PrintJuly 13, 2009
Message to GOP in Obama's Approval Index numbers
Today, on Rasmussen, Obama revisits his previous Approval Index low of -8, after a three-day (dead cat?) "bounce" to -7. Note that one of the numbers comprising the index, the Strongly Approve number, hits a new low, 28%.
On the nationalized health care front, for the first time in Rasmussen's polling, public opinion turns against the Obama-Democratic health care plan, 49%-46%. A small overall gap, certainly; however, note that the percentage of respondents who "strongly oppose" Obama's plan outweighs the "strongly favor" contingent by a much wider margin, 38%-22%.
These health care numbers -- and more importantly, the first-time swing to the negative -- provide an important lesson for Republicans. When presented with a new Obama-Democratic proposal that initially shows strong public support, Republicans should be wary of succumbing to arguments to succumb to the "will of the people" and support the proposal or risk defeat in the next election. As the new health care poll demonstrates, public opinion is subject to change when presented with a strong and principled argument.
