Liberals Might Be Mad if the Court Rules Against ObamaCare, But the Public Won't

Over the weekend, progressive pundit Michael Tomasky set out his expectations for the Obama administration should all or part of the president's health care law be struck down by the Supreme Court. After admitting that there isn't much that can legislatively, he wrote that when the decision drops, he'll be "watching for rhetoric, tone, even body language." And the signals better be clear: The Obama administration and its fellow Democrats "had damn well better dispense with the usual liberal woe-is-me hand-wringing and shoulder slumping and come out swinging. They had better communicate to their base that they stand for something, it's important to them, and they're pissed." In other words, get angry.

Liberal pundits may be angry if the high court rules against the health law's mandate. But the public won't be. An NBC/Wall Street Journal survey released today shows yet again that the public is not on the law's side. According to the poll, "37 percent say they would be pleased if the Supreme Court finds the law unconstitutional, versus 22 percent who say they would be disappointed with that outcome." Which tracks with other polls, including a March Reason-Rupe poll reporting that 50 percent of the country viewed the law unfavorably, and a New York Times poll from earlier this month in which only 24 percent of respondents said they wanted the Supreme Court to "keep the entire health care law in place."