In between chiding Republicans last week and prodding Democrats this week, President Obama used a Town Hall forum to continue his effort to revive support for health care reform. The Town Hall talk took place in Nashua, NH on Tuesday. The President began by stating about reform: "I do not quit. We are going to get that done. We've got to get it done. We have to get it done."

Obama then reiterated what he found unsatisfactory with the current system, including costs and the lack of coverage for families and small businesses. "I am not going to walk away from these efforts. I will not walk away from these people, and Congress shouldn't either," he said. "We should keep working to get it done -- Democrats and Republicans together, let's get it done this year."

Obama recounted how opponents had harassed him during his push for reform. "I'm a glutton for punishment," he ironically joked. He then said that if anyone has a better idea, "Bring it on. But what I will not do is to stop working on this issue -- because it is the right thing to do for America and you need to let your members of Congress know they shouldn't give up, they should keep on pushing to make it happen."

Finally, in discussing transparency in the health care reform process, the President acknowledged that the Congressional work on synthesizing the House and Senate bills should have been broadcast on C-SPAN. He said that he had concerns that the persons involved might be posturing more for the camera rather than saying what they think. However, he said that when both sides put forward what they wanted on health care legislation, "I very much want that on C-SPAN, and I want everybody here to watch....Because I think it will be a good educational process for people to weigh the arguments about the relative merits of the bill instead of listening to millions of dollars' worth of insurance industry ads that have been put out there or whatever pundit on the left or the right is saying about these different issues."

Read the details:
The President's remarks: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-town-hall-meeting-nashua-new-hampshire

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