CBS/NYT poll: Support for repeal of health care provisions nearly non-existent

As both Greg Sargent and Kevin Drum write, the recent CBS/NYT poll did a great service to those trying to make sense of the polling of repeal of the Affordable Care Act:

Greg:

The poll first asked people a straight-up question -- should we do away with the law completely, or let it stand -- and found that 40 percent favor repeal, versus 48 percent who want to leave it as is. That near-split mirrors virtually all other polls that asked the question this way -- they all find some solid support for repeal.

But here's where it gets interesting. The NYT/CBS poll then asked the pro-repeal camp whether they want to "repeal all of the health care law, or only certain parts of it." Suddenly the number who favor full repeal drops to 20 percent -- one-fifth -- while 18 percent peel off and say they want to repeal "certain parts."

When they actually asked about those certain parts, "8% are opposed to everything and 11% are opposed to the individual mandate. And that's about it. Not a single other provision was opposed by more than 1% of the respondents. Not even higher taxes! Hell, a full 14% were supposedly in favor of repeal but couldn't name even a single provision they disliked."

This makes the piece-by-piece strategy the Senate Dems are devising very smart.