Even while facing steepening criticism—an open fire-practice for progressives as well as conservatives—a majority of Americans believes that President Barack Obama has lobbied effectively for health care reform, a new Zogby/Scoop44 poll shows.

Young Americans, in particular, said that the administration was waging a formidable online campaign to win the hearts and minds of Americans.

Steve Ross, a former Michigan-based Obama for America staffer, said the administration has proactively articulated its case for reform via online townhalls and frequent use of new media / social networking like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to disseminate their positions, ones that are still unclear to many Americans.

Ross added that Obama has effectively “confront[ed] the malicious lies being spread by opponents of reform” on its ‘Reality Check’ Website.

More than half of eighteen to twenty-four year olds (55.9%) said Obama was effectively courting those undecided about health care reform, while just over a quarter (25.4%) disagreed. In the 35-54 demographic, the spread was more even among those polled — 44.2% said yes, while nearly 33% disagreed.

Sally Satel, a practicing psychiatrist, identified the pattern as “say[ing] more about the extent to which age cohorts rely on the Internet for their news.”

Satel is a resident fellow specializing in medical research at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right, D.C.-based think-tank.

“The 18-24 demographic may be most impressed [with Obama's health plan] but are the least likely to engage their congressmen, so the relatively high rating from them is unlikely to pay off in terms of efforts to lobby Congress on health reform.”

Acknowledging the centrality of young people in the health care debate, Joseph Antos, an AEI fellow in retirement policy, said, “There is no doubt that the Internet generation will be in charge the next time we tackle health reform.”

In other words, President Obama must lay the groundwork for future overhauls devised and implemented by Generataion Y.

Eugene Resnick, a special youth writer for Newsweek magazine, said Obama has been successful in lobbying for reform — specifically in the online sphere.

He added, however, “They could do more. I just think health care is not a topic that drives many young people who are the bulk of online organizing, so it’s a challenge.”

Resnick also said that could further bolster and utilize their Organizing for America structure evolved from the presidential campaign.

Sebastian Caliri, a Yale sophomore and molecular biology major, disagrees that Obama, in the final analysis, has won the message war.

“All you need to do is look at his declining approval ratings to know that he has been ineffective.”

Caliri, a prize-winning researcher of both Harvard and Yale Medical Schools, added that the White House is still clouding the big picture.

“Reform needs to based on somehow mandating more preventative medicine and adjusting the incentive system for physicians so that it’s based on the quality of care rather than the price of treatments.”

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