Below The Beltway

Two new polls show that President Obama’s health care reform efforts continue to suffer from public opposition.

First, the new Pew Research poll shows that a pluarlity of voters are opposed to the health care reform plans before Congress:

Public opinion is conflicted regarding the two major domestic issues of the day – the economy and health care reform. On the economy, most Americans remain optimistic that Barack Obama’s policies will help, but the public expresses mixed views of the steps he has taken so far and sees no clear signs of recovery at this point.

Regarding health care reform, many of the key provisions remain popular though support for the overall package has slipped. More people now generally oppose the health care reform proposals in Congress (47%) than favor them (34%). This represents a decline in support for health care reform since mid-September, shortly after President Obama’s nationally televised address to Congress on the issue.

The results are similar in a new Quinnipac University poll:

American voters oppose 47 – 40 percent President Barack Obama’s health care reform plan, and don’t want an overhaul that only gets Democratic votes, but they support key parts of the plan, including 61 – 34 percent for giving people the option of a government health insurance plan that competes with private plans, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.

By a 57 – 37 percent margin, voters say Congress should not approve a health care overhaul with only Democratic votes. Democrats are OK with a one-party bill 63 – 29 percent, but opposition is 88 – 9 percent from Republicans and 62 – 32 percent from independent voters.

This is after months of a PR campaign from the Obama Administration.

Yea, I’d call it a failure.