Obama Tells Congress to Have 'Courage,' Leans on Kucinich to Vote Yes

At a campaign-style event in Strongsville, Ohio, on Monday to press the need to overhaul the health care system, President Obama implored members of Congress to think less about the legislative process and polls surrounding the contentious debate and more about the individual American lives he said would be saved by passing the legislation.

"We hear a lot of people in Washington talking about politics, talking about what this means in November, talking about the poll numbers for Democrats," Obama told the enthusiastic crowd at the town-hall-style meeting. "We need courage, that's what we need. That's why I came here today. We need courage."

As the event began, Obama also used a remark shouted by an audience member to press Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the Ohio Democrat, to change his vote on health care reform from a no to a yes. Kucinich voted against the House bill last November because he said at the time it was not progressive enough.

As the president introduced the congressman to the audience, a voice in the crowd yelled, "Vote yes!"

"Did you hear that, Dennis? Go ahead, say that again," Obama said over the loudspeaker.

"Vote yes!" the voice yelled again.

Later in his speech, Obama singled Kucinich out again. "I was talking to Dennis Kucinich on the way over here about this. I said, you know what? It's been such a long time since we made government on the side of ordinary working folks."

Asked after the event if he will support the health care bill this week, the congressman would not comment specifically on his position, but said of the president, "I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say."