If (when) health care passes - how does it effect the midterms for Democrats?

[opebo]

The question was a political one, not what I want to see pass......do you think a lil pissy bill positively affects things for the Dems?

Of course it will.  The people who dislike health care/hate Obama/go to teaparties aren't going to get more riled if something passes, while the poors and leftists are used to being ill treated and disappointed, every single time, so they will be happy for even the slightest crumb, or even the appearance of a crumb. 

Lastly and most importantly those in the middle - too stupid to understand they have no health care - do care about perceptions of 'stength'.  They are not smart enough to know whether what passes is any good or not, but the fact that something passed and the GOP blockade is finally ended will lead them to at least lose interest and in some cases view Obama more positively.

Obviously poors will still be slaughtered, and the health care mafia will still shake down the working class, but the overall net effect will be quite positive.  I'd say up to 3% points upward bump in positive opinion for Obama.

[opebo]

If it passes, they will just lose more independents.

Wrong.  It is right-wingers who are riled, independents only care about the perception of ability to act and of strength.  They neither understand nor really care about health care (independents are by definition not very well informed or motivated). 

[opebo]

They do care about what is in the bill. They aren't idiots.

I'm sure not all of them are, but as a generalization its fairly applicable.

[opebo]

Maybe, but I tend to doubt it. If I were a young person, I would ask myself, why should I be asked to pay a disproportionate part of this subsidy, rather than it being paid for by taxpayers at large?  Would not you?  It is not as if young folks are loaded with cash as it were, in general.

The ski resort vote has been the single most dramatic cohort swing to the Dems, as a geographical matter. It has been massive. Look for the GOP to make a big comeback in these pockets is my guess if this goes through. The GOP will take back Mono County!

Of course the fact that every callow youth will become a sick old (at best) is not relevant given their stupidity, but it is relevant that these are not one-issue voters or in fact voters much at all. 

[opebo]

No, unless they are at the bottom of the income scale. They will just pay $220 a month rather than $80 a month or something. And I think that kicks in pretty quickly. Well that is for folks say up to 35. Over that, both numbers would go higher.

Very very few young people make more than the barest subsistence.  I'll wager $15-25,000/year is the norm.