Karl Rove,Wall Street Journal
We can still stop socialized medicine
While still good,President Barack Obama’s political health is deteriorating,threatened by what he thought would be balm —his ambitious plan for a government takeover of health care.
Mr. Obama remains slightly more popular than most presidents have been in their opening months. But his job approval rating has drifted down to 60% in the RealClearPolitics.com average. His disapproval numbers have nearly doubled to 33%.
More troubling to Team Obama is the growing gap between the president’s approval rating and declining support for major items on his policy agenda. Independents are increasingly joining Republicans in opposition to administration initiatives that range from reviving the economy to closing the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo.
Things will likely get worse in the coming months as the congressional stage comes to be dominated by health care. A new poll by Resurgent Republic (a nonprofit,right-of-center education organization whose creation I helped spur),reveals some of the president’s challenges. By a 60%-to-31% margin,Americans prefer getting their health coverage through private insurance rather than the federal government.