7-11 Cup Poll, 7-11 ‘Red Or Blue’ Coffee Cup Poll Shows Republicans Torn Between Ideology And Harsh Reality On Healthcare. As the 2012 Presidential Election cycle heads into the final month, more and more long-time Republicans are confronted with contradictions in their lives and the tough choice they face.
It is a commonly held belief by those on the left, that many more Republicans are actually fairly moderate in their ‘social views’ or, at least more moderate than the Tea Party and the entrenched, extreme ideology of their party’s leadership.
I am of the opinion that folks like Rupert Murdoch, the Koch brothers, Karl Rove, Frank Luntz, and the Republican congressional leadership, have ‘skewed’ the party platform and agenda to the extreme far-right on nearly everything.
That is borne out by most polls showing congressional approval at all time lows, yet poll numbers in the presidential contest appear to be tightening a bit; with many voters actually showing their intent to ‘vote against their own interests’ and support Republican budget proposals, which would further harm the middle-class and working poor.
The ongoing debate over healthcare and the Republican crusade against the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) is a prime example of this phenomena and the ‘real-life’ conundrum rank-and-file Republicans (and Independents) now face. This is illustrated in a story by Elizabeth Cohen writing for CNN: “Which are you going to choose, Mom?” her son asked.
Which, indeed. A gun-owning, big-government-hating Republican, Thacker’s every instinct told her to buy a Romney cup. But Thacker, 56, and her daughter have asthma — a pre-existing condition — and with Obama as president they’ll be guaranteed the ability to buy insurance.
Indeed…what to do? Stay loyal to a party hell-bent on repealing the many appealing features of Obama Care? Or, vote your own interests and that which benefits your own family and the many millions of similarly situated Americans? For me it’s a ‘no-brainer.’ For others, it’s not so simple.
The convenience-store chain 7-Eleven has been conducting its Republican Red-Cup/Democrat Blue-Cup for four election cycles now. The coffee cup Presidential Poll has proven both popular and amazingly accurate, despite its unscientific methodology. The most recent tally of Blue/Obama vs. Red/Romney cups sold, has the President leading by 60% to 40%! Here is link to the 7-Eleven Website, where you can check out the race state-by-state by hovering & clicking on the interactive national map page there.
The CNN report goes on to detail more Republicans currently in an election quandary over the candidates and their conflicting healthcare plans. These are “real people” with real concerns. They are the faces of the Republican electorate at-large, not the rigid ideologues who control the party or the special interest corporate ‘fat cats’ who fund the secretive political Super PACs, or the national Chamber of Commerce.
It is not those fighting to repeal ObamaCare, portraying it as a “government takeover” of healthcare, which it is clearly not, having been modeled on Mitt Romney’s own Massachusetts plan and Republican (pre-Obama) desires for the individual mandate to eliminate healthcare ‘freeloading.’ It is — instead — average American families and voters now forced to face harsh reality not rigid ideology.
The big question here is … are there enough of these more rational, independent-minded Republicans out there who will buck their own party mavens and do the right thing for the millions of American families struggling to provide sensible, affordable healthcare to their own families? And what of Jill Thacker, the life-long Republican in the Elizabeth Cohen’s CNN article?
Jill Thacker felt “weird” as she stood there in the 7-11 in Sanford, Florida, thinking about which cup to take. She thought about her insurance, which covers her only if “I get hit by a bus.” It’s the only insurance she can afford given her preexisting condition. She thought about how she’s still paying off a $22,000 emergency room bill from last year.
She thought about her 25-year-old daughter, who’s on her father’s insurance only because of ObamaCare. But she also thought about how, in many fundamental ways, she just doesn’t like Obama.
Then she reached for the blue cup with Obama’s name on it. “I really do feel conflicted,” she said. “But for me, it’s all about health care. It’s my number one thing.”
It is a commonly held belief by those on the left, that many more Republicans are actually fairly moderate in their ‘social views’ or, at least more moderate than the Tea Party and the entrenched, extreme ideology of their party’s leadership.
I am of the opinion that folks like Rupert Murdoch, the Koch brothers, Karl Rove, Frank Luntz, and the Republican congressional leadership, have ‘skewed’ the party platform and agenda to the extreme far-right on nearly everything.
That is borne out by most polls showing congressional approval at all time lows, yet poll numbers in the presidential contest appear to be tightening a bit; with many voters actually showing their intent to ‘vote against their own interests’ and support Republican budget proposals, which would further harm the middle-class and working poor.
The ongoing debate over healthcare and the Republican crusade against the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) is a prime example of this phenomena and the ‘real-life’ conundrum rank-and-file Republicans (and Independents) now face. This is illustrated in a story by Elizabeth Cohen writing for CNN: “Which are you going to choose, Mom?” her son asked.
Which, indeed. A gun-owning, big-government-hating Republican, Thacker’s every instinct told her to buy a Romney cup. But Thacker, 56, and her daughter have asthma — a pre-existing condition — and with Obama as president they’ll be guaranteed the ability to buy insurance.
Indeed…what to do? Stay loyal to a party hell-bent on repealing the many appealing features of Obama Care? Or, vote your own interests and that which benefits your own family and the many millions of similarly situated Americans? For me it’s a ‘no-brainer.’ For others, it’s not so simple.
The convenience-store chain 7-Eleven has been conducting its Republican Red-Cup/Democrat Blue-Cup for four election cycles now. The coffee cup Presidential Poll has proven both popular and amazingly accurate, despite its unscientific methodology. The most recent tally of Blue/Obama vs. Red/Romney cups sold, has the President leading by 60% to 40%! Here is link to the 7-Eleven Website, where you can check out the race state-by-state by hovering & clicking on the interactive national map page there.
The CNN report goes on to detail more Republicans currently in an election quandary over the candidates and their conflicting healthcare plans. These are “real people” with real concerns. They are the faces of the Republican electorate at-large, not the rigid ideologues who control the party or the special interest corporate ‘fat cats’ who fund the secretive political Super PACs, or the national Chamber of Commerce.
It is not those fighting to repeal ObamaCare, portraying it as a “government takeover” of healthcare, which it is clearly not, having been modeled on Mitt Romney’s own Massachusetts plan and Republican (pre-Obama) desires for the individual mandate to eliminate healthcare ‘freeloading.’ It is — instead — average American families and voters now forced to face harsh reality not rigid ideology.
The big question here is … are there enough of these more rational, independent-minded Republicans out there who will buck their own party mavens and do the right thing for the millions of American families struggling to provide sensible, affordable healthcare to their own families? And what of Jill Thacker, the life-long Republican in the Elizabeth Cohen’s CNN article?
Jill Thacker felt “weird” as she stood there in the 7-11 in Sanford, Florida, thinking about which cup to take. She thought about her insurance, which covers her only if “I get hit by a bus.” It’s the only insurance she can afford given her preexisting condition. She thought about how she’s still paying off a $22,000 emergency room bill from last year.
She thought about her 25-year-old daughter, who’s on her father’s insurance only because of ObamaCare. But she also thought about how, in many fundamental ways, she just doesn’t like Obama.
Then she reached for the blue cup with Obama’s name on it. “I really do feel conflicted,” she said. “But for me, it’s all about health care. It’s my number one thing.”
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