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Republicans Still Hope to Defeat Health Care Reform As New Poll Shows Most Americans Oppose It
(Republican) hope springs eternal? Or is the conventional wisdom to be quietly swept under the new and old media rug again as what new and old media pundits suggest won’t happen happens? Two new tidbits perhaps explain why President Barack Obama has decided to delay his year-end Hawaii vacation until health care reform definitively clears the Senate.
1. The Weekly Standard Editor Willliam Kristol, who is a must-read and must-watch because his suggested lines of attack often become the actual lines of attack used by Republicans, says health care reform might still be stopped due to two reasons:
First: the reaction to the deal-making. One friend e-mails, “uncharacteristically, I’m getting calls from relatives who want to talk about all the unseemly deals being cut to get the health bill through…that seems to have hit a nerve, as much as the price-tag.” That’s my sense too. Now combine the unseemly deals with Reid’s pathetic defense of them yesterday. According to Reid, “this legislation is no different than the defense bill we just spent $600 billion on.” As Dana Milbank points out in the Washington Post, “That would be the bill with more than 1,700 pet-project earmarks.” So when Reid says, “It’s no different than other pieces of legislation,” he’s giving up a lot—health care reform was supposed to be different. It was special, historic, a moral imperative, and so forth. If it’s no different, if it’s just another piece of cobbled-together legislation, why not kill this mess and start over?
Second: the issue Jim DeMint raised on the floor of the Senate last night. Why did the authors of the legislation want to specially protect the Independent Medicare Advisory Board by making it difficult for future Congresses to legislate in that area? Because the heart of the bill is the attempt to get control of our health care permanently in the hands of federal bureaucrats, who would allegedly know better than doctors and patients what’s good for them, and who would cut access to care and the quality of care so there’s more money left over for various big government liberal social programs.
Prediction: look for his argument to be repeated on talk shows, on blogs and in blog comments.
2. A new Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll finds a wide margin of Americans are against the emerging health care reform plan and give Obama low marks on his handling of it.
As the Senate prepares to vote on health care reform, American voters “mostly disapprove” of the plan 53 – 36 percent and disapprove 56 – 38 percent of President Barack Obama’s handling of the health care issue, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
Voters also oppose 72 – 23 percent using any public money in the health care overhaul to pay for abortions, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.
American voters also disapprove 51 – 44 percent of President Obama’s handling of the economy and disapprove 56 – 37 percent of the way he is creating jobs. But voters favor 52 – 42 percent his plan to use $200 billion left over from the bank bailout for a new stimulus package to create jobs rather than to reduce the budget deficit.
Only 31 percent of voters say Obama’s policies will help their personal financial situation, while 37 percent say his policies will hurt and 30 percent say his policies will make no difference. Among voters in households where someone has lost a job in the last year, 37 percent say Obama policies will help them personally, while 37 percent say they will hurt.
Looking at the health care plan, independent voters “mostly disapprove” 58 – 30 percent, as do Republicans 83 – 10 percent. Democrats “mostly approve” 64 – 22 percent.
“As President Barack Obama’s numbers on health care have declined so has his margin over Republicans on whom American voters trust most on the issue,” said Peter Brown, Assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “In July he enjoyed a 20-point edge on the trust question, and that margin has been narrowing, to 45 – 40 percent today.”
This poll is in sharp contrast to the latest CNN poll. So choose the poll that most closely fits your bias and call that poll accurate, and say the other poll has flawed methodology..
UPDATE: And you still have to wonder if at the last minute the Democratic party’s liberal wing, particularly in the House, digs in its heels and refuses to go along with the Senate deal. If you go by how Democrats often work hard to pull defeat out of the slammed-shut jaws of victory, you’d say the Democrats themselves will sink health care reform — but there are signs that it may not happen in the House this time. Or will it?
26 Responses to “Republicans Still Hope to Defeat Health Care Reform As New Poll Shows Most Americans Oppose It”
Joe–
As they say on the internet, read the whole thing. Maybe you should have included the next paragraph of that Quinnipiac Poll report:
64 – 30 percent allowing younger people to buy into Medicare
Even more support single payer–64%.So supporting a Medicare buy-in is supporting single-payer? That's a bit of a stretch, don'cha think?
Prof–
Actually, I don't think it's much of a stretch at all.
Thanks for asking!
Practicing for a PhD of spin?
This poll is in sharp contrast to the latest CNN poll. So choose the poll that most closely fits your bias and call that poll accurate, and say the other poll has flawed methodology..
Both the CNN and Quinnipiac polls show a pretty clear majority don't approve of the plan. Still as I have written before I don't think this is a topic that lands itself well to polling and the GOP should not be using polls to shape policy any more than the Democrats were.
That's entirely unfair of Prof! You can't expect him to understand the difference between euphemism and literal definition……lol!…….but who knows, maybe he is advocating for Aetna to be sole administrative agent.
Back to Gandelman's headline writing, I have renewed confidence the Dems will defeat themselves. In addition to Kristol's points, there is the fact that there is no actual mandate in the Senate version.
Here is the penalty wording…….
SEC. 5000A(g)(1)
(1) IN GENERAL.—The penalty provided by this section shall be paid upon notice and demand by the Secretary, and except as provided in paragraph (2), shall be assessed and collected in the same manner as an assessable penalty under subchapter B of 23 chapter 68.
(2) SPECIAL RULES.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law—
‘‘(A) WAIVER OF CRIMINAL PENALTIES.— In the case of any failure by a taxpayer to timely pay any penalty imposed by this section, such taxpayer shall not be subject to any criminal prosecution or penalty with respect to such failure.
