Thread: Health care bill does't help Democrats In poll

April 2, 2010, 8:47 pm
New Health Care Law Does Not Help Democrats in Poll
By MARJORIE CONNELLY
The legislative wrangling over the health care reform bill that became law last week has not translated into improved poll ratings for any of the principal participants.

In the latest CBS News Poll, 44 percent approve of how President Obama is handling his job, down from 49 percent in a poll taken just before the health care bill passed in the House of Representatives. Mr. Obama received a 41 percent disapproval rating in both surveys.

The public is particularly unhappy with Mr. Obama’s management of health care. Only a third, 34 percent, approve of the president’s handling of health care, down from 41 percent before the health care bill passed. Fifty-five percent disapprove, including a majority of Republicans and independents. While most Democrats approve of how Mr. Obama is handling health care, almost a third disapprove.

Other recent national polls have given the president higher marks for his job handling. In the Gallup tracking poll based on interviews conducted March 30 through April 1, 50 percent approve of Mr. Obama and 43 percent disapprove.

The public’s impression of both Democratic Congressional leaders — Representative Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, and Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader of the Senate — has become increasingly negative. According to the latest USA Today/Gallup poll, Mr. Reid is better known since the last time Gallup asked about him in November 2008. His favorable rating is now 29 percent, basically unchanged from the earlier poll when 27 percent had a favorable view. But his negative number has increased from 30 percent in 2008 to 45 percent in the latest poll.

Ms. Pelosi is viewed favorably by 36 percent and unfavorably by 54 percent. Both numbers are up slightly from Gallup’s last reading in July 2009, when 32 percent were favorable and 48 percent unfavorable.

The public is less familiar with the Republican congressional leaders, and opinions of them are evenly divided. Both Representative John Boehner, the House minority leader, and Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, are seen favorably by about 30 percent of the public, and about the same percentage view them in a negative light.

All the polls are based on nationwide telephone surveys. The CBS News poll interviewed 858 adults from March 29 to April 1 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The USA/Today Gallup poll was conducted with 1,033 adults from March 26 to 28 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/

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