The conventional wisdom, according to the GOP, is that Obamacare is deeply unpopular and most Americans stand with them as they valiantly fight the dragon. As evidence they cite real polls that appear convincing. Take for instance the
latest poll released today by CNN in which 38% support the law while 57% oppose it. But it seems dubious, that the GOP has made such a persuasive case against the law that they have not only convinced independents but even some Democrats of the law's high-handed folly.
Indeed, we should ask why do 57% oppose? The survey
did just that. It turns out that 11% of the respondents oppose Obamacare because it is not liberal enough. Presumably they would prefer a single-payer system or at least a public option. These measures were blocked outright by the GOP during the health care debate of 2009.
Perhaps it would be more accurate then to say that 49% of Americans prefer Obamacare or even stronger change in that direction. Meanwhile, when asked in this more nuanced way, only 39% stand with the GOP in saying that it goes too far and they prefer the old health care system. We can call these two categories "right direction" and "wrong direction" to make it a binary choice (ignoring the mercurial undecided). In this light, Obamacare has a stable base of support over a period of 4 years as seen in the chart below.
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