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November 13, 2009 4:02 PM

Polls Suggest GOP Candidates May Benefit from Health Care Debate

Posted by Stephanie Condon
(AP)
Republicans may be able to use the current health care debate to their advantage in upcoming elections, some polls suggest.

Two Quinnipiac polls released Thursday show Republican Senate candidates in Connecticut and Ohio gaining ground as voters in those states show increasing dissatisfaction with Democrats' health care reform effort.

Former Connecticut Congressman Rob Simmons, the leading contender for the 2010 Republican Senate nomination, is leading Democratic incumbent Chris Dodd 49 percent to 38 percent, according to the poll. Simmons increased his lead over Dodd by six percent since September.

Meanwhile, 48 percent of voters in Connecticut said they disapprove of the way President Obama is handling health care, compared with 45 percent who approve. In September, more people approved by a two-point margin.

In Ohio, former GOP Rep. Rob Portman inches ahead of his two Democratic opponents for the first time. Ohio voters oppose Mr. Obama's health care plan 55 percent to 36 percent after being nearly split on the issue in September.

The Hill newspaper points out the Quinnipiac polls are the first major Senate surveys since the House passed its health care bill last week.

Dodd took the lead on health care in a key Senate panel after the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy, and Connecticut Democratic Party spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan told the Hill that his high profile on the issue is actually helping him.

"In truth, we have a hard time believing Chris Dodd has done anything but strengthen his political position based on his well-publicized and heroic work on healthcare reform," she said.

Meanwhile, a Gallup poll released today shows that more Americans say the federal government should not make sure all Americans have health care coverage than say it should take on that responsibility. (Fifty percent say no, while 47 percent say yes.) This is the first time more Americans said it was not the government's responsibility since Gallup began tracking this question in 2001.
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Add a Comment See all 13 Comments
by mmvale November 15, 2009 11:34 AM EST
We work hard to pay our taxes.
Our taxes are given to congresspeople to bribe them to vote for a healthcare bill that we do not want and can't pay for. Americans, speak out against this government contol bill.
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by rafirebird November 14, 2009 5:33 PM EST
The difficultly you have with the Republicans is one that only a very small segment of the population shares with you. 60% of Americans polled do not agree with you. Perhaps if the U.S. government hadn't already bankrupted social security, medicare, medicaid,welfare system,postal service, and their own lunch room, people might have a little more confidence in them taking over the health care system. And that my friend is exactly what they are planning.
Reply to this comment
by prairiefox November 14, 2009 3:18 PM EST
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A PERSON BEING HIRED THAT WOULD IGNORE WHAT THE BOSS WOULD TELL HIM AND KEEP THE JOB?
WELL THAT DESCRIBES THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS!
WHEN ELECTED THEY ARE SUPPOSED REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF THEIR STATE REGARDLESS OF WHO THEY SUPPORTED DURING THE ELECTION!
THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!
Reply to this comment
by Skirt-Lifter November 14, 2009 1:20 PM EST
I heard on CNN this AM that the h'care bill contains language that anyone with gov't h'care will not be able to get an abortion, only people with private coverage that have a special clause will be able to get an abortion.

Now, I'm not pro death, but this is an interesting point if it's true.

This is a stretch but if this is true, poor people will have less access to abortion. This is a dysgenic influence on out society.
Reply to this comment
by OregonJames November 14, 2009 12:48 PM EST
It is difficult to understand how republicans might win in some way by depriving the American people a better health care system. From my perspective, the republican party has done nothing but disgrace themselves by becoming the party of radical obstructionists and fear mongers. They bring nothing to the political table but venom and bile and their goal is only to obstruct the president. They have won only disrespect from me.
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by stn_sage November 13, 2009 7:03 PM EST
IF Republican candidates ARE actually helped by this health care bill debate, then they certainly DON'T deserve to be!

ANY party that really wants to apply a blanket 'NO' to the critical issue of available health care insurance and treatment to tens of millions of their fellow Americans...is a party of LOW repute!
Reply to this comment
by gboyd41 November 13, 2009 7:42 PM EST
But they will be-and indication that the Dem. are not listening to the voters.
by mapjo11 November 13, 2009 5:42 PM EST
John McCain and other congressional leaders get unlimited healthcare for $503/year. Do YOU? Fight back. Sign the petition to protest at: http://bit.ly/2nrapo
Reply to this comment
by starleo146 November 13, 2009 7:43 PM EST
Sometimes I think the media sits around a conference table and say, lets see what impossible thing can we change around . Goodness the republicans are way down in the polls, lets see if we can turn that around. Sure we can, we hurt Hillary didn't we, when they said she was in. I swear I honestly think they do things like that to boost ratings.Just because they can, no way a American, a true American, would ever vote for a crooked republican, doesn't matter how many dirty tricks the republican use, or the media.
by OregonJames November 14, 2009 12:58 PM EST
MANDATORY insurance where I was employed cost more than $1,200 per month and the rates have been going up by double-digits almost every year.
by us_1776 November 13, 2009 5:09 PM EST
Anybody who thinks that the Republicans are contributing anything to the healthcare debate is fooling themselves. The healthcare system in our country is going to collapse. All credible experts that have looked at the situation agree that this is going to happen. And when you see that we have 50+ million Americans without healthcare coverage heading to 70+ million inside of 3 years there is plenty of evidence that the collapse is already underway. The Democrats have spent a huge amount of time and effort to structure a near deficit-neutral reform package that covers nearly every American. And compare that to some of the ridiculous Republican contributions to the issue, such as death panels, and kill grandma, and all this other completely unprofessional and irresponsible misrepresentations.

The Republicans represent the interests of the huge healthcare insurers who are the very people that are responsible for a significant portion of the crisis. How does that benefit everyday Americans? It doesn't. It works against the interests of the average American. And all the noise and smoke and mirrors coming from the Republicans on this issue is merely to get average Americans confused and have them forget about the fact that the Republicans are representing the interests of these insurers.
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by NdubuezeC November 13, 2009 4:58 PM EST
Yes, and maybe they will also benefit from our deaths too. What on earth is wrong with providing affordable, yes, 'NOT FREE' healthcare for Americans? It is okay to spend billions bombing Iraqi's just because George W. Bush and Dick Cheney lied us into a war but it is not okay to help, yes, help Americans. If the GOP will benefit from our being oppressed by the health insurance companies, then so be it. May God help America and Americans. AMEN.
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by retm-w November 13, 2009 5:41 PM EST
You can complain about Bush and the spending on the war, but I haven't seen the democrats do anything about the cost of the war. And how much do we dole out every day on foreign aid, to countries that could care less about the problems in the U.S. They're more then happy to take our money and jobs and give nothing in return.
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