President Obama's approval numbers on healthcare aren't looking so good.
Obama's overall approval rating is 55%, with 41% disapproval. [...] On the economy, his approval is 47%, with 49% disapproval, down from a 55%-42% rating in May. On health care policy, he is at 44%-50%, another upside-down rating.
My first impression was that the Republican nincompoopery and lies have been working. But thinking about these numbers in terms of the broader range of polls, it's very possible that the numbers indicate that the president isn't moving fast enough or being bold enough.
In a July 14 Gallup Poll, 86 percent of Americans think it's "extremely important" for healthcare reform to include allowing them to get insurance regardless of employment or medical status. 58 percent support taxing the rich to pay for healthcare. And we all know about the super-majority support for the public option.
In a June Gallup poll, only 34 percent of Americans are confident in the Republicans to make the right decisions on healthcare policy. In fact, Americans are one percent less confident in Republicans than they are in the health insurance companies. That's pretty crappy.
So one thing's for sure, we don't want what the Republicans are offering. And we broadly support significant changes in the healthcare system. The fact that the president is upside-down only indicates that, while on the right track, he isn't pushing this with the ferocity it demands.
UPDATE: Yglesias makes sweet charts:
Americans want this, and they want the president to ramp up -- which he's beginning to do.