Little noticed today — why spoil a good “health care is in trouble” narrative? — is the new Washington Post poll that shows the President’s renewed push for reform is paying off in the “purple” state of Virginia.
The poll was primarily about the governor’s race, and the headline is about how the Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds has closed a large cap with the Republican frontrunner. But the end of piece reports:
Deeds also benefits from improved ratings for Obama and the Democratic initiative to overhaul health care. Overall, 53 percent of Virginia’s likely voters approve of the job the president is doing, up from 47 percent in August. A month ago, most saw government action on health care as doing more harm than good; now, a slim majority sees it as essential to controlling costs and expanding coverage.
Questions removed from the actual policy planks of the legislation — such as about “The President’s handling of health care” and how an undefined health care bill would work — have generally yielded worse numbers that question about policy specifics like the public option. That’s thanks to the fear and smear tactics which have clouded the debate.
President Obama appears to be successfully blowing through that smoke of misinformation. Once the facts are made clear, the poll numbers turn around.
And in a state where Blue Dog Democrats should take notice.
