Obamacare is unpopular in nine swing states, but not when the law is described without that label

Party labels affect what rural voters think about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to the latest National Rural Assembly and Center for Rural Strategies poll of rural voters in nine swing states in the presidential election, reports Bill Bishop of the Daily Yonder, which the center publishes.

When asked if they approved or disapproved of the “Affordable Care Act, sometimes called Obamacare,” 60 percent of rural voters said they opposed the law, and 34 percent said they favored it. Without reference to “Obamacare,” voters were asked if they approved or disapproved of the law, which “would give states the opportunity to extend Medicaid coverage to cover more low income families with health insurance, with the federal government picking up 90 percent of the costs,” and 45 percent said they approved, while 42 percent disapproved.

Bishop concludes that partisanship is the culprit for such results. “Partisanship overwhelms issues in today’s politics,” he writes. “Voters are willing to change their beliefs — even their religious affiliation … in order to stay with their political tribe.” (Read more)