Obama now losing a key constituency: younger voters
Younger voters were a key to Barack Obama's successful presidential elections. But now polls show he's losing those 'millennials,' and Obamacare seems to be a major reason why.
President Obama pauses as he speaks about the new health care law during a White House Youth Summit. Recent polls show Obama losing the support of younger voters.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
As 2013 slouches toward 2014, the political numbers for President Obama just keep getting worse. And 鈥� you guessed it 鈥� much of that has to do with the Affordable Care Act known as 鈥淥bamacare.鈥�
A new AP-GfK poll shows major doubts about Obama鈥檚 signature legislative achievement. Most troubling for the administration, that鈥檚 not just among those needing to sign up for new coverage through the website.
Perhaps more politically significant, Americans who will continue to get healthcare coverage through their employers blame Obama's healthcare overhaul for their rising premiums and deductibles, according to this poll.
Among the findings: 69 percent say their premiums will be going up, 59 percent say annual deductibles or copayments are increasing, just 21 percent said their plan is expanding to cover more types of medical care, 14 percent said coverage for spouses is being restricted or eliminated, and 11 percent said their plan is being discontinued.
"Rightly or wrongly, people with private insurance looking at next year are really worried about what is going to happen," Robert Blendon, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health who tracks public opinion on health care issues, told the Associated Press. "The website is not the whole story."
Meanwhile, a portion of the US population critical to success of the ACA 鈥� the millennial generation (those 18-29) 鈥� is no longer as enthusiastic about Obama as it was when he won re-election last year. Far from it, in fact.
According to a year-end USA TODAY/Pew Research Center Poll, millennials now split evenly on Obama鈥檚 job performance. Just 45 percent view him favorably here (46 percent unfavorably), far less than the 67 percent job approval rating among this age group that he enjoyed at the beginning of the year.
In the poll, just 41 percent of millennials approve of Obamacare, while 54 percent disapprove. That鈥檚 virtually the same as overall public opinion on the administration鈥檚 health care policy (40-55 percent).
As USA TODAY reports Sunday, 鈥淜ey to making the Affordable Care Act a success is enrolling plenty of young, healthy people whose participation will offset some higher risk and older uninsured Americans who are expected to flock to the exchanges.鈥�
Other recent polls show the same significant slippage in support for Obama among younger voters.
鈥⒙燗聽Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll last week shows a plurality (49-45 percent) disapproving of Obama鈥檚 job performance.
鈥� The approval rating split in a Harvard Institute of Politics poll is not in Obama鈥檚 favor. A 54-41 percent majority disapprove.
鈥� A Quinnipiac University poll shows most 18-29 year-olds (49-41 percent) disapproving of Obama鈥檚 performance.
It may be no wonder then that the Washington Post names Obama as having 鈥渢he Worst Year in Washington.鈥�
That鈥檚 the conclusion of politics blogger Chris Cillizza, who keeps track of those having 鈥渢he Worst Week in Washington鈥� throughout the year.
鈥淲inning the Worst Week in Washington is one thing,鈥� he writes in a weekend . 鈥淭o win the Worst聽驰别补谤听in Washington, you need to be very good at being very bad, or have really bad luck.鈥�
鈥淲hen historians write the story of Barack Obama鈥檚 presidency, 2013 will be his lost year,鈥� Cillizza writes. 鈥淚t opened with great promise and closed with equally great disappointment. In a year that could have been about building his legacy, the president was instead reduced to salvaging the signature accomplishment of his first term.鈥�
鈥淵es, the economy is showing signs of improving. And yes, enrollment on HealthCare.gov is soaring compared with the first few weeks. Those facts provide hope for those who believe that 2014 will be better for Obama,鈥� he writes. 鈥淏ut 2013 is almost gone and with it the president鈥檚 best chance for a lasting legacy. The damage done to Obama鈥檚 brand will linger well beyond this calendar year. There are no second chances in presidential tenures. Barack Obama, for wasting a year torpedoing your legacy, you had the worst year in Washington. Congrats, or something.鈥�
By contrast, Secretary of State John Kerry is noted as having a 鈥済ood year,鈥� and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is awarded the 鈥渂est year.鈥