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Nov 12 2009, 6:59 am by Marc Ambinder

Down Goes Ohio, Down Goes Ohio

Well-conducted Ohio polls are catnip for political analysts. So here goes: a new Quinnipiac poll of the state gives President Obama his lowest job approval rating there since the beginning of his presidency, with only 45% of voters saying he's doing a good job.  At the same time, the Republican candidate for retiring Sen. George Voinovich's seat, ex-Bush administration official/ex-Rep. Rob Portman, has small leads over both his potential Democratic opponents.  The economy and the health care debate seem to be driving Ohio's voters back into the purple -- if not the red. 57% disapprove of the way Obama has handled health care reform. Self-identified independents disapprove of Obama's health care handling by nearly two-to-one.

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Comments (9)

Deborah

Did anyone ask why they disapprove? There's a big difference between disapproval because health care reform is too little too slow, and disapproval because health care reform is socialist communist nazism.

Plotco

Did anyone ask why they disapprove? There's a big difference between disapproval because health care reform is a little too slow, and disapproval because of brainwashing by Fox News etc. and ignorance about human nature and how the world works.

KTL (Replying to: Plotco)

You're losing track of all your sock puppets, Deborah.

Josh

Ummm, who cares? These "independents" are former republicans who are too ashamed to call themselves republicans after bush. So what?

People who get their "news" from Fox will disapprove. But when it comes down to it on election day, be it 2010 or 2012, most will remember which party is responsible for the mess we are in. You can't fix 8 years of incompetence in 10 months - then he really would be 'the one'.

Remember, the majority of Americans voted for bush not once but twice - they aren't the sharpest tools in the shed.

kkjamess

Maybe they disapprove because the current House bill is the pet project of smug, condescending liberals who think people with genuine concerns are simply too dumb or heartless to understand. A little less of the pure ideology kool aid, and bit more respect for the views of others, would probably help support.

Shine (Replying to: kkjamess)

Genuine concerns? I've read or or two from places like Cato, but all I tend to hear is either a.) health care for the working poor will lead the nation down to Communist Nazism, or 2.) because health care is the product "smug, liberal elites." Either way, 95% of health care citicism that is aired publically tends to be framed in culture-war BS.

And for Ohio? Meh. A large but shrinking state full of old people. After 2010, it will lose one or two more electoral votes.

Rhayader (Replying to: Shine)

Come on now, there is plenty of rational, thoughtful discussion going on about whether or not this is the best way to address the problems with our health care system. The clear-headed aren't screaming as loudly as the loonies -- and they never do -- but they are just as numerous and participatory.

We have the pro-Obamacare folks being called Marxists, and the those who question its direction being called reactionary wingnuts. Neither assertion is accurate, and neither does a thing to move the debate in a positive direction.

mk3872

What exactly does "the way Obama has handled health care reform" even mean ?? That is such a ridiculous question.

After HCR passes, poll this question in Ohio in 2010:

"Do you approve of 95% of Americans having access to affordable healthcare?"

dboh

It's more than the economy and health care that's aggravating the political situation in Ohio. There's still no progress after more than 6 years of trying to figure out how to fund education. The Democratic governor (Ted Strickland) seems to have totally lost his vision for the state, and has made some very bad choices as he tries to position himself for reelection.

The Republicans are no better; their candidate for governor (Kascich) talks about abolishing the income tax altogether, and their Senatorial candidate (Portman) just wants things to go back to the way they were. With a budget gap of something like 3 billion dollars, all the Republicans can bring themselves to say is that it's the governor's problem, not theirs.

Meanwhile, only 9 bills have been passed in the Legislature all year. With the Republicans controlling one house, and the Democrats the other, I think people here are fed up with both parties.