The most recent Pew poll shows a
tiny minority of voters who want the Republicans to do everything in their power to kill Obamacare, the same tiny majority that is control of the whole GOP, apparently. A second poll released Monday from
NBC News/Wall Street Journal shows, like Pew, that more people disapprove than approve of the law (44 to 31 percent).
Unlike the Pew poll, though, this one had open-ended questions about the law, allowing respondents to say why they think the law is a good or bad idea. The differences in responses tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the opposition.
Here's a few of those in favor:
"Preexisting conditions are out. Can’t be dropped from coverage. Cobra, kids on coverage at a later age." – California male (independent) [...]
"Well, I mean it’s going to give people who didn’t have insurance. It’s going to eliminate the preexisting conditions. I don’t have children, but people who do have children will be able to stay on their parent’s insurance until the age of 26. In other words, they don’t have to go to school or to college without health care." – Minnesota male (strong Democrat)
"Well I just think that everybody should have access to good health care and it’s a step towards that. I think that a lot of employers are cheating the system by not providing workers health care or enough hours to get them health care. I also like the no preexisting conditions, it pulls in the loopholes that tightens the way they provide health care and making the medical records digital." – Georgia male (leans Democrat)
Proponents are well-informed about the details, and talk about the basic fairness of access to health care for everyone. And in the opposition:
"I think we’re too worried about helping people who don’t want to help themselves. Basically I think we’re too worried about welfare and people should just go out and get jobs. I think people, our country is too worried about taking care of people who don’t want to take care of themselves. [...]" – Indiana male (not strong Republican) [...]
"[...] As Sarah Palin said, there will be death committees. I’m 62 so I feel like I’ll be involved negatively by death committees." [...] – Tennessee male (strong Republican) [...]
"Because it’s just making more people dependent. It’s bankrupting our country, destroying the future of our young people, taking from the rich and giving to the poor, who aren’t willing to work for themselves. It’s going to cost everybody a lot more money, everyone who works for a living. –Texas female (strong Republican)
Those damned poor people don't deserve to have health care!!! Death panels!!! Freedom!!!
That's who's controlling the GOP, and because they're controlling the GOP, they're the ones holding the rest of the nation hostage, doing everything in their power to keep undeserving people from getting health care.