Reply #35: You can cherry pick quotes in a way that absolutely does not represent the whole thing [View All]

[karynnj]

The proposed bill is unpopular with the American people because some thinks it does not go far enough and others do not want comprehensive reform at all. Look at the first poll here - http://pollingreport.com/health.htm

This is a very well designed poll, and they ask the 47% of the people who say they oppose, why they oppose. 37% of that 47% say - as you did - that it does not go far enough. What is not clear is that a plan that goes further won't lose support on the other end. It is also possible that many of these people want the public option effort to succeed - so they are withholding their approval.

Now, another interesting statistic is that 40% of people say they don't know very much about the plan. I can't prove it, but I would bet that there are more in the center and left/center in that 40%. Many against it have the echo chamber of the right's list of misinformation on it. They are NOTHING, if not self proclaimed experts on everything. That 40% tells me that a concerted PR effort from the left is needed to correct the lies and to get out what good things are in the bill.

One question I wish were asked, but I haven't seen is - Is this bill better than the status quo? When looking at any detailed bill, while things are still in play, there is a tendency to concentrate on the things where there is disagreement rather than the 85% that everyone is in basic agreement on. Consider that on the issue of how to handle covering abortions alone, there are people on each side that would answer disapprove. Yet, I would bet that, after making their points, there will be no one (other than perhaps Kucinich ) on the left who votes against this it specifically because of abortion. On the right, I suspect that Stupack and company will be brought in by allowing them to have a vote on a separate bill.