I’ve already written about the Left’s Obamacare media spin, in which they claim that striking down any part of the reform would do great damage to the Supreme Court’s public image and perceived credibility. The latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll, conducted after the Obamacare oral arguments last month, adds to the public opinion polling that has consistently challenged this dubious talking point. The following findings are especially revealing: 

• More people have confidence in the Court after the Obamacare oral arguments.  The number of people who have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the Court has increased from 23 percent in March to 31 percent in April, mostly driven by the increase in approval among both independents, from 21 percent to 29 percent, and Republicans, from 24 percent to 43 percent.
•  After the oral arguments, more people believe that the Court’s Obamacare decision will be driven by the analysis and interpretation of the law, not politics.  Prior to the oral arguments, only 19 percent of Americans thought that the most important role in the Justices’ decision would be “[t]he justices’ analysis and interpretation of the law.” Now, a full 39 percent of Americans think so, although “the change was primarily driven by Republicans,” who presumably previously worried the Court would uphold the reform for political rather than constitutional reasons.
• Obamacare’s approval ratings are underwater.  Only 42 percent of people have a favorable opinion of the reform, while 43 percent have an unfavorable rating. Although 70 percent of Democrats have a favorable opinion of Obamacare, this holds true for only 39 percent of Independents and 7 percent of Republicans.
• The intensity of support for Obamacare greatly tilts against the reform.  An incredible number of Republicans, 67 percent, are “very unfavorable” toward the reform, while only 39 percent of Democrats are “very favorable” toward the law. As I have pointed out before, this tepid support for Obamacare is quite remarkable, especially for a reform that has eluded Democrat presidents for decades, and could be hailed the Obama administration’s crowning domestic “achievement.”

The poll of 1210 adults had a margin of error of 3 percent, and was conducted from April 4 to 10.