Poll: Speech boosts support for reform

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's healthcare speech Wednesday earned a big bump in support for his reform plans, a poll indicated.

Among Americans who watched the address to a joint session of Congress, the percentage favoring his plans rose from 53 percent before the speech to 67 percent after, a national CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll found.

Whether the bump will last remains a big unknown, said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

"Bill Clinton got similar numbers after his 1993 (healthcare) address to Congress, but five months later, a majority of the country no longer supported his plan," Holland said.

CNN said the audience for the speech appeared to be more Democratic than the U.S. population and that may have influenced the results.

Among those polled, 56 percent said they had a "very positive" reaction to the speech, while 21 percent reported a somewhat positive reaction and 21 percent reported a negative reaction.

More than 70 percent said Obama clearly stated his goals, while about 25 percent said he failed to do so.

The telephone poll, based on responses from 427 Americans, was conducted just before and just after the speech. The margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.