Most Americans reject Rep. Ryan’s Medicare proposal, poll finds

A new national poll shows that a majority of Americans oppose Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) proposed Medicare changes. This is welcome news to Democrats who believe Medicare could be their signature campaign issue for 2012.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told ABC News in an interview released Thursday that she believes Democrats "have a very good chance" of winning back their House majority in 2012, and noted that Medicare could prove very helpful in many districts.

Fifty-eight percent of Americans surveyed by CNN/Opinion Research Corporation this week said they are against Ryan's proposal, which would shift Medicare into a subsidized private insurance system. Only 35 percent say they support the plan.

Senior citizens registered the highest disapproval ratings--74 percent--compared with other age demographics. And opposition among all age groups was not limited to the left. Fifty-four percent of conservatives surveyed reject the plan, and rank-and-file Republicans are split, with 50 percent opposed, 48 percent in support of Ryan's proposal.

Those results follow an April poll that found tea partiers disapprove of cuts to Medicare or Medicaid.

Democrats have been arguing that by bringing the hot-button issue of Medicare into the political debate, Republicans have handed their party an easy line of attack for the upcoming campaign cycle.

"I wish we could change minds of Republicans on abolishing Medicare," Pelosi said. "The public is going to have to help us do that either before the election or at the time of the election." The lawmaker noted that Medicare played a role in Democrat Kathy Hochul's recent win in a special House election in a Republican-leaning New York district.

Pelosi rejected the assertion that the Democratic 2012 campaign will focus too much on Ryan. The election "is not about Paul Ryan," she said. "It is about the Republicans in Congress."

(Photo of Ryan: Charles Dharapak/AP)