•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

President Barack Obama declared Friday Democrats were on the cusp of history after a century struggling for health reform, amid cresting excitement in Congress ahead of a fateful weekend vote.

After months of setbacks, bitter partisanship and legislative logjam, Obama appeared almost triumphant, rekindling the spirit of change which powered his euphoric 2008 election campaign but was dimmed by the slog of government.

"Right now, we are at the point where we are going to do something historic this weekend," Obama said, two days before a key House of Representatives vote on his sweeping plan to offer health care to 32 million uninsured Americans.

"In just a few days, a century-long struggle will culminate in an historic vote," Obama said, as 8,500 supporters chanted his campaign theme "Yes We Can" in a sports arena in northern Virginia.

On Capitol Hill, Democratic leaders kept up the pressure on wavering Democrats, seeking to piece together the magic majority figure of 216 in the vote on the comprehensive health reform package expected on Sunday.

"I'm very excited about the momentum that is developing around the bill," said Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House.

Pelosi however stopped short of saying she had the votes in hand to pass the measure, after a dramatic week of arm-twisting and head counts.

"When we bring the bill to the floor, we will have a significant victory for the American people," Pelosi told reporters.

Republicans have mounted a fierce campaign of obstruction designed to stop the bill, which they say would hike taxes and amounts to a massive government takeover of the mostly-private health care industry.

"It's clear that now is the crunch time. It's pretty clear that the vote is pretty tight," said Republican House minority leader John Boehner.

The health care bill would amount to the most significant social reform legislation in 40 years, and is seen as crucial to establishing Obama's political authority, and to defining his eventual presidential legacy.

It would bring coverage to 32 million people who currently lack insurance, bringing America closer than ever before -- 95 percent -- to universal health coverage.

If the House passes the bill on Sunday, Obama would then sign it into law.

The Senate is then expected to vote on a House-passed package of fixes to the bill which would amend that law and make it palatable to House members.

The president was in a fiery mood, warning that failure to pass the bill at the 11th hour would reward insurance firms that had "run amok" at the expense of everyday Americans.

"Do not quit, do not give up, we keep on going, we are going to get this done, we are going to make history, we are going to fix health care in America!" he declared, at the end of a rousing speech.

He chose to hold likely the final rally of his health reform push at George Mason University, friendly territory, in an arena packed with students, where he held one of his first presidential campaign events back in 2007.

A lone dissenter in the crowd, a woman, screamed out an inaudible protest and was hustled out by a security guard.

In his speech, Obama also hit out at the media storm around the health care issue, branding Washington reporters as "rock-em, sock-em robots," obsessed with political ups and downs and not the plight of Americans without health insurance.

"Will his presidency be crippled, or will he be the comeback kid? -- that's what they like to talk about," he said, paraphrasing the media buzz.

The legislation also aims to end abusive insurance company practices and curb soaring health care costs that already run double those of other rich countries.

The bill would create new insurance marketplaces starting in 2014 and require most Americans to carry insurance, while offering subsidies to many.

Some of its most popular measures include bans on insurers denying coverage because of pre-existing illnesses, imposing lifetime caps on coverage or dropping people from coverage when they get sick.

AFP