PPP analysis: Opposition to health care reform, and the repeal of DADT, is from people who will never vote for a Democrat, ever

From PPP, the polling folks Joe prefers:

The vast majority of opposition to health care and allowing gays to serve openly in the military is coming from people who already say there's no chance they'll vote Democratic this fall. That's an indication of minimal fallout for Congressional Democrats by acting on these issues.

37% of Americans say they will definitely not vote Democratic for Congress this year. 34% say they definitely will and that leaves roughly 30% of the country up for grabs.

Right now 50% of voters say they oppose President Obama's health care plan to just 39% in support. Digging a little deeper on those numbers though 64% of respondents planning or open to voting Democratic this fall support it with only 22% opposed. The overall numbers are negative only because of 94/1 opposition among folks who have said there is no way they'll vote Democratic this fall.

Isn't that the problem all along. Giving away 40% of the stimulus bill in tax cuts in order to woo 3 Republicans votes. We wooed them, they didn't vote for us anyway. Letting Max Baucus take the lead of health care reform, to make the bill more conservative, letting him waste months negotiating with Chuck Grassley, only to find that not even Olympia Snowe would end up supporting our efforts. Or letting the teabaggers shut down the health care reform meetings in August, and actually believing that they represented anyone other than themselves? They represent Republicans who have been brainwashed by Glenn Beck and who will never vote for a Democrat.

At some point Democrats need to come to terms with the fact that they run on a platform, and then get elected on that platform. People like their platform, regardless of the histrionics from the GOP and their false grassroots brigades. Glenn Beck, FOX News, the the Teabaggers will always be 20% of the country, angry, and a little bit crazy. Ignore them. They had their 14 years in the Congress and eight years in the White House. Now it's someone else's turn.

PPP notes the same problem with the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell:

It's a similar story when it comes to the prospect of repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' Over 54% of voters support it with 37% opposed. But among the voters Democrats need to make happy- the ones planning to or considering voting for them this year- there is 72/24 support for letting gays and lesbians serve openly in the military. The total numbers are brought down only because of 59/25 opposition with folks who will never vote for them anyway.

Congressional Democrats really need to decide if they're going to let their agenda be dictated by voters who won't support them no matter what they do. These numbers provide pretty clear evidence that most of the voters opposed to health care and repeal of DADT will not consider voting Democratic even if the party decides not to move on those issues.