Quinnipiac: Obamacare opposed 51-35

This time, it’s not Rasmussen delivering the bad news among likely voters, but Quinnipiac among registered voters — a sample that should lean more towards Obama than away from him.  However, in the latest Q-poll conducted over the full week after Nancy Pelosi slammed her health-care reform bill through Congress, a majority of the 2518 respondents oppose ObamaCare.  And while three-quarters of the respondents find Obama personally likable, he’s at a -12 on the issue (via Geoff A):

Three-quarters of American voters – 74 percent – like President Barack Obama as a person, but only 47 percent like most of his policies, and voters disapprove 51 – 35 percent of the health care overhaul passed by the House of Representatives which he has endorsed, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.

Voters disapprove 53 – 41percent of President Obama’s handling of health care.

Obama’s endorsement of the House of Representatives-passed health care plan makes no difference to 44 percent of American voters, while 24 percent say it makes them view him more favorably; 30 percent less favorably.

And once again, independents are fleeing the President and the Democrats:

The fall-off from Obama’s personal likability to approval of his policies is greater among independent voters, a group Obama carried in the election. Overall 28 percent of Americans say they like Obama personally but not his policies, while 34 percent of independents feel that way.

In fact, independents break harder than the general population on Obama’s handling of health care as well. While Obama getsa 41/53 approval/disapproval rating overall on this issue, among independents it is 35/59.  Among women, whom the White House has attempted to woo on health  care by framing it as a “women’s issue,” Obama is still underwater 44/49.  The overall number has remained fairly consistent for the last three months, however; even in August, Obama has a -13 on the issue.

The health-care plan has similar problems. Independents oppose it almost 2-1, 29/57, while women oppose it by double digits, 36/47.  Obama’s support of it erodes his support, too.  Independents are twice as likely to think less of him than more because of it, 17/33, while women split evenly 26/26.  The ObamaCare debate is undoubtedly a big anchor on his approval ratings.

No matter how much Americans would desire to have a beer summit with the President, they don’t want a government takeover of health care to get it.  That’s bad medicine, and that realization has become more apparent the longer the debate goes on.

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