POTUS Getting Mixed Reviews On Big Ticket Issues
The good came with the bad for President Obama as two new polls show mounting public doubt over his ability to handle issues like the economy and health care juxtaposed with a rise in his approval rating and potential for a big bounce for health care reform now that the Senate health bill is assured of passage.
The polls, from CNN and Quinnipiac, paint a bleak issues-based picture for the president outside of his loyal base. Besides typical Republican opposition, independents continue to give a thumbs down to much of the broader Obama agenda despite support for many individual policies championed by the president, like the public option in health care reform.
Most obvious from the data is that worries about the sluggish economic recovery are dominating public sentiment over health care and the entire Obama presidency. A majority of Americans disapprove of how Obama has handled job creation but overwhelmingly support programs like diverting bailout money to jobs programs that have engendered vigorous criticism from the GOP and conservatives.
As the Senate prepares to vote on health care reform, American voters “mostly disapprove” of the plan 53 - 36 percent and disapprove 56 - 38 percent of President Barack Obama’s handling of the health care issue, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.Â
…………………………………
American voters also disapprove 51 - 44 percent of President Obama’s handling of the economy and disapprove 56 - 37 percent of the way he is creating jobs. But voters favor 52 - 42 percent his plan to use $200 billion left over from the bank bailout for a new stimulus package to create jobs rather than to reduce the budget deficit.
A bright spot for the White House and congressional Democrats is a sizable uptick in support for the health care legislation currently heading towards approval in the Senate. The latest CNN poll shows 42 percent of Americans approve of the bill, up by six points since earlier in December. Notable about the CNN numbers is that part of the poll was conducted after news broke of the compromise in the Senate that has paved te way for reform legislation to move forward.
According to the poll, 42 percent of Americans, based on what they’ve read or heard about the bill, support Senate Democrat’s legislation. That’s up from 36 percent in a poll conducted December 2-3. Nonetheless, a majority of people questioned in the survey, 56 percent, oppose the bill.
A surprise in the CNN poll is an identical six-point jump in President Obama’s approval rating, back up to a solid 54 percent from a sub-50 number in the last poll.
According the to poll, 54 percent of Americans approve of the job Obama’s doing as president, up 6 points from early December, with 44 percent disapproving, down 6 points.
“Obama’s approval rating is up ten points among younger Americans, but only two points among older Americans,” Holland says. “Since the same pattern occurs in the figures for the Senate health care bill, it’s possible that the two are related. Obama’s support is also up mostly among liberals, to 81 percent.”
More good news from CNN on the Senate bill is that well less than half of Americans say that the Senate’s version of reform is too liberal, the key talking point for Republicans opposed to reform.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically each day to your feed reader.
Wait until America discovers that ACORN is eligible for $Billions as a result of the historic “health care reform” package!!
Yes, on page 241 of Harry Reid’s “manager’s amendment,” slipped in in the dead of night, is a provision that earmarks billions of taxpayer dollars for the criminal enterprise ACORN, Obama’s alma mater, at the discretion of appointed government bureaucrats.
The ACORN earmark is the purchase price of the vote of one Senator Roland P. Burris, of Chicago, who claimed he was going to vote against “health care reform” if it didn’t include The Public Option. So they let him have $billions for ACORN instead!! Oh, how disappointed Barack will be when he finds out! Oh, the burden He must bear to bring the precious gift of “health care reform” to the American people in time for Christmas!
So while almost all of the benefits of this historic boondoggle won’t begin until 2014; minor issues, such as eliminating pre-existing condition limitations, and the actual heavy lifting of subsidizing the deadbeat uninsured; taxes WILL be imposed immediately.
Most importantly, ACORN will be eligible for massive infusions of taxpayer dollars immediately, so they can go about the important task of sabotaging free and fair elections in time for November of 2010!!