Rasmussen: ObamaCare support hits new lows

The public campaign for ObamaCare has slipped to a new low, with a greater majority now opposing it, according to the latest polling from Rasmussen.  Likely voters now oppose it 53%-42%, when six weeks ago a slim majority favored the plan.  The intensity of opposition has increased greatly, while the intensity of support has diminished:

Public support for the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats has fallen to a new low as just 42% of U.S. voters now favor the plan. That’s down five points from two weeks ago and down eight points from six weeks ago.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that opposition to the plan has increased to 53%, up nine points since late June.

More significantly, 44% of voters strongly oppose the health care reform effort versus 26% who strongly favor it. Intensity has been stronger among opponents of the plan since the debate began.

The big problem for Democrats remains the independent voters.  They lost that bloc at about the time that the CBO began issuing its analyses of the various versions of ObamaCare, and that trend has only gotten worse for Obama and Pelosi.  Sixty-two percent of unaffiliated likely voters oppose the bill, and now a majority (51%) strongly oppose it.  The intensity of opposition among unaffiliated voters holds a great danger for Democrats looking to get re-elected in 2010 to their House and Senate seats.

The intensity of opposition has increased among practically all demographics.  Forty-four percent of all likely voters now strongly oppose ObamaCare, which goes to 49% of men and 39% of women — who oppose it overall by 50%-43%, losing a key demographic.  While the youngest voters strongly favor ObamaCare by 57%, the numbers flip for all other age demos: 51% strongly oppose in 30-39, 58% in 40-49, 43% in 50-64, and 46% among seniors.  The same holds true for income demos.  Among the lowest-income earners, 51% strongly support, but then strongly oppose gets majorities or strong pluralities for the other brackets: 38% for $20-40K, 56% for $40-60K and $60-75K, 40% for $75-100K, and 55% for $100K+, a surprising result as this has been swinging for Obama until now.

Majorities also now say that passing the bill will make health-care more expensive (51%) and lower quality (51%).  Among independents, those numbers are 49% and 59%, respectively, which underscores the problems Obama has in convincing America to support this bill.  If most people believe it will make medical care cost more and patients to get lower-quality care, why would they support it?

Blowback