After two months of stumbles, pratfalls and intensely negative media scrutiny, overall public opinion on President Obama’s healthcare law has not changed as much as one might expect, but partisan lines have hardened, judging by recent surveys. …
The opinions of partisans matter in part because they tend to dominate party primaries in most states. Some members of Congress – particularly Democratic senators from Republican-leaning states – have backed the idea of new legislation to try to fix some of the Affordable Care Act’s problems. But the hardening of partisan views on both sides suggests that the compromises necessary to pass any such legislation would be a tough sell, especially in the House in an election year. CONT.
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times