John Zogby & S. Ward Casscells

Dr. S. Ward Casscells, vice president of external relations and public policy at UTHealth and John Zogby, today's most popular and accurate pollster, recently teamed up to assess the public’s view of health reform legislation following President Obama’s February healthcare summit. In what proves to be a fascinating look at the direction in which healthcare is heading and how our nation is reacting to it, this presentation offers unique insight from an educated voice on health reform and a respected authority on market research.

"The president and Democratic Congressional leaders should not assume that public acceptance of the bill will be rapid. They will need to be magnanimous in victory, patient in their educational campaign, open to revising the law in a bipartisan way, and sparing in their moralizing and smugness, and not rub the salt in Republican wounds. Even more critical is for Republican leaders to adamantly denounce their own lunatic fringe who are throwing rocks through the doors and windows of Democratic officials. They need to say it over and over again."
-S. Ward Casscells

"Clearly, opposition to the bill is greater than support. But I also want to point out that we\'ve asked a different question than a simple approve or disapprove of the bill. Some have asked the question in this way, but we've asked whether people are satisfied or unsatisfied with the bill. In some ways, it's a similar measure, but it is certainly possible to be 'somewhat dissatisfied' and yet still approve of the bill. Obama and the Democrats are not going to get many votes from the 46% who are very dissatisfied with the bill, but they still have room to rebuild the coalitions that elected them in 2008."
-John Zogby