Marylanders support Obama, health care overhaul, but sharp partisan divide
Maryland Democrats and independents strongly support President Barack Obama and his health care overhaul plan, but Republicans give him low marks, a new poll shows.
Among Democrats, 75 percent approve of the way Obama is handling the job, with 12 percent disapproving. Independents say they approve of Obama by a 57 percent-38 percent margin, while 29 percent of Republicans say he is doing a good job, and 61 percent disapprove.
African-Americans are particularly strong backers of the president: 83 percent say Obama is doing a good job, compared to 50 percent of white voters, according to a survey by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies.
On the health care debate, 46 percent of Marylanders overall approve the president's handling of the issue, while 42 percent disapprove. But among Democrats, 62 percent voice their approval. Fewer than one in five Republicans say the president is handling health care properly.
Opinion was closely divided on the merit of a public health insurance option. Overall, 43 percent of Marylanders surveyed said it was a good idea, with 40 percent opposed. Seventeen percent had no opinion.
But once again, partisan differences were evident. Nearly six in 10 Democrats support a public option, while on 17 percent of Republicans do.
Among independent voters, 41 percent back a public option, and 51 percent oppose it.
Forty-eight percent of Marylanders said the country needed a "great deal" of reform in health care, while 41 percent said a "moderate amount" was needed. Only 7 percent said not much or none at all.
Gonzales also surveyed how Marylanders think of the swine flu threat. Thirteen percent said they were very concerned that they or someone in their family would catch it this year; 33 percent said they were somewhat concerned; and 53 percent are either "not that concerned" or "not at all concerned."
The survey was conducted by telephone between Sept. 8 and Sept. 17. With 833 respondents, it has a 3.5 percentage point margin of error.
