by Mark Silva
There are a couple of headlines this morning on an ABC News/Washington Post poll gauging public opinion on the health-care initiative that President Barack Obama is seeking following his speech to Congress:
"Reform Opposition High But Easing,'' the Post reports of its poll.
"Obama Speech No Game Changer,'' -- the read that ABC's George Stephanopoulos gives the poll: "The president's joint session speech may have stopped his summer slide, but it doesn't appear to have been 'the game-changer' Democrats were hoping for.''
How about the numbers?
The Post and ABC started polling the night after Obama addressed a joint session of Congress, and found that "the playing field is virtually level. Americans remain almost deadlocked in their opinion of the Democrats' health-care initiative, with 46 percent in favor of the proposed changes and 48 percent opposed.''
The public also is split -- 51 percent for, 47 percent against -- on the question of whether people should be required to have health insurance, which the president considers an essential element of his plan.
The so-called "public option,'' offering a government-run option of insurance for those who cannot find it privately, is where the president is clearly having trouble: While 55 percent of those surveyed like the idea, removing it from the table lessens overall opposition to the package.
Without the public option, 50 percent support the proposed changes, though a still significant 42 percent are opposed. However, forfeiting the option has a similar effect among liberal Democrats surveyed as it does in the House, whose leaders call it essential to the plan: 88 percent of liberal Democrats support the president's initiative as it stands, while 81 percent support it without the public option.
Nearly half of all Americans, 45 percent, say the president's plan creates too much government involvement in the system, "a number on par with polls taken during President Bill Clinton's doomed efforts at big health-care changes in 1993 and 1994,'' the Post's Dan Balz notes today.
Forty percent think it would weaken Medicare -- 56 percent among seniors surveyed - while the administration maintains that the cost-cutting it envisions in Medicare as part of the formula for financing the plan will have no bearing on benefits.
The Republican Party's warning that seniors are at risk in the plan - a message blared in TV ads and supported by politicians such as Sarah Palin warning about "death panels'' that will make end-of-life decisions if the president gets his way - could be taking a toll, too: In June, the Post notes:
"Seniors trusted Obama more than they did the Republicans in Congress by a margin of 62 to 24 percent. Now, 44 percent side with the GOP, 39 percent with Obama.''
Most seniors surveyed approved of Obama's overall job performance consistently from the start of his administration through July, the Post and ABC found, but his approval rating among seniors has since dropped to 38 percent, with 57 percent disapproving.
Among all surveyed, Obama's job approval stands at 54 percent - which is similar to the latest Gallup Poll finding of 53 percent in its daily tracking polls through Saturday, and a slight increase since the speech was delivered.
The Post/ABC survey of f 1,007 adults was run Thursday through Saturday and carries a possible margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Comments
"Public split"? How is 50-42 in favor of reform proposals minus the public option - the most likely outcome of the debate - a "split"? Americans clearly support reform and want it done on the president's timetable.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
Posted by: matt | September 14, 2009 9:27 AM
Of course America is split, listen to the orchestrated attacks upon President Obama, day after day, week after week. One would think he is already into his second term !! Patience, America, we have three and a half (31/2) years, before we have that privilege, to vote for him, again !!
Now if we could just get some of the Corporate news outlets to present President Obama's actions and words, instead of them focusing on the clowns and goons that are so patriotic in their intimidating fervor to dissent, we may not have the divisions in America that are present. Of course, that does't build for a steady viewership, certainly not a viewership that can be whipped into a lather, without one brain cell firing !! Ah, for the love of money. I knew years ago, that sooner or later, America was going to have to face the contradiction in its evolution, democracy or capitalism. As long as the Corporations could successfully condition America to believe, " What is good for GM, is good for America ", they had it made. They even weaseled themselves into our constitution, an entity that has no room, whatsoever, for democratic principles !! That is how successful their propaganda machine became. Now, it is is time to pay the piper. Will we continue to allow Corporate America to bully and dictate to America's citizens the benefits of corporate rule, minus democratic ideals ?? If our answer is no, than, in terms of serving the Corporate agenda, we will put Corporate America in its place, as a business tool that serves America's democracy !! If not, then prepare to continue to live a life of servitude, of paycheck to paycheck, compounded by debt and debasement at the Corporate trough !! Is that the dream of our Founding Ancestors ? I don't think so !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | September 14, 2009 9:29 AM
Yeah, it's the split between people who've had a major encounter with the health care insurance "system" and
the people who haven't had a major encounter with the health care insurance "system"
---yet.
Posted by: ornery | September 14, 2009 9:56 AM
Proof positive the US is not a democracy; A point repeatedly made by conservatives.
No public option, and I pull my support. Some of the other reforms may help a little bit for a short period of time, but without it no hope of downward pressure on the privateers.
Single payer was the solution and it was never on the table.
Scenarios;
1. Healthcare reform fails completely and the Dems. are blamed.
2. BHO is blamed.
3. The Republicans are blamed
4. In '10 the Dems. are given a veto proof margin in the cong. and pass single payer.
5. Nothing is done, and we all finally meet each other, ,,,, in bankruptcy court.
Posted by: C.Morrisā§ | September 14, 2009 11:14 AM
I'm tired of the healthcare thing in our country. See dadsofamerica.blogspot.com for the answer to this issue in our great land. Let's all start reading together.
Posted by: Brian | September 14, 2009 11:27 AM
Another quote from Democrat staffer-turned-Swamp source Stephanopoulos: "Bottom line: right now, voters are almost exactly where they were before the speech."
Yes, despite 24/7 media adulation, despite wall-to-wall coverage of Obama, despite media censorship of opposing voices, despite the "greatest orator of this century," the speech didn't work.
Posted by: Dissent is Patriotic | September 14, 2009 12:27 PM
Does the gov't knows how to manage any social program that meets the customers' needs and is under budget?
Do any of the states that run healthcare plans run one that isn't busting their budgets?
Come on libs - show the proof that Single-Payer or public option will not bust the budget and add to Obama's $9,000,000,000,000 deficits.
Posted by: Terry | September 14, 2009 2:03 PM