Poll: Dwindling confidence in Obama's handling of health care

"Public confidence in President Obama's leadership has declined sharply over the summer, amid intensifying opposition to health-care reform that threatens to undercut his attempt to enact major changes to the system" according an ABC News/Washington Post poll, The Washington Post reports. "Among all Americans, 49 percent now express confidence that Obama will make the right decisions for the country, down from 60 percent at the 100-day mark in his presidency. Forty-nine percent now say they think he will be able to spearhead significant improvements in the system, down nearly 20 percentage points from before he took office."

In addition, "disapproval of Obama's handling of the health-care issue reached 50 percent in the new poll, the highest of his presidency, and 42 percent of those surveyed say they now 'strongly disapprove' of the way he is dealing with his main domestic priority. Views of the president's actions on reform have dropped most sharply among seniors and independents"  (Balz and Cohen, 8/21).

ABC News adds: "Support for a public option, currently the most contentions element of reform, has fallen from 62 percent in June to 52 percent now; 46 percent are opposed, up 13 points. Like much of the debate, it's an intensely partisan issue, with support ranging from three-quarters of Democrats to half of independents and 24 percent of Republicans. The drop in support, though, has occurred equally among independents and Republicans alike. ... Another result shows rough balance on an emotional scale; 15 percent of Americans are 'enthusiastic' about reform, but 18 percent are 'angry' about it. Some of that anger has boiled over at so-called town hall meetings held by Congress members in recent weeks; given what they've heard, 51 percent of Americans think such protests have been appropriate overall, while 45 percent call them inappropriate" (Langer, 8/21).

http://abcnews.go.com/