Poll: Obama Sinks Below 50% on Health Care

President Obama’s approval rating on health care has dropped from 57% in April to below half for the first time, as resistance heats up, even among Democrats, to the reform bill working its way through Congress, a Washington Post-ABC News poll finds. Some 49% approve and 44% (up from 29%) disapprove of Obama’s handling of health care, and while 44% of independents approve, 49% don’t. At 59%, his overall approval rating beats his issue-by-issue numbers, but is below 60% for the first time.

Approval of Obama’s handling of the deficit has fallen to 43%, with about 55% nationwide saying keeping the deficit down is more important than spending to fight the recession. Some 52% of Americans approve of the president’s handling of the economy as a whole.
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