Cite those polls then. Rasmussen’s got a well known house effect, using them to prove a point is at best a distraction (as I’ve so well demonstrated!)
OK, didn’t know this was going to become a contest. Gallup, as noted above, had it 47-50, with independents at 54 against. I never saw any polls from any major outlet showing a majority favoring the bill, so I guess I’m not surprised the polls I’ve seen have continued to trend that way.
First, the will of the people was to elect the current set of legislators. If they don’t like the current set, they can vote them out in the next election. Everything else in the meantime is just posturing. Let’s face it - the will of the people was to tell Palin to take a hike.
And for anyone who voted for Obama and is now saying hey wait a minute, that’s not what you voted for! Sheesh, get a clue. Yes you did - Obama made it pretty clear what his agenda was on that front, and you don’t get a line-item veto on any particular candidate. The wanna indulge in hysterics? Fine, I don’t have a problem laughing at them - If they preferred having the rascals who obliterated the economy, they should have voted to keep them in power.
And if we are talking about the will of the people being the majority of those expressing an opinion, well, the will of the people was for Bush not to serve that first term. Just think, if Bush hadn’t been sitting in office running the country into the ground, the door may well not have been open to Obama. Cosmic comeuppance.
;-)
The day after passage, the US Today had a poll that showed 49% in favor, 40% opposed and 11% undecided. So much for “the majority doesn’t want it”.
Does it matter if you lose elections if you still get what you want?
Try following trends, and you’ll see where it comes in handy.
Also might be useful for you to brush up on the difference between accuracy and precision.
If you actually wanted an answer, you wouldn’t have asked it in the One True Groupthink echo chamber.
Except that that DOES establish that not the majority wants it. It’s close enough for rhetorical purposes. By that poll, a plurality of individuals want it, but that’s the beautiful difference between a plurality and a majority and one of the reasons why politicians love this shit.
Polls are tools by which talented pollsters generally get the answer that they were looking to get in the first place. Honestly conducted polling can provide some information, though how useful it is is highly questionable when you come to the understanding that most people are morons that aren’t even qualified to run their own lives, much less exercise an opinion on how to manage somebody else’s. I would contend, however, that most polling isn’t honest. When most of the time you can’t even determine whether you’re going to piss off a lot of people by doing something or not, I’m forced to wonder what the point is.
OK, for those who were apparently bothered that I had shown one poll that people feel is biased, here is the summary of polls:
Poll Date Sample For/Favor Against/Oppose Spread
RCP Average 3/10 - 3/28 – 40.7 50.8 Against/Oppose +10.1
Rasmussen Reports 3/27 - 3/28 1000 LV 42 54 Against/Oppose +12
USA Today/Gallup* 3/26 - 3/28 1033 A 47 50 Against/Oppose +3
Washington Post 3/23 - 3/26 1000 A 46 50 Against/Oppose +4
Quinnipiac 3/22 - 3/23 1552 RV 40 49 Against/Oppose +9
CBS News 3/22 - 3/23 649 A 42 46 Against/Oppose +4
Bloomberg 3/19 - 3/22 1002 A 38 50 Against/Oppose +12
CNN/Opinion Research 3/19 - 3/21 953 RV 39 59 Against/Oppose +20
Democracy Corps (D) 3/15 - 3/18 1016 RV 40 52 Against/Oppose +12
FOX News 3/16 - 3/17 900 RV 35 55 Against/Oppose +20
PPP (D) 3/12 - 3/14 1403 RV 45 49 Against/Oppose +4
NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl 3/11 - 3/14 1000 A 36 48 Against/Oppose +12
Pew Research 3/10 - 3/14 1500 A 38 48 Against/Oppose +10
Look at the link to get a better formatted version.
Like it or not, most Americans’ response in polls is more saying they oppose the bill than those who say they are for it. So it isn’t hard for Republicans to use that data.
We can argue all day on the “why” they respond that way (but it isn’t hard to figure out: the Democrats suck at communications, plus the entire process was so ugly, with most Americans seeing the Democrats fighting amongst themselves, and no clear communications of what is actually in the bill, etc.) And when you’re on the side of the polls with the lower scores, it’s natural to want to justify it. But I think it’s more harmful to try to rationalize these polls instead of accepting them and taking the action needed (which is a strong and effective communications plan.)
