I'm quite happy that they are so out of touch. We can't afford to have them messing things up for a decade or so. The Republicans are too expensive.

Seventy-two percent of those questioned ...say they favor increasing the federal government's influence over the country's health care system

...once again, leaving 28% hopelessly confused.

Now, if the media would just start applying a little skepticism to those right-wing talking points about how unpopular the president's agenda is.

As it is, their coverage of the debate is tainted by their credulous acceptance of the idea that America really is a "center-right country," and that Americans really don't want government to make health care accessible to more people.

Seventy-two percent of those questioned in recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey say they favor increasing the federal government's influence over the country's health care system in an attempt to lower costs and provide health care coverage to more Americans, with 27 percent opposing such a move.

Someone might want to remind the "Rush-pubicans" that tyranny is defined as an extremist minority forcing its will, with both malice and the intent to profit from that malice, upon the majority.

Can we now recognize the "loyal party of opposition" and their media mouthpieces as terrorist enemies of the Republic---and declare war on them???

All the polls I've seen, including the ones cited here, indicate the only support given to the GOP comes from its core constituency: around 25-28%.

The Republican talking points may need a tweak. The minority party and the public aren't on the same page on this issue at all.

And that's after a decade dishonest Republicans -- but I repeat myself -- screaming "socialized medicine!"

Looks like the American public has decided that the nation's for-profit insurance system, in which bureaucrats have incentives to come between them and their doctors, are t3h suck and figure that if the Republicans hate it that much, it's probably worth a shot.

What you again fail to understand is that what the public believes NOW is unimportant.

Our motto is: When in doubt procrastinate, when all else fails obfuscate.

We will do battle to defer actions on health care 'reform'.

When health care 'reform' does comes before Congress, our allies in the medical insurance and pharmacological industries will provide 10's of millions of dollars to distract & confuse the amerikan public. We will spend millions of dollars to buy additional politicians.

With our bankrolls, we will make the issues so difficult to understand that the bulk of the amerikan public will just recite our slogans.

You are idiots if you think that we cannot combine public confusion with the congress-critters (of both parties) that we have bought to defeat any 'reform' that impacts our corporate profitability!

Therefore, current public opinion is meaningless!

What really really bothers me is that all of the Republican Congressmen who say it is catastrophic to have government involved in health care have some of the best coverage, provided via the taxpayers, in the country. Seems to work for them...

I was thinking about that this morning while watching the NOOZE report on the old Battle Axe Barbara Bush and her surgery. She gets the finest health care money can buy (our money that is ) as you know Papa's luxurious government pension plans cover all that stuff .No waiting around emergency rooms for her. The ruling class never has to worry about minor details like HOW AM I GOING TO PAY THE DOCTOR BILLS?

Think Progress shows Rep. Wamp (R) saying that healthcare is a 'privilege' and that half of the people who don't have it have chosen not to have it because they are too stingy to pay for it. Most of the other half are illegal aliens. It would be funny if it wasn't so absurd.

I will guarantee to you that this 27% is the same 27% that continue to say that Bush was a good president.

I mentioned this the other day, but 70 is the new 100 (when it comes to percentages). There are 30% or so of the American population which will always say the GOP, free market, ME ME ME ME ME approach to life and politics is right.

And to each of those 27 percenters, I say a sincere and hearty fuck you.

Something needs to be done with the about these for-profit insurance systems that ripe us the few of us that have any kind of coverage, or deny coverage to anyone with pre existing conditions. Not to mention the millions who can not even afford to get coverage if they wanted. Here in North Dakota the big story of the day is how Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota has 33 of its employees plus one guest per employee in the Grand Cayman Islands for the week at a cost of $225,000 while at the same time they are asking for a 18% rate increase because they are losing so much money. Their CEO makes $645,000 in salary and bonuses. And they wonder why people want more government involvement.

Physicians will start to support single payer because they want to get paid. The way the economy is now they know that collecting after they render their services will be a dicey proposition.

My idiot dittohead brother-in-law is one of those people for whom screaming "socialism" is the sum total of their knowledge of the problem.

Of course the jackass opted out of his employers health plan to get a bonus instead and then proceeded to have a heart attack. He will be ruined financially for the rest of his life and never recover from this.

My only regret is that he is taking my sister down with him, the stupid, stupid ass.

Something just occurred to me: if single-payer is put in place, the health system will still be in danger -- of eventually coming under the control of the penny-pinching, crony-enriching Republican party. We can foresee future election campaigns with the right-whingers calling for repeal of whatever we come up with. And if they win that election, they will dismantle anything they can if it helps Main Street over Wall Street.

In preparation for that day, we need eternal vigilance, and should continue the process, already underway, of diminishing the influence of the Rethuglican Party to the point it can fit into that mythical bathtub they long for.

Ed

It's high time we give credit where credit is due - to George Bush and the Republican Party; if it had not been for the absolute disaster of the past 8 years, the failed economy, the enormous transfer of wealth out of the middle class to the very very rich, the lost healthcare benefits, the out in the open crony capitalism, and overarching incompetence - this push to reform health care, the banking system, strengthen unions, and introduce accountability would not be possible. The GOP narrative is falling on deaf ears.

Yes, there will always be a minority of people who are able to believe things that just aren't true; however speaking for myself, I am so relieved to adults in charge I can barely contain my glee.

...once again, leaving 28% hopelessly confused.

Republicans: evidence that our education system is failing.

Eventually we will have enough educated people in the US that there will never again be the threat that they will run the country into the ground again.

Republican talking points dictate that government having a role in the healthcare system is, by its very nature, horrifying.

How many Republican Congressmen and Senators forgo their federal health care coverage and instead seek out their own private coverage on the open market?

I'm betting it's zero.

It is fascinating to see how single-minded people are on this subject. Employers have always provided health insurance (assuming you had an employer), ergo they always should. The US is the only country where this is the case, and that's justification enough for the "dittoheads".

Now, if throughout history health insurance was provided by, say, libraries, people (Americans) would be up in arms about any proposal to turn it over to employers, who are interested only in profit, stock price and market share. Government-provided health insurance is no less rational than any other large institutionalized system.

I understand some of the oppo is based on legitimate concerns about government decision-making and the quality of people elected to their jobs. The last 8 plus years doesn't inspire confidence, which was Reagan's intention all along. But most of it comes from an inbred hatred of government no matter what. That we will never get past, so this debate should ignore them, but Rush won't let it. Republicans are probably content to let him be the stalking horse, thus the fawning. They can't survive without him, as scary and repulsive as that thought may be.

... while watching the NOOZE report on the old Battle Axe Barbara Bush and her surgery. -John R

Did the reporter ask her if this was working out well for her? (A: not if they want to keep their frivilous job)

You know what's really horrible? The idea that someone gets paid to deny me health care. I have no fear of the government rationing my care. Private industry already rations my health care to the point that I don't get any at all. I can't imagine that the government wants to give me a negative amount of health care.