The Supreme Court’s decision upholding President Barack Obama’s
health care law is a historic policy victory for his administration and
the Democrats who lost control of the House and their filibuster-proof
Senate majority pushing the reform through Congress in the face of
united GOP opposition.
But the politics of the Affordable Care Act — or “Obamacare” — are unlikely to improve for Obama and Congressional Democrats running for re-election in 2012, and in fact could boost presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and GOP candidates running down the ticket. Why isn’t Obama’s victory likely to translate into a political boost at the polls? Because, voters’ negative feelings about Obama’s health care overhaul had little to do with questions of its constitutionality.
Sparking the backlash, to name just a few concerns, were Americans’ anxiety about the government taking over the health care system, their fear that they would not be able to keep their current health coverage, and general worries that the law would depress job creation while exploding the federal deficit. Seniors, meanwhile, have been suspicious that the law will move $500 billion out of Medicare to fund the expansion of health insurance for the poor.
Even Democratic strategists tend to agree that the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling to affirm the Affordable Care Act is unlikely to rehabilitate public perception of the law.
“I don’t think swing voters are making their decision on the nuance of the Supreme Court decision. How they feel about a candidate regarding health care is baked in cake,” said a Democratic pollster, who spoke on background in order to be candid.
Even as Americans have expressed favorable opinions about some elements of the statute, including a prohibition against insurance companies denying coverage based on a pre-existing medical condition, public polls have consistently shown broad disapproval of the law in its entirety — both before and since it was enacted. According to the RealClearPolitics.com average of all polls released April 11 through June 26, public dissatisfaction with Obamacare outweighed support by 11 points, with 49 percent opposing the law and 38 percent viewing it favorably.
Read more: http://atr.rollcall.com/after-health-care-ruling-law-still-politically-toxic/
But the politics of the Affordable Care Act — or “Obamacare” — are unlikely to improve for Obama and Congressional Democrats running for re-election in 2012, and in fact could boost presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and GOP candidates running down the ticket. Why isn’t Obama’s victory likely to translate into a political boost at the polls? Because, voters’ negative feelings about Obama’s health care overhaul had little to do with questions of its constitutionality.
Sparking the backlash, to name just a few concerns, were Americans’ anxiety about the government taking over the health care system, their fear that they would not be able to keep their current health coverage, and general worries that the law would depress job creation while exploding the federal deficit. Seniors, meanwhile, have been suspicious that the law will move $500 billion out of Medicare to fund the expansion of health insurance for the poor.
Even Democratic strategists tend to agree that the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling to affirm the Affordable Care Act is unlikely to rehabilitate public perception of the law.
“I don’t think swing voters are making their decision on the nuance of the Supreme Court decision. How they feel about a candidate regarding health care is baked in cake,” said a Democratic pollster, who spoke on background in order to be candid.
Even as Americans have expressed favorable opinions about some elements of the statute, including a prohibition against insurance companies denying coverage based on a pre-existing medical condition, public polls have consistently shown broad disapproval of the law in its entirety — both before and since it was enacted. According to the RealClearPolitics.com average of all polls released April 11 through June 26, public dissatisfaction with Obamacare outweighed support by 11 points, with 49 percent opposing the law and 38 percent viewing it favorably.
Read more: http://atr.rollcall.com/after-health-care-ruling-law-still-politically-toxic/
No comments:
Post a Comment