As one who thinks the bill is a piece of garbage, I say, repeal it--go for it. It will be instructive and amusing to see the Dems try to defend this craptastical thing and also to watch Reps natter on about their supposeed alternatives.

As to its popularity with the public -- eh, not so much:

Americans are most likely to say the healthcare law passed earlier this year goes too far (42%), while 29% say it does not go far enough and 20% say it is about right. Those who believe the law goes too far tend to favor repealing it and passing a new bill as opposed to scaling back the existing bill or repealing the law and not passing new legislation in its place.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/144422/Four-Americans-Believe-Healthcare-Law-Goes-Far.aspx

That's from November 2010.

Then there's this interesting tidbit from Robert Schlesinger:

54 percent of voters oppose President Obama's healthcare reform law. But drill down a bit and you'll find another number familiar to those who have paid attention--but one generally lost amid the noise of the conservative healthcare narrative of backlash against government overreach. Only a relatively small minority of Americans dislike the new law because it's too liberal.

But he also notes:

while Democrats can take comfort in poking that hole in the right-wing view of healthcare--and the fact that approval for the law has inched better overall--they should look with concern on the fact that public disapproval is growing against the individual mandate.

But, that's the House.  The Senate apparently is a different story, as dday posts today:

[J]ust in case you thought that the Senate would act on an imminent bill from the House to repeal the entire health care law wholesale, the Senate Democratic leadership is here to tell you that they won't. They frame it in a letter to John Boehner, signed by Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer, Patty Murray and Debbie Stabenow, that they refuse to take up any bill that repeals consumer protections, specifically citing the closing of the prescription drug "doughnut hole" for seniors. On January 1, a new provision of the Affordable Care Act discounts the cost of brand name drugs for seniors who reach that coverage gap by 50%, with the full closure phased in later.

I guess this reflects a desire to frame repeal of the entire bill specifically as a repeal of more popular consumer protections, which seems like a sound enough strategy for them. Here's the money quote:

If House Republicans move forward with a repeal of the health care law that threatens consumer benefits like the "donut hole" fix, we will block it in the Senate. This proposal deserves a chance to work. It is too important to be treated as collateral damage in a partisan mission to repeal health care.

Emphasis is mine.

The cynic in me sees some wiggle room in that letter, so I won't hold my breath on the Senate Dems not being willing to consider some other bill if some of the consumer protections are left alone.

I hope republicans do nothing but turn in circles for the next 2 years so we can have the big showdown in 2012.

It is a great myth that republicans will be blamed if nothing happens in the next 2years.