Now That The Dust Has Settled On The ACA, People Kind of Like It
The Supreme Court ruling that the Affordable Care Act will not be struck down has managed to bump up the popularity of the legislation.
Americans may have been a little unsure about how they really felt about the Affordable Care Act back when no one was sure if it would actually remain on the books. However, now that the Supreme Court has let the policy stand, it’s already growing in popularity.
The number of registered voters who support the law rose from 43 percent before the decision to 48 percent afterward. Opposition went down to 52 percent from 57 percent.
Perhaps most important for Democrats, the survey showed support among independents jumping 11 percentage points, from 27 percent just before the ruling to 38 percent afterward. Among Republicans, opposition to the law dropped from 86 percent to 81 percent, thought the partisan divide over the law is still stark.
Although progressive pundits have been torn on the whole “does this make John Roberts a good guy now?” question when it comes to the 5-4 ruling, one thing has become clear in the aftermath — the Chief Justice really was the swing vote. According to CBS News, Roberts decided nearly a month ago to buck the conservative wing of the judiciary and side with the more liberal side to uphold the law. Interestingly enough, it was allegedly Justice Kennedy who tried the hardest to talk him out of his decision.