After a difficult summer for Democrats, which saw President Obama’s approval ratings return to earth and support for his signature health care reform falter, a new Democracy Corps survey conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, after the president’s joint-session address, shows Obama and his party’s position rebounding in a small but significant way.
As Obama and Democrats’ standing improves and stabilizes, the Republican brand remains severely tarnished and their party has lost ground on key measures over the last few weeks. Democrats’ rebound, coupled with the stagnant and unimpressive standing of the Republican brand, has left an overall political landscape that still strongly favors the Democratic Party, even after what many pundits have proclaimed as the best month for Republicans in a long time. Democrats retain their lead on the named 2010 Congressional ballot and enjoy growing advantages on who voters trust to handle health care and the economy. The president’s joint-session address also resulted in a small but real boost in support for his health care reform proposal, with support now back to statistical parity against the opposition in an uniformed test and rising to a 51 percent majority favoring (versus 43 percent opposition) after voters hear a description of the plan including how it will be paid for. This analysis is based on a national survey of 1,200 2008 voters (1,011 reached via landline, 189 reached via cell phone), including 1,044 likely 2010 voters, conducted September 12-16, 2009.
