An issue crying out for leadership

Kevin Drum offers insight into the LA Times poll on healthcare, which found that 29 percent thought that healthcare is the responsibility of the government, but 53 percent thought the healthcare solution is extending Medicare to cover everyone.

So 29% think government should be responsible for providing healthcare, but 53% approve of extending Medicare to cover everyone. Uh huh. And then this Blendon fellow suggests that maybe this contradiction is the result of people not realizing that Medicare is paid for with taxes. That's completely crazy, of course, but it's also quite possibly true.

So what to think? Two things: (a) Support for national healthcare really isn't as strong as a lot of liberals would like to believe. (b) People really are confused on this subject, and their opinions are shallow and malleable. Genuine leadership could change a lot of minds.