Obama's Approval Rating On Health Care Falls Below 50 Percent: WashPost/ABC Poll

Washington Post:

Heading into a critical period in the debate over health-care reform, public approval of President Obama's stewardship on the issue has dropped below the 50 percent threshold for the first time, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[vargoz1]

If Obama expects to serve all 4 years, he better hope this health care plan won't pass. He won't be able to blame Bush this time.

[chibbles]

Falling popularity numbers for trying to get something done. Now that's something this Obama supporter can live with. If you're not pissing someone off you're not getting anything done. I doubt he and his administration are concerned about this. Did anyone really expect that this wouldn't happen? It's good to see him giving Congress hell. About time.

[rosal]

This crowd think we are stupid. Obama WON the election on the promise of Health Care Reform, and now, of all a sudden, people don't want reform? Come on, why don't the friends of the Health Insurance Industry don't just come out and say it, "WE DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO INTERFERE WITH BIG PROFIT$" All this spin about "deficits:, and "cost" are code word for "Don't mess up with our profits". Period.

[Jefferson78]

People wanted to believe what Obama said, but finally had to accept that what he was actually doing was something entirely different. He called himself a centrist, then governed like a socialist. America has had enough.

[fictioneer]

Stop lying yourself to death. Or do you have health care?

[MeddlingMonk]

There's no point arguing with leakage from a parallel world.

Still, it highlights the problem of perspective. The fact that the poll has support for Obama's pursuit of health-care reform dropping is less important than the question of why it's dropping. Is it because people are not supportive of the overall aim? Or because of a concern that Obama isn't pushing the issue hard enough? The poll, at least as the WP reports it, doesn't address the goal v. method issue. The NSGOP will argue on the basis of this that the public doesn't support health care reform; but that would be a much more difficult task if, let's suppose, the majority of the disapproval came from people who were unhappy that the president wasn't making the hard sell of the public option.

[Jefferson78]

Like 85% of Americans I have health insurance and do not want to lose it. Most citizens who do not have insurance are eligible for Medicaid or a state program. There is no need to destroy our system and waste another trillion dollars.

[MyNameIsJames]

I believe that the PUBLIC RELATIONS and MARKETING of healthcare reform has been wrong.

#1 - Remind the American public of how heathcare costs have skyrocketed over the past 20 years
#2 - Remind Americans that the top cause of bankruptcy is healthcare
#3 Highlight stories of how Private Healthcare shortchanges and often misleads its customers
Bring on health-care insurance industry whistleblowers to tell what they know - as often as possible in as many venues as possible
#4 Highlight to the American people the money being paid by Health Insurance Lobbyist's to have reform killed - talk about Why
#5 Talk about the benefits of HAVING CHOICE when it comes to healthcare - most currently don't have very good choices
#6 Assemble a cadre of advocates who can explain the program and its positive points in the media and other public settings.

[ObamaLuva]

Have you even read any of this legislation?
Obviously NOT!

[obamanomics]

And it's alsmot off the front page. Brand new article getting shuffled down the page just as fast as the mods. can make it happen.

[harriscrl3]

Its to be expected. Not because I'm losing hope in Obama rather its because I have no hope in the American people. They listen but they dont hear. They say they understand that this is going to take time to turn around but they really dont hear they want quick fixes period. I know that they are some on the left who think that if they had done things their way the economy would be humming by now but thats BS becasue what some fail to get is that the rich and the not so rich and poor depend on each other they are in a symbiotic relationship which means that if you come in and put the entire burden on the wealthy to pull us out of this mess you are not going to have instant results any more than if you place it all on the poor to pull themselves up. You have to approach this from all aspect. This is going to take time. But Americans want quick results and the reality is that this country has started its percipitous decline in terms of education and income. When something is declining you first have to stop the decilne and then slowly turn it around. America is a barge its not a sleek yacht that you can pull a 180 degree turn and getting going smoothly. Its turning a barge around its NOT going to be easy.

[kimleehan]

These new polls indicate that the American people are starting to believe the Republican's talking points, New polls show 62% to 32% now support a goverment-funded entity to offer health insurance, down from 72% not long ago, that support drops to 37% if it means private insurance will go out of business if they can't compete. The public option is looking less and less possible and Republican talking points are starting to work again, Democrats will lose their super majority if they start working together.

[kimleehan]

excuse me, Democrats will lose their super majority if they don't start working together.

[rich misty]

Republicans are no threat to Democrats.

Progressives like us are.

[TJCole]

The ether is wearing off apparently­...people wanted change, real change..!

[rich misty]

We are in a transition period. By design of the Founders, it takes three election cycles to truly effect change in America. I have been working for change since 2004, and I expect to be working on it awhile longer. I have some long term goals.

