OPINION

Obama's "Change"

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

Likely it is not the "change" that Barack Obama envisioned. But, his administration's actions and policies have certainly caused a shift in attitudes among the American people. Witness the following two graphics.

The first is Gallup's latest tracking results on the federal government's appropriate role in healthcare. People overwhelmingly believed government had "responsibility" for healthcare coverage for all Americans for years, with support exceeding a 2-to-1 margin when the Democrats gained control of Congress in 2006 and the 2008 Presidential primaries took shape.

Obama and the Democrats used these results to help sell his legacy legislation. But, as the theoretical began to take shape in 2009-2010, public opinion became almost evenly divided. Today, as the reality of ObamaCare settles in, a complete reversal has occurred with 56 percent believing healthcare coverage is not the government's business.

Source: Gallup

Not surprisingly, the change in people's opinion of the job performance of the president and his singular legacy piece of legislation correlates to the Gallup findings. The newest Washington Post-ABC News poll indicates Obama's approval ratings are at the lowest point thus far in his presidency. Further, while ObamaCare has never enjoyed a majority support, now that the roll out has begun – and gone so very badly – opposition has exploded to a 57:40 margin.

Source: Washington Post