Machiavellian White House vs. Great Right Wing Conspiracy
As with so many questions related to domestic and foreign affairs, the policy debate has been transformed into harsh political bloodsport. (Check out the latest video on the topic put out by the Democratic National Committee.) All this is great news for the blowhards on cable televison, less so for the rest of us, I think. But beyond the recent pyrotechnics, this much remains clear: Judging from the results of a new round of public opinion polls, President Obama has a hard sell ahead.
Results of a Quinnipiac University National Poll released today finds an American public deeply worried about the costs of health care reform. By a 55% to 35% margin, they fear that Congress will bust the bank and worsen the existing federal deficit. At the same time, there's great skepticism about the President's ability to make good on earlier promises to reform the system without driving up the deficit. CNN's poll numbers, also released on Wednesday, contains slightly better news for the Democrats. It also reports a nation divided when it comes to health care reform but finds 50 percent of those questioned supporting the president's plans, while 45 percent disagreeing.
One interesting aside: a generational divide exists when it comes to the topic of doing something: A majority of the people surveyed by CNN over the age of 50 say they are against the Obama health care initiative while a majority of people under 50 say they are in favor. (Also keep in mind: the older set has more money to give to politicians, and is more likely to vote. Thus, their opinion has an outsize influence. Something the Obama team has to consider in the debate ahead.)
Looking over the CNN results, the Democrats can take solace from one nugget: Almost 70% of the people surveyed believe structural change "is necessary to reduce health care costs or provide insurance coverage to all Americans." Still, the President continues to have a tough time winning over conservatives and independents. The Obama plans are taking a beating on conservative talk radio shows as well as on Fox News, which has devoted wide coverage to videos depicting angry town hall confrontations when Congressional representatives return to their districts to discuss health care.
As always, context matters. So far, the YouTube outrage hasn't translated into a major shift in public opinion, as the Washington Monthly's Steve Benen pointed out (though that still might happen.) When CNN/Opinion Research asked the same poll question about health care in late June, 51% said they supported the administration's plan compared to 45% who opposed it.