Shutting down the government in an effort to defund Planned Parenthood might be
one of the least popular things Republicans could do:
American voters oppose 69 – 23 percent, including 56 – 36 percent among Republicans, shutting down the federal government in the dispute over funding Planned Parenthood, according to a Quinnipiac University National poll released today.
Twenty-three percent support is basically Dick Cheney's floor, the set of people who will support any damn thing Republicans do, probably including televised puppy sacrifice and openly abolishing Social Security.
Voters also don't want Planned Parenthood defunded, period, though opposition to that isn't as widespread—71 percent of Republicans do want to attack health care for low-income women, even if most of them aren't interested in shutting down the government over it. With 82 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of independents wanting Planned Parenthood to continue to receive government funding, there's 52 percent overall support for the organization's funding to 41 percent who want it defunded.
But neither these numbers nor Speaker John Boehner's resignation are likely to stop the shutdown talk.