With the failure of healthcare reform, I predict that this President will see his approval rating fall into the high thirties by mid February. The main driver of his plunge will likely be independent voters, who will see the President as incompetent and unable to lead. Democratic voters will see the same thing, but their approval of the President wont fall as much.
It looks as if the plunge may have already started. For the first time in the gallup tracking poll, Barack Obama's approval and dissapproval ratings are now equal, at 47% each. http://www.dailykos.com/...
How does this President turn this around. The only thing I can think of him going to the House and forcing them to vote for the Senate bill. First you get the votes of the retiring Democrats locked up(about seven votes) who have no excuse to vote against anything. Then you hit the progressives with a baseball bat, telling them that they must vote for the bill or suffer serious consequences as a party. You get every Democrat who is reting or from a safe district to vote for this. That is about 205 Democrats right there, just 13 short of a majority.
If this President doesnt show some force and leadership and do this, he is about to become so unpopular that he will be unable to even show his face on TV without the Secret Service there to protect him. It is his choice. He can be a forceful leader, or he can be one of the most unpopular Presidents in history.
If this President doesnt make the right choice and lead, I think we should start a "Draft Howard Dean" campaign for 2012. Maybe then he will remember who elected him.