March 15, 2010 3:27 PM

Obama Seeks "Courage" from Dennis Kucinich, Other Dems

By
Stephanie Condon
Topics
Health Care
Obama Kucinich (Credit: AP)

At a health care rally in Strongsville, Ohio, today, President Obama was not the only one urging Congress to pass his health care reform package.

"Vote yes!" a man in the audience yelled.

"Did you hear that, Dennis?" Mr. Obama asked, urging the man to repeat himself.

"Vote yes!" the man yelled again.

Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich is withholding support for the president's health care reform proposal because it is not liberal enough. Kucinich voted against the House health care bill last year.

The president today told Kucinich's constituents that he personally spoke with the congressman this morning about the need to pass the bill.

Confused about health care reform? Email us your questions and CBS News will try to answer them in the days ahead.

"I said, you know, it's been such a long time since we made government on the side of ordinary working folks, that we did something for them," Mr. Obama recalled. "What they're looking for is some courage. They're waiting for us to act."

The fate of Mr. Obama's health care reform package currently sits in the hands of a few undecided House Democrats. Each has some specific reason for withholding their vote, as USA Today outlines in a look at six undecided Democrats.

The president and other Democratic leaders are giving those congressmen and their issues special attention. For instance, Mr. Obama earlier this month had a one-on-one meeting with undecided House Democrat Scott Murphy of New York, Greg Sargent of the Washington Post's Plum Line blog reports. The president reportedly asked Murphy, who voted against the House health care bill last year, what he needed in the health care package in order to support it.

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With just days before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to put the package up for a vote, however, not all of the White House's lobbying efforts seem to be working.

Mr. Obama met with Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Thursday to discuss their concerns with the bill's immigration provisions.

"Am I going to vote for the proposal as it is currently formulated? No," Gutierrez told Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times on Friday.


Add a Comment See all 15 Comments
by HenryMassingale August 8, 2010 5:38 PM EDT
I am sorry President Obama, but when school children show me such things, I waite to see what you will do in the name of Health Care Reform.
Henry......
Reply to this comment
by HenryMassingale August 8, 2010 5:33 PM EDT
Dear President Obama,
You seek people to support this Health Care Bill and to become as one with you, you Sir, need to become as one with the People.
I did give you warning I have this Little Health Care Bug In My Hands, and this is true, because of the Feredal Act Security Card I built and it is merged it to this Matrix of the internet and it now acts as a anti virus. This card is also merged into the Health Care Reform.
Other Health Care concepts approved by Officials of Government have
left 100,000 Americans dead, because of a dollar and the promise to get it right the next time. Oh Im sorry you all didnt know....
I intend to unite the 52 States in a Constitutional Lawsuit, so web search catch / 52 states filed lawsuits against the pharmaceutical company Purdue.
It is a conflict of the Three Laws of Country to put people in jail for dealing drugs and at the same time under a concept of health care,and because of big company dollars sell the same drug. Now this health care concepts has killed over 100,000 Americans, information by the FDA and also it should be noted that the FDA aproved these drugs. Oh ! you all dont know about the Three Laws Of Country....
Yes, this is a Country of many different faith in God, and one must understand and admire the Trinity of Protection Of Laws, The Decoration Of Independence, The Constitution Of the United States, and The Bill of Rights, used in their original forum, and at the same time they maintain there independence. This is because these Laws were written by Men and Women of faith.
Sometime I just dont understand Obama........................
These Laws are for people to Govern themselves by and most important, these Laws orders Government Officials to Obey the Laws while in Office. And when you mess with these Laws, this is what you get.....

pharmaceutical company purdue linked to 9/11

Now we are at war because of these issues,
The most power-full Drug Empire in the World has opened War against the United States Of America, and do you wish to know why ?, then welcome to the Matrix, follow the information, then copy and paste into web search. You will see a true story start to unfold...
web search this / International Boycott Of The Arabic Drug Empire Phase 2 /

