The People's Champ took apart David Brooks' rehash of GOP talking points this morning, but I thought this graph (via Matt Yglesias) would help dispel the wrong-headed notion that unemployment has nothing to do with popularity, even after it has negatively affected nearly 20 percent of the population, whether through lost jobs or lost work hours. Ronald Reagan saw very similar economic conditions during his presidency:
The one other thing to add is a critique of Brooks' assumption that somehow the relative unpopularity of health care reform makes pursuing it a bad idea. Besides Paul's point that health care isn't as unpopular as Brooks describes, I was under the impression that real leaders -- dare I say, mavericks? -- ignored the polls to follow their principles. In the case of health care, that means passing what you campaigned on: Universal coverage, cost controls and a framework for future improvements. It's the right thing to do.
-- Tim Fernholz
