The Public Is Smarter Than Republicans Think

Greg Sargent at Plumline finds some data in a Bloomberg poll that suggests that most Americans know that the Republican health-care reform opponents are just trying to scare people.

Wow, this is cause for cautious optimism: Buried in a new Bloomberg poll is evidence that solid majorities dismiss all the leading right wing health care talking points as “scare tactics.”

Not kidding! It’s true. The poll tested a range of attacks and asked whether they were “legitimate” or a “disortion” and a “scare tactic.” The results:

* Sixty-three percent said the claim that “death panels of government officials would decide how much medical care ailing individuals will receive” is a scare tactic, versus 30% who said it’s legit.

* Fifty-nine percent said the claim that “health care would be rationed” is a scare tactic, versus 35% who said it’s legit.

* Fifty-two percent said the claim that “health care would become socialized medicine” is a scare tactic, versus 43% who said it’s legit.

* Sixty-one percent said the claim that “government money would be used to pay for abortions” is a scare tactic, versus 33% who said it’s legit.

* Fifty-eight percent said the claim that “government money would pay for health care for illegal immigrants” is a scare tactic, versus 37% who said it’s legit.

I hope the Blue Dogs and Senate Conservadems are reading this poll. I guess the Summer of Spittle hasn’t had that much of an effect, except to turn Republicans into hecklers?

Also, if I were a Republican looking at this poll, I would say “socialized medicine” is their best attack.