So join Us International Boycott Of The Arabic Drug Empire Phase 2
Henry Massingale / FASC Concepts in and for Pay It Forward covers the web post on google Drop by and see why we built a anti crime / war form in a Health Care Reform Concept. To strategically Rebuild America www.fascmovement.mysite.com on google look for page 1 american dream official site
Reply to this comment
by MsStitches March 18, 2010 1:09 PM EDT
I wish everyone would stop referring to this coverage as "HEALTH CARE" Has nothing to do with HEALTH but all to do with SICKNESS and keeping you that way. SICK!! How about educating the people, informing them that what they put in that hole in their face causes the majority of disease! And another thing, STOP insisting one party is worse then the other. The Dem. & Rep. are of the same breed, the same party. Neither one really cares about us peons. It's all about POWER!
Reply to this comment
by john_bunkl March 17, 2010 9:58 PM EDT
Thank god there is Dennis saying inconvenient truths about the current health care plan...more conservative according to pundits than Nixon?s!

First of all universal health care with some sort of robust public option is available in EVERY developed country in the world ?it is far cheaper and the outcomes are far better for 99% of the population. Second, it is considered a human right...like the right to life liberty and happiness, the 40 hour work week, the abolition of child labour, etc...and the right drive, send children to school, be protected by a publicly funded police and fire departments, take out books from public library and ride on publicly funded roads.

Third...all these are socialist initiatives...though the socialist ideal of social control of the economy and social justice...have never been attained ?USSR (the union of democratic socialist republic) style communism was no closer to a socialist state than a democratic state.
Reply to this comment
by cmnsns March 16, 2010 9:21 PM EDT
Regulating and rationalizing healthcare is not socialism. It is sensible policy that will greatly aid job creation in the private sector where too many of us are forced to make dumb, non-productive decisions due to the over-whelming cost of healthcare after several years of double digit increases to our premiums and drops in what those premiums cover. We already have SOCIALIZED healthcare -- our premiums are subsidizing those on Government plans (MEDICARE, MEDICAID, etc.), those who work for the government or government contractors and the uninsured. But it is dumb, unbalanced socialism that is killing the goose (we in the true private sector) that is laying your (those of you who have good healthcare courtesy of the government) golden egg.
This bill is a compromise between the left's single payer and the right's no-regulation, driven-by-profit models. It is in fact, not a bad plan. And
Reply to this comment
by creativity11 March 16, 2010 11:02 AM EDT
BEFORE YOU CALL THE PRESIDENT STUPID LEARN HOW TO SPELL!!!!!! PRESIDENT OBAMA IS MUCH SMARTER THAN YOU OR BUSHY EVER WAS!!!!! SO GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND GET YOUR G.E.D.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply to this comment
by johngermaine March 16, 2010 9:33 AM EDT
Is there some reason when someone says no his comment does not show up on this blog?
Reply to this comment
by johngermaine March 16, 2010 9:32 AM EDT
Not only is this president dangerous he is simply stupid. Yesterday during his speak to a group of 200 supporters he met with after his motorcade passed thousands of non-supporters he makes a statement that must go down in history: "IT IS TIME PEOPLE STOP LISTENING TO THE POLLS AND VOTE FOR HEALTH CARE ANYWAY."

What do you think MSNBC and CBS?
Reply to this comment
by earlysaid March 15, 2010 5:55 PM EDT
Where are the comments that I want posted?
Reply to this comment
by earlysaid March 15, 2010 5:53 PM EDT
Republicans are obstructive and are working hand in hand with corporate lobbyists to fight health care reform. Who will suffer without health care reform. Only the people living in this country who are not rich, are not working for a big company that furnishes health care, and those who do not have health care insurance. Also everyone who has an individual policy will continue to struggle to pay for increasing health care insurance rates and benefits that will be reduced. Everyone will be affected by the relentlessly increasing health care costs, but republicans just do not care about that. Thet are working for the elite voter and the dumbed down voter.
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