Univision's lack of political impartiality is already the subject of some controversy, given one of its owner's overt boosterism of Hillary Clinton. Buzzfeed notices that the Spanish language network has also been flogging support for Obamacare over recent months in an effort to persuade Hispanics to sign up for the law (via Ed Morrissey):
For more than a year, the Spanish-language television network Univision has embarked on their own company-wide effort to get Latinos signed up on the exchanges, working through newscasts, special programming, advertising partnerships, and a dedicated health care website. Univision has not only been providing information to their viewers as to how to sign up but openly encouraging them to do so. The network’s “empowerment initiatives” team — which focuses primarily on health and educational programming — began looking for partners to help their audience find coverage last year. Univision ultimately went with the California Endowment and the Ford Foundation, launching in earnest last April.
Is the PR push working? The Libre Initiative passes along a story highlighting several recent data points indicating that despite the hoopla, Latinos aren't impressed with the law:
According to a new University of Texas poll, a majority of Texas Hispanics have an 'unfavorable' view of Obamacare, with an amazing 41% saying their view is 'very unfavorable.' "Supporters of the President's health care law still insist its some great gift fro the nation's Hispanics," said Daniel Garza, who heads the LIBRE Initiative. "They keep telling Latinos to sign up and pay for plans, and make unilateral changes to their own deadlines in attempts to continue selling the law to the public.But Hispanics in Texas, just like other Hispanic communities across the country, have now lost all hope that any fixes or delays will improve this failed program." The Texas numbers are matching figures which are emerging in other states. 57% of Hispanics in Colorado say they also disapproved of Obamacare. Nationally, a recent poll from The Pew Foundation illustrated that Hispanics were split on the law, signaling a sharp drop in support just since late last year.
Katie noted the Associated Press survey showing Obamacare's overall approval "languishing" at 26 percent -- the lowest level of support the polling series have ever measured. (Incidentally, I hereby rescind my previous critique of the poll for not asking about the law), and Fox News is also out with some ugly numbers for the White House:
The same survey shows that fully 65 percent of Americans now expect the "Affordable" Care Act to increase health costs, with just 24 percent still laboring under the savings delusion. Independents disapprove of the law 34/60. Politico writes that these polling outcomes, driven by the law's poor results, are causing supporters to "cringe." The publication also isn't convinced by Democrats' enrollment spin and revisionism. Yesterday the White House announced six million enrollments -- which doesn't factor in unpaid enrollments and doesn't account for how many of the "newly" enrolled had previous coverage. I'll be on Fox News discussing these stats later this afternoon, and will add video as an update once it's available.
UPDATE -