‘‘(B) LIMITATIONS ON LIENS AND LEVIES.—The Secretary shall not—
‘‘(i) file notice of lien with respect to any property of a taxpayer by reason of any failure to pay the penalty imposed by this section, or
‘‘(ii) levy on any such property with respect to such failure.
If the CBO costs this language realistically, this will result in the world's most famous case of adverse selection. No healthy young liberals giving up their Starbuck's lattes in order to write Humana a check each month……and every poor person waiting until they are sick to sign up for free coverage. Can you say “loss ratio equals 1000%”?
Prof–
I gather you disagree.
Since you can't be bothered to explain why, so what?
Hey, isn't Bill Kristol friends with Dick Cheney? You know, almost bosom buddies?
Kinda makes you wonder about their new information supposed to herd the masses into not wanting health care reform..
Terrific explanation, CO.
You never asked me to explain why! Single payer is the elimination of all other insurance. The poll only asked if people wanted to allow the option of purchasing Medicare. Of course, few people understand what sort of trouble SS/Medicare/Medicaid is in, or what the cost of the policy would be, so it's not really that fair a question.
Now, to be fair, can you explain how a medicare buy-in and support for single payer are the same?
Prof E–
Well, Prof, I hate to think we've gotten off on the wrong foot. So, maybe, in the future, if you're going to disagree with me (or anyone), you might explain why you're disagreeing while you're doing it.
It's my experience that most people who don't have Medicare coverage don't know about the supplemental insurance–they think Medicare pays 100% of covered costs. That's why I think most people consider Medicare the equivalent of a single payer system.
Also, Prof, you're wrong about the definition of single payer.. It doesn't mean the elimination of all other insurance. Here's a snip from the Wikipedia:
I added some emphasis to show there is still private insurance in Canada, where single payer is in effect.
Yeah, I never realized that the definition of “single payer” included multiple payers (or is that multiple single payers?). Maybe people could clear that confusion up by using the term “government payer”. Just a thought.
Oh, now you're just being silly. Everyone knows that these people are experts: what they say laws will do is what they'll end up doing.
Remember: experts!
Article I, Section 8
“The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States”
**************
The “general welfare of the United States” can be construed to include providing basic health care for its GDP-producing workforce and their supportive family members/future generations of workers and those elderly retired workers. A drop in overall health of the workers of this nation past, present and future is a real and tangible threat to the stability of the United States as a leading world nation. Therefore it is within the powers of the Congress to enact and provide for general universal health care coverage for United States Citizens as underpinnings for the very fiscal solvency of America as a whole.
Interestingly enough, also in this Section is the reason the deal cut with Nebraska will be Constitutionally overturned. Seems the distinguished Senator from Nebraska didn't study American Government very well in highschool..lol..
No doubt I contracted my silliness from those lovably wacky Wikipedia contributors, who compute 1+1=1. Otherwise, an unimpeachable source, of course.
Most Americans still have no idea what the health care bill does. Right now it looks like entrails, not a fully encased and seasoned sausage. Once it passes – and it will as long as House progressives don't derail it and anti-abortion Dems don't go overboard – the smell of the sausage will start to waft over the American public like a Packers tailgate party. And yes, the smell of pork is good despite what doctrinaire conservatives tell you.
Some of us seem to be, perhaps purposefully, ignoring the fact that the recent proposals about “younger people” buying into Medicare were talking about those who are 55+ or perhaps 50+ buying into the system earlier than they normally would. Trying to somehow conflate this to say that some large percentage of people want a single payer system covering everyone of every age is…
Well, you figure out the correct adjective there.
I have to agree: it's looking more like pure pork all the time.
Yup, FNMA and FDMC. And Predator Drones. And……………………………….
Polls are polls. Just yesterday I read a post titled:
“Poll: Support for Health Care Reform and Obama Go Up in December 6 Percent”
The following, however, is not a poll. They are my sincere bi-partisan Christmas wishes for Republicans and Democrats and all TMV readers and contributors:
I wish that the wealthy and the healthy will continue to enjoy the best health insurance money can buy (and good health, too) and that the poor who are sick will finally begin to enjoy the decent health care all Americans deserve.
Merry Christmas to everyone
>Dorian
Jazz–
I'm not really sure how to respond to this.
I'm the guy who brought up single payer, so I assume you're talking about me, even though you refused to name anyone. And though I'm not sure what “correct adjective” you're hiding behind those three dots, I am sure it's intended to be an insult.
I can only say–and I think this is obvious–there is no bad faith in any of my comments here. So I decline to get into any kind of pointless argument about this.
Happy holidays to you.
Merry Christmas to everyone
.. and to all a good night.
Money can't buy the best stuff . May you all enjoy some.
Actually, Sil, it seems that you didn't study very well if you think that the General Welfare Clause has any weight at all. Indeed, the General Welfare Clause is surplussage, and has been since the days when the Chief Justice of the United States was John Jay. Nothing can use the General Welfare Clause as backing for legislation. It is merely preambulatory, and preambulatory language, like the Militia Clause of the Second Amendment, the Preamble itself, and the Sciences and Useful Arts Clause, cannot be used to justify legislation. So, no general welfare clause. It carries no meaning in law, and has not since the earliest days of the Republic.
Here is a rundown by the Associated Press.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALe…
A few nuggets
lots more go to the link.
Yup, no serious Constitutional scholar, or person who spent any real quality time researching this would make a argument using the General Welfare Clause.
If you look at the American discussion on the health care reform bill, it is apparent that American's are engaged, in a broader capacity, on policy than I remember seeing for a non-war related issue for many years. Following up on the 2008 Presidential election generally, and focus on Iraq policy specifically, I believe that Americans are growing more and more engaged.
This bodes well, I believe, for moderates and Independents as I detail:
http://themoderatevoice.com/55994/independents-…