President’s Approval Rating Drops To 50 Percent, GOP Poll Says Reform Less Popular Than In 1994
President Obama's approval ratings dropped to 50 percent in a Gallup Poll released Thursday, his lowest rate so far, The Los Angeles Times reports. "The new low for Obama compares with his peak public job approval rating of 69 percent after his inauguration in January. The president's sliding approval ratings in the Gallup and other national polls this summer have paralleled growing unrest about his healthcare plans.
"Polls also show that Obama has lost support for his handling of the economy, although his approval ratings for handling foreign affairs remain higher. But Obama has reached his new low more quickly than most of his predecessors did, Gallup said. The percentage of people voicing disapproval for Obama's job performance stands at a near-high of 43 perecent" (Silva, 8/28).
A GOP poll has found more public skepticism for Obama's push at reform than there was for President Clinton's in 1994, Politico reports. "The telephone survey, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican polling firm, found that 37 percent of Americans are opposed to the Obama plan compared with 25 percent who favor it. In June of 1994 - just a few months before a White House-led health care reform push effectively died on Capitol Hill - 35 percent of Americans said they opposed the Clinton administration's plan while 23 percent favored it, according to a survey taken in June of 1994 by the same firm" (Falcone, 8/27).
Roll Call: "The public option has undermined Obama's campaign message that voters will be able to keep the insurance they have if they like it, (Republican pollster Bill) McInturff said, with voters in the South and swing constituencies turning against the plan. Seniors are also worried about the potential for cuts to Medicare to pay for expanded coverage for those who don't have it now" (Dennis, 8/28).