Obamacare Officially More Popular Than President Obama

Obamacare is now officially more popular than its namesake.

According to an NPR poll released Thursday, President Barack Obama’s signature piece of legislation, the Affordable Care Act, polls higher with American voters than the president himself. Pollsters found 47 percent of Americans support the ACA, while 51 percent disapprove of it. By contrast, only 46 percent of Americans approve of Obama, while 51 percent disapprove.

Breaking down the numbers even further, 7 percent of respondents oppose the Affordable Care Act because it doesn’t go far enough, a sign that some liberal-leaning voters would back an even more ambitious attempt at health care reform. Still, the vast majority of those who oppose the Affordable Care Act – 44 percent of all respondents – say that the law goes too far.

While a slight majority of Americans are still opposed to the Affordable Care Act, NPR pollster Stan Greenberg says the numbers show that it’s not a failed piece of legislation as many Republicans would suggest.

"The conventional wisdom that it's an unpopular program that hangs around the necks of Democrats is absolutely a misreading of the poll data," Greenberg said.

As for Obama’s lower poll numbers, Greenberg said that they may not be the greatest, but they’re improving. Last month, Obama polled at his lowest ever point, 34 percent, in a Fox News poll.

"The president's approval number of 46 percent is not a bad number, and if in fact it continues to edge up, you're not talking about the same kind of numbers when you had 39 percent or 42 percent approval. So the trend of all of those stuff is moving slowly," Greenberg continued. "And I think this turning point of the Affordable Care Act will have an impact on his performance and also the energy of Democrats."