Pew: 45 percent of country has no clue what just happened

The entire country wasn't as riveted as us political junkies last week, when the Supreme Court handed down an historic ruling on the Affordable Care Act, on the limits of the reach of the federal government, on states' rights, on the course of the future for one-sixth of the nation's economy. According to hot-off-the-presses polling from Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, a very large chunk of people really didn't know what happened with the ruling.

Despite extensive public interest in the court's ruling, just 55% of the public knows that the Supreme Court upheld most of the health care law's provisions; 45% say either that the court rejected most provisions (15%) or do not know what the court did (30%). Among those aware that the court upheld most of the law, 50% approve of the decision while 42% disapprove.

While perhaps discouraging for the general health of the American electorate, this should give Republicans some pause over whether they really want to keep their temper tantrum going. More people approve of the Court's decision than disapprove, by healthy enough margin, and when you factor in the 56 percent in the Kaiser Family Foundation poll who say it's just time to move on with the law, keeping this fight going seems to be a losing prospect for Republicans, however much it might keep their base wound up.

It also means that there's room for Democrats to really start selling exactly what the plan will do for the very real people of America. There's a solid majority out there ready to listen and learn, and they should hear about what Republicans still want to take away from them.