We are two-for-two, and moving in the correct direction. But it truly does take three, and there should be follow up to make sure long term change follows thru.

Energy is the economic base of every developed nation... Once we can produce it green in large amounts, our economic problems are over.

[YewNeekId]

"By design of the Founders, it takes three election cycles to truly effect change in America"

What kind of malarkey is that?

[hilary916]

Polls, shmolls.

[rich misty]

CelticMajic: the recovery legislation was NOT on GWB watch....t­ry again
---------------

1) You don't want to recover? Will you whine about nothing being done then?
Why is it that people are whining about recovery spending today... When yesterday they were saying that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBzVbMi8C48

Deficits don't matter. - Richard Cheney

Republicans spent YOUR money on WAR and TORTURE.

Recovery spending is needed for Americans.

[desertman]

Now if it actually would work.

[rich misty]

"Now if it actually would work."

Spending is spread out over 2 years. Let's give it some time and see. Spending fast, with no bid contracts, as Republicans _always_ did... Leads to incredible graft and waste.

Let's give them time to spend it right too.

[coachc]

The media thrive on this pseudo drama. It is hardly surprising that Obama's numbers have dropped in the face of wingnut hysteria, screaming socialism at every turn. On the other end, the lefties argue he's bowing to monied interests. Obama's getting blasted on both ends. The media happily promote the story in deference to their corporate masters. The status quo must be maintained.

The public has some culpability here as well, expecting immediate results. We are a 'fast food nation' ... pull up to the drive thru, put in the order and drive away fat and happy. That's not the way fundamental problems are solved. The nation gave Bush 8 years to devastate the country. Obama will need much more than six months to undue the incalculable damage of those years.

[mrfreeze]

Well-said! Every time I see stories like this I have this vision of Pavlov's Dogs:

Media: "Poll numbers down!"
Public: "Oh, we're all going to die." (slobber, slobber, slobber)

Media: "Terrorism"
Public: "Oh, we're all going to die." (slobber, slobber, slobber)

etc.......

The media not only thrives on pseudo drama, but PROFITS from it. As a result, one should always ask the question when listening to the media: Is this news or entertainment?

[wanttruth]

Well said.

[vippy]

I give him one more chance with the healthcare coverage then I am done with him if it is just another farce like the credit card reform bill was. Why did he say right away NO SINGLE PAYER when he promised us the same as the senators get? Why did he choose Geithner, the fox that guards the hen house. Does not look to me he is cleaning up. Obama wants to increase ethanol by 600% which is
in direct violation of this CAP & TRADE deal?

[mrfreeze]

So let's see, you're going to give the current president "1 more chance" to reform health care when the issue of reform has been debated since the days of FDR. This is the reason why polls are so tone deaf to the real world. If one is polled on Tuesday when one is having indigestion, well, the president is a failure. But when your favorite baseball team wins on Wednesday, gosh, life is good so heck, the president is doing well!!!!!!!

I

[moincolo]

Well said!

[Outofnowhere]

He NEVER promised a single payer system as a senator. He said if there were no system in place he would be in favor of that, but he realized that some are content with the coverage they already have.
Try being a little more truthful and maybe YOU would be more believable as a constructive critic instead of a hyper whiner.

[harriscrl3]

YAWN!!! Obama was never for single payer. Some of you are ctiticizing when you dont even know what you are criticizing he said if you like your healthcare KEEP IT and if you dont y ou will be able to buy into a government plan. He never said we are all going to have the same healthcare. WHat some of you dont seem to get is that he wants a public option and they are screaming socialism what do you think is going to happen with a single payer plan. Then this scream of socialism would really be true.

[mrfreeze]

Let me just say this:

GWB enjoyed very high approval ratings as long as he engaged in war talk and "privatization talk" and god talk......­.......but the second he actually had to DO anything of substance (e.g. Katrina, infrastructure, Social Security reform, etc.) most Americans saw him for what he truly was: a rich, spoiled, elitist incompetent.

The shoe incident in Iraq will go down in history as the ultimate "poll" number for GWB. 2 shoes = a complete and total failure!

So, whilst you trolls are reflecting deeply (if you can) about the meaning of leadership and the challenges of a president who is actually facing the issues rather than ignoring them, remember the shambles left by the last administration.

[Gretel1or2]

Polls mean different things at different times. There was a time when Obama was not expected to win the primaries, muchless the presidential election according to the polls.

Right after McCain selected Palin (especially after she spoke at the Convention), the Republicans were leading the democrats in the Presidential polls.

[joshrox]

ACORN!

[rich misty]

All the Republicans have are the memories. The days of even polling close are over for them.