CNN Poll: President's approval on health care under 50 percent
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/07/22/art.obama0722.gi.jpg caption="A new CNN Poll of Polls indicates that 47 percent of Americans approve of how President Obama is dealing with health care reform."]WASHINGTON (CNN) - Hours before President Barack Obama holds a prime time news conference to push for health care reform, a new CNN Poll of Polls indicates that less than half the country approves of how he's handling the issue.
According to the CNN Poll of Polls, 47 percent approve of how the president's dealing with health care reform, with 44 percent disapproving.
The CNN Poll of Polls on health care was compiled and released on Wednesday. It's an average of the three most recent national surveys to ask about Obama's performance on health care: USA Today/Gallup (July 17-19); ABC/Washington Post (July 15-18) and CBS News (July 9-12).
The ABC News/Washington Post poll, which was released Monday, indicates Obama still has a large advantage over Republicans on the issue. Fifty-four percent of those questioned say they trust Obama to do a better job handling health care than Republicans in Congress, with 34 percent putting more faith in congressional Republicans than the president.
CNN Radio: Obama losing ground on health care
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll taken in June showed that roughly half the country is confused by the major points in Obama's health care proposals, said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "That poll also showed that Americans who understand Obama's proposals support them, while a majority of Americans who are confused by the issue oppose Obama's plan," said Holland. "That may be one reason why Obama is making a prime-time push for his proposals, and doing so in a question-and-answer format."
A separate CNN Poll of Polls puts the president's overall approval rating at 56 percent, with 40 percent disapproving. In early June, Obama's average approval rating was 62 percent. It stood at 61 percent by mid-June, and stayed at that level through the rest of the month.
"Obama remains more popular than most of his policies, including health care," Holland says. "The question is whether he can turn some of that personal popularity into political capital in order to get what he wants out of Congress."
The CNN Poll of Polls on Obama's overall approval was also compiled and released on Wednesday. It's an average of the three most recent national surveys: AP/GfK (July 16-20); USA Today/Gallup (July 17-19); and ABC/Washington Post (July 15-18).
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@IQ test required for all VOTERS!!! –
Anti-Obama? Fox News reports both sides, CNN is biased toward Obama...I think maybe you suffer from liberalitis; you know, not being able to handle the truth...?
Think how much govt tape there will be to get anything accomplished...they talk about the gate-keeper which is a govt run agency to decide who is elegible for the new plan and who is not...that will put so much more cost and time into the plan...no why is it worth it
C'mon congress. Please stop capitulating to your fat cat lobbyists and 'Git' er done'!! No legislation is perfect but this is a good start. If it is so horrible, it can always be undone at the polls. But for the sake of America.... Let's Do This!!
How many times are we going to hear about these polls this week alone? The media got its wish and played right in to the GOP's hands. But they keep understimating Obama and to their peril. Unless God is no longer on our side on this issue and we will lose but if He is still on our side, we will come out swinging one more time.
Funny question how he is handling health care reform,when thats congress's job.What ever Obama dose,he's trying to fix the broke system the republicans left.How can you tell a bill will benifit the people? When the republicans say NO.
Notice that not a single liberal Democrat wants to talk about the real reason health care is so expensive, frivolous lawsuits. Libs won't do a thing about them because to the average Democrat, a frivolous lawsuit is like a lib lottery, they have no remorse for stealing and causing problems for innocent people, they don't think like us conservatives and independents. I find it funny when they spout their lies about cheney and call him evil, at the end of the day he has lived a life far more nobale, honest, and respectable than the average liberal Democrat. It is no wonder that so many Democrats are atheists.
I don't get it 47 approve 44 disapprove and all the other polls show 54+approval. so how and why does the headline insuate that he is losing the battle?? The media kill me and so do the republicans - have no good ideas but to battle the only idea thats on the table. We need reform and we need it now....and it's obvious that the president is serious about getting it done. We need to vote everyone of these bums that are not contributing ideas out of office!!!
Cnn please dont turn into Fox News your better then that by far!
I love how the socialist lefties here spew their "Republicans have no say in this government" garbage. I say, "thank god!". Because come November of 2010, no amount of kool-aid, or Obama musings, will prevent the electorate from laying the blame solely where it should be – say goodbye Demmies!!
Doesn't surprise me. I genuinely think Obama is on top of nearly everything, but this one doesn't look good. Sibelius said funding will come from increased costs to businesses, who already cannot afford health care costs. She said it won't compete with insurance companies, and only be available to non-workers. So tell me, if unemployed folks already can't afford what's currently available, and this isn't going to be any more affordable, then how will it benefit them? All we hear is cost cost cost, and I have not heard ANYTHING about this controlling costs. Meanwhile, the insurance companies are spending tens of millions of dollars on lobbyists. Gee, wonder how this will turn out? If Obama doesn't get up and lead in a manner that offends a lot of people so that he actually earns his right wing title of dictator on this issue, it ain't going to amount to anything tangible to any of us.