How about “20% of the public doesn’t think it’s liberal enough and that’s why they opposed it, but they definitely don’t want it repealed?” This isn’t rocket science.
Because we hijacked the last election. Duh. Did you not get your “I <3 ACORN” t-shirt?
On top of that, polling has shown that people generally support the individual measures of the reform (for example removing “preexisting condition” exclusions polls really well) but somewhat paradoxically don’t support the bill itself. Opposition is more a result of Republican sloganeering and tribalism than it is a result of actual policy disagreements. People don’t support the bill because someone told them it was a “government takeover of healthcare” and not because they specifically disagree with the actual policies in the bill.
Many Republicans, and the Tea Party folks in particular, need to watch this very enlightening video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofYmhlclqr4
Perhaps then they will realize that the naming of their movement is a disservice to the memory of one of the most pivotal points in this nation’s history. I am not a fan of this new agenda of disruption of government as a political tactic. It does not serve the interests of the people, nor does it hold to the traditions upon which our government was founded. Our nation is about representation for the people by the people. The people have elected officials into office, and they expect those officials, no matter what party they may represent, to actually work together to pass laws that are to the benefit of everyone. The Republicans need to stop shouting “baby killer” and disrupting the process at every turn and start coming up with workable compromises and alternative legislation that can be forged together with what the Democrats are producing to actually solve the problems we face as a nation. That’s one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL (not just one party).
It would be useful to see how many people are against the bill because it doesn’t go far enough and puts too much money in the pockets of the insurance industry. That’s why I’m “against” it, though I can admit having some reform is better than having none.
I think most people simply don’t know diddly about what the bill does and doesn’t do, period. They just know that it is a big trillion dollar bill, people are extremely skeptical of Washington in general and Congress in particular, they’ve heard a lot of bluster about government taking over health care, and precious little organized, effective selling from the Democrats. It’s not surprising at all that the polls don’t come out in favor.
Isn’t it a trillion dollars over ten years, and not only deficit neutral but it will cut costs over the long run?
Bzzzt. Attention span of the average American:
“It’s a trillion dollars something something blah blah snoooooore…”
All people hear is the trillion dollars, which is why they gamed the numbers to make it 950 billion or so (cause 900 billion doesn’t sound as bad as a trillion, LOL)
I’m an overall supporter of the bill, but I will take bets that it will ultimately not be deficit neutral nor cut costs. I imagine I’m not the only one who supports it because I think the additional costs are worth the potential good of the bill.
But that’s beside the point, which is most people answering these poll questions, and most people, could not tell you any details at all about what the bill does and does not do. Hell, I’ll bet a number of people posting here haven’t actually spent the time to dig into the actual bill and its wording and a detailed analysis, much less the average Joe or Judy on the street.
Yeah, this is why I really loathe talking points and the inability of Democratic legislators to refute some of the most simple ones. Sure, a trillion dollars sounds like a lot (it is) but at roughly $100 billion per year we’re talking something like a fraction of our defense budget to overhaul an ailing industry that will run our economy (even further) into the ground if not addressed. Is that not worth it? This is mostly a rhetorical question.
I mean, the details aside… The bill has many warts, not least of which is Obama’s promise not to fund a specific medical procedure because it gives conservatives the vapors. But I still give it my lukewarm support because a first step was needed, however tentative it may be.
Yeah, the Tea Party name is absurd. I sometimes wonder if the average Tea Party member could accurately explain what the actual Boston Tea Party was really about. Somehow I doubt it, though I’d love to hear a modern Tea Party member try explain to the people of colonial Boston how much it sucks to be disenfranchised by the results of an election.
Correct.
They just know that it is a big trillion dollar bill, people are extremely skeptical of Washington in general and Congress in particular, they’ve heard a lot of bluster about government taking over health care, and precious little organized, effective selling from the Democrats. It’s not surprising at all that the polls don’t come out in favor.
Correct on sales job, not correct on the rest. As pointed out, a significant number of people on “oppose/support” are actually on the left of the bill. Repeal is 55% against.