Conservative Bubble World: ACA Can't Help Anyone

In this article by Greg Sargent in WaPo, it's clear that conservatives and their Republican adherents broadly think Obamacare doesn't or can't help anyone. The funny thing about this is that even as millions of uninsured are getting insured, Republicans don't see this as happening or won't or can't acknowledge that such a thing might be a public good. Why?

One reason is that they live in Bubble World. (You know what I mean by that.) Another, equally likely reason is that, sure, they're being helped but in the wrong way, in that a government solution must be an evil by definition. Sounds right to me. Sargent:

Crucially, an astonishing 72 percent of Republicans, and 64 percent of conservatives, say the law hasn’t helped anyone. (Only one percent of Republicans say the law has helped them!) By contrast, 57 percent of moderates say the law has helped them or others. Independents are evenly divided.

Perhaps these numbers among Republicans and conservatives only capture generalized antipathy towards the law. Or perhaps they reflect the belief that Obamacare can’t be helping anyone, even its beneficiaries, since dependency on Big Gummint can only be self-destructive. Either way, the findings again underscore the degree to which Republicans and conservatives inhabit a separate intellectual universe about it.

Big Gummint. That's got to be it. I've always believed a huge headwind for ACA adoption is that Republicans would rather pay more for healthcare than go through the exchanges and get a good deal.

Quite likely so. Now, remember that Republicans are delighted that Big Gummint provides them with religious liberty, code words for making sluts pay for their birth control and making it darned near impossible for sluts to get abortions.  Now that's some goddam good Big Gummint!

Government providing healthcare? Bad! Government controlling sluts? Good!

But now comes bad news from Planned Parenthood: Huge numbers of Republican women, it turns out are sluts! Oh noes! Survey says:

Seven in 10 Republican women (72 percent) said that birth control should be included as preventive health care, covered without any out-of-pocket costs. - See more at: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/survey-nearly-three-four-voters-america-support-fully-covering-prescription-birth-control#sthash.MX3Iqs4f.dpuf

Seven in 10 Republican women (72 percent) said that birth control should be included as preventive health care, covered without any out-of-pocket costs. - See more at: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/survey-nearly-three-four-voters-america-support-fully-covering-prescription-birth-control#sthash.MX3Iqs4f.dpuf

Seven in 10 Republican women (72 percent) said that birth control should be included as preventive health care, covered without any out-of-pocket costs. - See more at: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/survey-nearly-three-four-voters-america-support-fully-covering-prescription-birth-control#sthash.MX3Iqs4f.dpuf

Seven in 10 Republican women (72 percent) said that birth control should be included as preventive health care, covered without any out-of-pocket costs.

Of course, Republicans can deal with this news because it's all lies. Everybody knows that! And everybody knows Republican women are anti-abortion, right? Oops, up to 81 percent of Republican women are abortion sluts, too. Who knew? Republicans for Choice commissioned a poll to find out:

Ann Stone, National Chairman of Republicans For Choice who sponsored these questions on choice included in this national survey, said:

“There are two important conclusions to be drawn from this survey.  First, the majority of the GOP 71% (up to 81% with leaners) is solidly in favor of women having control over their reproductive decisions, or in other words, they are pro-choice.

Second, national pollsters need to stop using self-labeling to gauge true sentiment on the issue of choice. These labels ahve clearly lost their meaning. Clearly, 70% of people who call themselves pro-life are actually in favor of the woman making the decision on choice which in fact makes them pro-choice.

We challenge ALL national pollsters to start including this main question (Q1) in all of their surveys to test the validity of this outcome."

The question and its results are below (the pollster is the same one used commonly by the Washington Post):

Q1       Regardless of how you personally feel about the issue of abortion…who do you believe should have the right to make that decision regarding whether to have an abortion…Should the woman, her family and her doctor make the decision or should the government make the decision?

            1          Strongly the woman, her family and her doctor

            2          Not strongly the woman, her family and her doctor

            3          Not strongly the government

            4          Strongly the government

            9          Don’t know

            0          Refused

          Results                    

                                   GOP/ IND/ DEM

Strongly the woman 71% /80%/ 89%

Not strongly the woman 10%/ 6%/ 5%

Not strongly the government */ * /0%

Strongly the government 3% /2%/ 1%

Conclusion: the GOP is 71% pro-choice and up to 81% with leaners.

 That's some powerful sluts in the family, Republicans. What's up with that?