TheMillerCircle.org

If you listen to the Democrats boast about their healthcare bill, most notably Barack Obama, you might have the impression that the Democrats have generated a strong running platform for their own re-election prospects against their Republican opponents in 2010. But, perhaps not. Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake (FDL) reports on a poll run last night, asking which issues of the current healthcare legislation trouble you the most? For each question, they polled more than 14,000 people. Each was  asked “Please rank the importance of the following statements for you to support the health care reform bill.”  Seven questions were posed to each respondent to judge them as a) not very important; b) not important; c) neutral; d) important; e) very important. In the following summary, I have listed the top five questions and added the important and very important responses together:

1. Must  remove anti-trust exemption for insurance companies (>92 % voted this number one priority).
2. Must include a public option (92% voted this number one priority).
3. Must remove restrictions on abortion access and coverage (>80 % voted this number one).
4. Must remove tax on middle class health care plans (>79 % voted this number one).
5. Must have a national exchange of insurance plans (75 % voted this number one priority)

You will note that each of the top-rated issues from the FDL poll are components of the healthcare plan that were stripped out of the bill, not by Republicans, but by Democrats catering to their own conservative members, some of whom, like Bill Nelson in the Senate, exercised dictatorial power over provisions, like the abortion issue and the public option. Even though the final healthcare bill has not been passed, the powerful preferences of the public for things like the public option, support for abortion and antitrust exemption against insurance companies, could give a sizable opening for Republicans to run against Democrats if they select those portions of the bill that are left out, but rank high with voters.

Right now, the teabaggers are trying to get ultraconservative candidates to run in state primaries to make their party move further to the right if that is possible. But if the Republicans truly wanted to reshape their party into a new alignment based on a more sensible correspondence  with public preferences, they would stand a much better chance of running against the Democrats for leaving out those components that truly make a difference with voters. Many Democrats feel betrayed by the current iteration of our healthcare bill. The bill is only acceptable to many of us if it gives us a Trojan horse, an initial step to have sweeping changes in the future (because the healthcare bill we are going to get will not solve our major healthcare delivery problems) through a single-payer plan that strips healthcare out of its current connection with  employment, where it was placed originally because of failed policies of the past.

What the teabaggers might really want to worry about is this (see map)–it’s what the electoral college of 2008 would look like if only the 18-29 year olds ruled the nation. Perhaps someday they will. Doubt this? Then read “The Emerging Democratic Majority“ by John Judis and Ruy Teixeira. The faux issues Republicans have used to keep the South aligned with the Republicans and Reagan Democrats is coming to an end. The issues that once united them are of little appeal to the generation that will inherit the global climate change of the industrial revolution. But with the Democratic failures on the healthcare bill, moderate Republicans could make a case for a better healthcare system if they followed the formula of public preferences, not those of the insurance industry and corporate America. But, how likely is that? It is more rational if liberal Democrats run against conservative Democrats in the 2010 primaries. Look for that possibility in some key races. Then too, we must make sure we support re-election of those that have served well, such as Representative Alan Grayson of Florida–a good, quick witted man unafraid of challenging Republicans in areas where their arguments are indefensible. But then, the risk for him is that he’s from Florida.

RFM