The problem is that the President is not handling health care. He is doing what many of us Democrats feared, and the reason we supported Hillary Clinton. He is talking the talk, but refuses to take a firm stand on anything, obviously for political cover. I intensely disapproved of G.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan's political views, but I had to respect the fact that they were willing to make a stand. Obama is going to have to at some point in his career give a clear, concise, declarative statement regarding his stand on particular issues instead of just talking in abstract terms such as "hope" and "yes we can". I voted for the President and don't regret it, but it was just another one of those "lesser of the two evils" votes.
Slow news day......he's only been in office for 6months and a few days.Were going to see 1000 new polls 2 years from now.
Well with the republican infomercial channel going 24 hours a day 7 days a week panning and sluring and talking negative about everything the democrats are trying to do, we see why things are not going well.
It is a shame the democrats don't have their own infomerical channel going so they could counteract FOX and their spinmeisters.
Dear CNN,
Instead of publishing the results of useless polls of opinions of uninformed people, why not roll up your sleeves and try journalism for a change and i) print an analysis of the proposed bill by two people who are not in the pocket of lobbyists or ideological think tanks, one of whom supports it and one who opposes it; and ii) publish a list of who in Congress is getting contributions from the health insurance, pharmaceutical and durable medical equipment vested interests and how much. Help the public debate by providing facts and information instead of adding to the confusion.
Americans, WAKE UP! Pharmacuetical companies and big insurance giants are spending millions of dollars a day to spin this healthcare thing to their greedy advantage. Stand up for yourselves, not big unethical business. United Healthcare made a profit of 87 billion dollars this year. They are ROBBING all of us. If the government plan sucks, don't use it. What are you afraid of? Media spin from multinational corporations? Don't be fooled again!
Finally being seen for the empty suit he really is. My only surprise is that nobody saw this coming. Thank God for the blue dog dems for standing up for what's right.
TIRED (sick & tired) of the POLLS!!! Let the man do his job.. not everyone's going to be happy EVER!!!
His numbers are dropping like a sack of wet cement.
Wait until the hard-working American people with employer-provided coverage find out that they will be taxed for their existing coverage, and the cost for that coverage won't go down by one penny.
And it's all to give coverage to illegal aliens, and to people not willing to give up their cable TV or Gucci bags to buy basic catastrophic insurance.
I don't believe in polls never have. When this healthcare reform gets passed, The GOP will pick something else to whine about. Pass this already. My family income is over $250,000 and we have health insurance and I believe in Universal Healthcare, tax me a bit more I don't mind, time to help our fellow citizens.
Funny how people are complaining about the deficit(GOP) and spending, but noone complained about it the last 8 years.
You guys can all stop crying, this thing is dead.
Obama got elected on hope and change not because he had a plan. You cant just print off money and give everybody free health care without addressing the issue of why it costs so much in the first place. The first thing that needs to be done is reduce the liability costs to the doctors then reduce the paperwork nightmare and make the medical industry more efficient. Once the costs come down then maybe have a universal system. Theres no reason why you go to the doctor for the smallest thing and you have to be tested for everything under the sun. That jacks up costs but the doctors have to cover their tails so you dont call an ambulance chaser and sue the doctors pants off.
Personally I dont believe healthcare is a right and the government has no buisness getting involved. My tax dollars shouldnt go to some fat and lazy people who cant take care of themselves.
NOTHING CONFUSING about Pres O's Universal Health Care Plan....it is just that "it won't work". Ill thought out. 12 M pages in the bill, which, of course, NO ONE has read and yet he wants a VOTE on it? Politics, that's all Politics. The POLL Numbers are starting to tell the story .....down hill slide from now on the the President and his "shoot from the hip" Agenda.
G. Cook
The reason his poll numbers keep dropping is because the push for a Strong Public Option, which 72% of the people want, is slowly eroding into nothingness.
Fight harder for your Strong Public Option and universal coverage without mandates and his numbers will begin to climb again.
Although I voted for McCain in the last election, I think I should defend President Obama here. Let's give him a chance. He has not even been President for a year yet. I think his health care ideas are sound, and I think he will be successful in implementing them. We need more lawmakers to work with our President rather than to work against him.
As a healthcare provider & one who has dealt w/ both sides of insurance issues, it is not an easy problem to fix. One thing to remember is that those that are INSURED end up paying higher prices to cover the UNINSURED. If the majority of citizens had some form af insurance, then the "charges" should go down for everyone as hospitals & doctors would not have to pass the uncinsured's costs onto the insured & thier insurance companies.