go. GOOD long way. MILES. Best we approach this in pieces.
Alpheus
The reality is this: the health-care boondoggle is a huge power grab, and a huge attack on our liberty. It should be repealed. The attacks on our freedom and liberty should be heralded constantly by Republicans, so that when the day comes that it is repealed, everyone will celebrate.
The question is: will Republicans leverage their position? The Answer: I’m not holding my breath.
I have been struggling with health care issues for several years now–some of them against State-provided health care (thank you, New York!). The issues boil down to this: Should I be free to get health care and insurance of my choice, independent of government or employer? Should I be free to determine what my health insurance covers, and what it doesn’t? Should I be free to buy health insurance from a State that’s different from the one I live in?
I’m sick and tired of government determining all these choices for me. Obamacare, as evil as it is, is only the latest meddling in these things. And, just as Hillarycare failed in the states that tried it (to the point that it was even repealed), and just as Romneycare (which is reform similar to Obamacare’s) is failing, so too will Obamacare.
Our only hope is that Obamacare will be repealed before it does too much damage, and that Government will actually make changes by getting out of the way.
But I’m not holding my breath for that, either.
Nick
@RalfW:
I wouldn’t call this rational, though I agree with it. Americans are like pit bulls, just say “sic them” and they go. Right now the rich are the crosshairs (along with the money-grubbing Mexicans and terrorist Muslims).
DPirate
This is a joke. They blew their shot at leveraging it when they passed the bill. Is it really any wonder why people feel betrayed when the best thing this administration has done is halfassed?
Honestly, it takes a true believer to think there is a silver lining.