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In addition to the individual mandate being extremely unpopular, opinions about the entire Affordable Care Act have remained negative and been trending downward. The Kaiser Family Foundation poll found 44 percent view the law unfavorably while just 37 percent now view it favorably. From Kaiser:
While the trend is very slight and not perfect, looking at the data, the law’s favorable numbers have been heading slightly downward since the law was signed by President Obama. In the first six months after passage, on average, 46 percent held a favorable view of the law. In the last six months, on average, only 38 percent viewed the law favorably.
This is why during the State of the Union President Obama gave only the briefest passing mention to his signature health care law, and he didn’t even mention it by name. The State of the Union was a political speech. It is now clear that Obama so terribly mismanaged the politics of health care reform that the law is a serious net negative for the Obama campaign.
There is no way Obama could have spent more time talking about the biggest legislative action of his presidency and still have received the incredibly broad approval he did get from people who watched the speech. Don’t expect the issue of health care to be brought up by choice by Democrats in the upcoming campaign.
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“…it is now clear that Obama so terribly mismanaged the politics of health care reform that the law is a serious net negative for the Obama campaign.”
As it should be! He lost my vote over it. I was unhappy before that fiasco but when I saw how he sabotaged real reform, that was it for me. And let’s not even talk about the erosion of civil liberties and the rule of law for the 99%. I loathe him.
This is why it was so incredibly stupid of Romney surrogate Norm Coleman to start pivoting to the general-election meme with his “nobody will be able to repeal Obamacare entirely” comments the other day.
His signature achievement and people hate it so much he can’t even talk about it. Cripes!
Got any poll or survey results for, say, when Social Security was proposed and first enacted? How about for Medicare?
In the SOTU, he bragged that his reform bill was about PRIVATE insurance not PUBLIC health care. He bragged that he wants Medicare cuts on the table.
If that is how he is going to talk about health care, let him shut up.
So what you’re saying is that you don’t find polling figures and results credible. It’s about time you confessed.
That was a big tell. He will use that throughout the campaign.
He saved PRIVATE insurance. POS
When has Obama EVER talked about health care?
As President he has NEVER argued for, or even entertained the possibility of universal health care.
Most of the Paul supporters I know hate this mandate the most of all Obama’s policies. They tell me they’ll get a bill/fine without any real insurance coverage for their trouble. This ” signature accomplishment ” turned out to be the boondoggle H. Dean, Harkin, Grivilja, et al predicted. No real value is perceived by most libertarians. Just a gimmick. While I think there are some good things in this Healthcare Act it has lost the p.r. battle, big time. Is there a dance where you take 2 steps back, 2 steps sideways and then fall on your arse, to cheers, of course? Just wonderin.
A couple of trips to the hospital this month focused my attention on the atrocious Rube Goldberg contraption that passes for health care reform. (What really focused my attention was the receptionist handing me a copy of my bill–which wasn’t due for several weeks–as soon as I showed up.) And this whole humptyback system that costs more than any other system in the world has been entrenched for another generation, thanks to the Rube Goldberg Health Insurance “Reform” Act of 2010.
Color me unenthusiastic about Obama and his piss-poor excuse for a party.
Worse yet, the only part of the Rube Goldberg Health Insurance “Reform” Act that people understand is the hated mandate. Saboteurs couldn’t have made a worse mess of this than the White House and the Democrats on Capitol Hill.
Irony and poetic justice couldn’t think up a more fitting payback for his betrayal.
One good thing about HCR, though: it forever ripped back the curtain to reveal the rotting stench of entrenched Dem corruption. Gotta give Zero (unintentional) points for that.
Hey, can’t let the Republicans have a monopoly on Reaganomics.
Popularity is one reason for the silence on health care payment. The other reason is that between Obama and the most likely competition (Romney) there is no difference. This year will see no health care debate as the voters will have no options. See: two-party death grip on politics, corporate sponsorship of US government.
The other signature legislative action was finacial reform. Not any better. Then, of course, there is the housing crisis. And let us never forget the 25 million unemployed. Oh yeah, Obama is seriously screwed. It’s the economy stupid.
It becomes even more amazing that as President Obama becomes increasingly blatant about his affinity for conservatism and privatization, he still has unpaid supporters to defend him.
That would be interesting. Strangely enough I was around when both were proposed. The GOP and conservative southern Democrats as expected screamed socialism.
My strongest memory is of my grand mother and her deep appreciation for the independence her pittance of old age pension– to be SS permitted her.
Only anecdotal is what I knew of Kerr Mills as a physician was the payment schedules were so low many of us preferred to not deal with the bureaucracy and treat pro bono instead.
And the world turns. As I as an old person am eternally grateful for both programs. Without them I would surely be dead or warehoused in some marginal facility. Instead I spend money buying things and even pay a modicum of taxes.
Obama should be ashamed of what he has done to health care. It is so obvious what how stupid it is to preserve 30% and greater profit margins for the Wall Street investors when just extending the well working single payer system we have now for the old folks would work so much better.
How could people not get by now that Obama is nothing more than a glorified snake-oil salesman? What he said in his speech contradicts everything he’s done as President. And if ACA is unpopular, I’d be curious to know for what reasons. The mandate? Still unaffordable? No public option? Not universal? Weak regulations? Privately delivered?
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/obamas_faux_populism_sounds_like_bill_clinton_20120126/
Isn’t that a prime reason to not want to see the bat shit crazy Gingrich get the nomination vis Obummer, if your are a zOmbie Dem. Romney is as much a mill stone as ObanMacare. Gingrich will hit that sore spot like a gong
Stated perfectly. Obama is a horror show. He set back real progress for at least a generation.
Obama’s not talking about health care because he knows his shit act is indeed S.H.I.T. (Save Health Insurance Today).
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Totally my feelings BUT it points out problem with reporting on Obamacare which pushes the “nobody likes” it as “nobody wants real health care reform”. Many of those of us who “Disapprove” do so because Obamacare did not provide real Medicare for All reform implicit and explicit in Obama’s promise of a public option.
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I would bet people still want real health care reform and it should be a major issue due to the national and personal economic crisis that US insurance company run health care system creates, $800B in unnecessary cots, 40,000 deaths a year, 1,000,000 medical bankruptcies a year.
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Obama could say. “I failed to get real health care reform. I reformed it around the edges but we have so much more to do to get the same effective and safe health care system other countries enjoy. So lets get to work on new reforms over the next four years”.
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As for voting for him, while I now also hate someone I worked for, gave money to, voted for, had high hopes for in 2008, I’ll still vote for him. Like voting for Mitt over Newt, I’ll vote for Reagan Republican Obama over Reagan Republican Romney (or Newt) as lesser of two evils…but still evil.