Health-care reform could be voted on by the end of the week, and with the final tally still up in the air, the White House is hoping to convince Democrats who originally voted “no” to change their minds. Today, Dennis Kucinich who voted against the House legislation the first time around and says he plans to do so again because he doesn’t think it goes far enough was President Obama’s No. 1 target. Obama wooed Kucinich with a special ride on Air Force One, and pressured him by holding a pro-health-care rally in his district, which had the energy of a campaign stop. During the rally, when a man in the audience screamed out for Kucinich to vote yes, Obama smiled and said, “Did you hear that, Dennis?” Obama also appealed to Kucinich’s conscience in his speech, with a fiery call for all Democrats to show some courage and to “do the right thing.” And if that doesn’t get the job done, the White House is hoping money will: Joe Biden is doing his part today by holding a fund-raiser for another Democratic holdout, Steve Driehaus.
