AND ANOTHER TURKEY WE MUST DEAL WITH – AT 10:29 A.M. ET:  The Obama administration has been mounting a campaign to sell Obamacare, but it's pretty clear the public isn't buying.  This will be a major campaign issue that Republiicans can exploit, if they show they have an alternative.  Scott Rasmussen reports:

For the second week in a row, 58% of Likely U.S. Voters favor repeal of the national health care plan adopted into law by Congress in late March. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds 36% oppose repeal.

These findings include 47% who Strongly Favor repeal and 28% who are Strongly Opposed.
Rasmussen Reports has been tracking sentiments about repeal since the plan’s passage, and opposition to the legislation remains as strong since its adoption as it was beforehand. Support for repeal since March has ranged from a low of 54% to a high of 63% in mid-May. Opposition has ranged from 32% to 42%.

The Obama White House last week began a public relations initiative to sell the plan to voters as the mid-term elections near. Right now, a number of Democratic candidates – and incumbents, in general – are hurting in part because of the voter backlash against the health care plan.

Most voters (50%) continue to believe that the health care plan is bad for America and that it will hurt the quality of care while driving up costs and the budget deficit. Thirty-nine percent (39%) say the plan is good for the country. Just three percent (3%) think it will have no impact.

COMMENT:  The Obamans are hoping that early delivery of some benefits will help turn public opinion, but I doubt it will.  There are simply too many stories coming out that warn of problems with the program, and also warn that many current plans – including those that patients like – will  have to be scrapped.

Poor presidential leadership in formulating Obamacare in the first place can be blamed for public response.  But Obama will blame BP, which his advisers will claim stands for BUSH PROBABLY (!!).

June 14, 2010