The latest Rasmussen poll shows that opposition to the president’s health care program weakened slightly after his speech. Before, the public opposed the plan by a 53-44 margin; now opposition is at 51-46.
The shift came from a substantial jump in support by Democrats (from 72% to 80%). Opinion among Republicans (-2%) and independents (+1%) was largely unchanged. Unlike CNN’s poll, which showed a large bounce among speech watchers (a predominantly Democratic audience), Rasmussen polled likely voters.
So there’s no game changer here in terms of public opinion, but it may not have been intended that way. As Larry Sabato points out, the speech appears to have been more intended to unify Democrats by attacking Republicans.
UPDATE: Rasmussen does show some continued movement in the president’s favor in the days following the speech.
UPDATE (9/15): The bounce is gone now.
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