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President Obama’s approval number down to 37%, a drop of nine points in one month

Nov 20, 2013

By Dave Andrusko

HHS Secretary meeting with so-called "navigators" in a media event in South Florida (Source: CBS4)

HHS Secretary meeting with so-called “navigators” in a media event in South Florida
(Source: CBS4)

Talk about symbolism!! The same day CBS reports that President Obama’s numbers have fallen to historic lows, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is in South Florida in a media event to show off how so-called “navigators” are helping people sign up for Obamacare on line or on paper [!] and the Healthcare.gov website crashes again!

According to the local CBS affiliate in Miami

“At a second table, the secretary met Carmen Salero who was trying to sign up online. As the secretary and Salero made small talk, CBS4′s Brian Andrews noticed the site crash on the lap top in front of them.

“’The screen says I’m sorry but the system is temporarily down,” Andrews pointed out. ‘Uh oh,’ responded the secretary.

“That happens every day,” said Salerno, ‘it must mean a lot of people are on there trying to get coverage.’”

Of course, it means nothing of the sort. That particular hoary myth may have worked the first few days after the October 1 kickoff, but not since. It’s the system, not the number of people trying to sign on.

Back to the results of the CBS News poll, as reported by Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Anthony Salvanto and Fred Backus… Here’s the lead:

“President Obama’s job approval rating has plunged to the lowest of his presidency, according to a new CBS News poll released Wednesday, and Americans’ approval of the Affordable Care Act has dropped[to its] lowest since CBS News started polling on the law.

“Thirty-seven percent now approve of the job Mr. Obama is doing as president, down from 46 percent in October — a nine point drop in just a month. Mr. Obama’s disapproval rating is 57 percent — the highest level for this president in CBS News Polls.”

Not surprisingly, opposition to ObamaCare (never popular in the first place) has soared. CBS News reports that 61% oppose the “Affordable Care Act,” (including 46% who “strongly” oppose) while less than a third (31%) support ObamaCare.

What makes these latter numbers so ominous, from the President’s perspective, is not the nearly uniform Republican disapproval. Rather it’s that more than 2/3rds of Independents agree. Indeed, even among Democrats, support for ObamaCare has dropped from 74% in October to 58% today.

The same kind of across the board drop also applies to the President’s job performance. To quote CBS News

“The president’s overall job approval rating has declined among many demographic groups since last month, including independents (a 12-point drop), men (down 9 points), and women (a 10-point drop). More women now disapprove than approve of the job Mr. Obama is doing as president.”

One last result. NRL News Today has written numerous posts about how the President’s less-than-forthright explanation of what he promised (such as being able to keep the insurance plan we have, if we want) has affected the public’s perception of his honesty.

In its November 15-18 telephone poll of 1,010 adults, CBS News found that only 49% feel the President is honest and trustworthy. Last year, during the presidential campaign, 60% of voters said Mr. Obama was honest and trustworthy.

Please join those who are following me on Twitter at twitter.com/daveha. Send your comments to daveandrusko@gmail.com.

Categories: Obama ObamaCare