As Americans are learning about reform Congress passed on Sunday night, more have signed on to the historic legislation according to a CBS poll released yesterday.
On Monday and Tuesday, CBS re-surveyed 649 people it had previously asked about the reform bill in the days before it passed and signed into law. And though most still said they were opposed to the bill, support for the reform package climbed five points as did support for the man most think are responsible for the bill's passage, President Obama.
Before the bill passed the House, the CBS poll found that 48% disapproved of Obama's reforms, while just 37% said they supported it. After Sunday's vote, some of the same respondents offered a very different take, with 46% saying they disapproved of the legislation and 42% saying they supported it.
For Obama, the boost was even bigger. Just 41% of those surveyed by CBS in the days leading up to the vote approved of the job the president has done on reform, and 51% said they disapproved. On Monday and Tuesday, the numbers had shifted in Obama's favor, with 47% saying they approved of the job he's done on reform, and 48% saying they disapproved.
Most now say that passing the bill was a "major accomplishment" for Obama, while less than half said the same thing before the bill was passed in the House.
Politically, the poll suggests everything is coming up roses for Obama and the Democrats after the passage of reform. CBS reports that half of independents now view reform as a "major accomplishment" for Obama, which suggests he and the Democrats have a shot at winning over those voters with talk of reform in November.
"It may take more time before Americans decide whether or not these reforms are advantageous to them personally," CBS' Polling Unit writes in its analysis of the numbers, "but the percentage that now say they don't think the bill will affect them has grown."
