Just when it seemed that President Obama's approval numbers couldn't get any worse, two new polls released Monday revealed that his signature healthcare legislation is now considered by many Americans to be his biggest disaster.
More than a third of voters view Obamacare as the president’s greatest failure as commander-in-chief, according to
a new Gallup poll release Monday.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
Not surprisingly, views on the Affordable Care Act vary greatly by party affiliation, but there’s a pervasive thread of discontent on both sides of the political spectrum. That was signaled by Sunday by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, an ostensible Obama ally, who said the law appeared on the verge of "meltdown."
Fifty percent of Republicans believe Obamacare is Obama’s greatest failure, compared with 25 percent of Democrats.
Conservatives can barely hold back their glee.
“Democratic senators in red and purple states are going to have a tough time defending their vote for a health-care law that wasn’t ready for prime time,” writes
National Review columnist Matt Kibbe, referring to the law’s embarrassing rollout that was plagued with persistent technical and public relations issues.
New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, is already the target of a biting television spot linking her to the president and hammering her decision to vote for the law. Persistent reports suggest that former Sen. Scott Brown is preparing a challenge based in part over her weakness on Obamacare.
Meanwhile,
a new CNN/ORC survey finds that support for the healthcare law has plummeted to a record low, with most Americans predicting skyrocketing costs for medical care, and a third don’t believe they will be able to keep their doctor.
In that poll, CNN reports, support for the law is down five points in less than a month, to just 35 percent of those questioned. Opposition for Obamacare is up four points from November, to 62 percent,
according to CNN.
How bad is it? “Even Democrats recognize the negative issues associated with the new healthcare law and its implementation,” Gallup states.
Most of the newest opposition comes from women, traditionally a core constituency for the president. Sixty percent of women polled do not like the law.
"That's bad news for an administration that is reaching out to moms across the country in an effort to make Obamacare a success." CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said.
Not getting along with Republicans and Congress (9 percent), a lack of communication (5 percent) and a lack of leadership (4 percent) were listed as the president’s next three biggest failures, according to Gallup. However, none came close to the 36 percent figure looming over Obamacare.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
The president still has some supporters in his corner, according to Gallup, which reports that 22 percent of those surveyed see the Affordable Care Act as his greatest achievement.
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