Opponents rally in D.C. against Democratic health care bill in advance of planned Saturday vote

By Bob Keefe

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

WASHINGTON -- In a reprise of September's "tea party" protests in Washington, thousands of mainly conservative opponents filled the lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday in a protest intended as a last-ditch effort to kill lawmakers' plans to vote on a Democratic health care bill Saturday.

Led by U.S. Rep. Tom Price of Roswell, Republican House members led protesters in chants of "No to Obamacare!" and "Kill the bill!"

"I think my health care is expensive, but I like it … and I'm scared to death of the government running it," David Seward said. The 35-year-old Atlanta-area auto mechanic said he took a day off work, got a baby sitter for his four kids and drove to Washington with his wife, Jane, to participate in the rally.

"I'm worried about the bureaucracy of the federal government getting involved," he said.

As the Sewards and other protesters rallied at the Capitol on Thursday, President Barack Obama announced plans to make a rare trip to the U.S. House himself on Friday in a last-minute personal appeal to lawmakers. Thursday, he trumpeted late endorsements from two key groups -- the AARP and the American Medical Association -- which came out in support of his and congressional Democrats' plans.

"We are closer to passing this reform than ever before," Obama said at a White House briefing. "And now that the doctors and medical professionals of America are standing with us, now that the organizations charged with looking out for the interests of seniors are standing with us, we are even closer."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats say they're confident they have the votes to pass a health care bill.

That wasn't the sentiment on the U.S. Capitol lawn on Thursday, however, amid protesters' chants and signs that read "Save Capitalism, Stop Obammunism" and "Give me Liberty, Not Government Death Panels." Protesters broke out into spontaneous booing of Obama, Pelosi and other Democratic leaders.

"Who will kill this bill?" Republican U.S. Rep Paul Broun of Athens shouted to protesters. "You will!"

"Go tell your Congress member that you're not going to eat this rotten, stinking fish that is Pelosi health care," Broun said. "Tell them you're going to put a stop sign in front of this steamroller of socialism."

Republican U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virgina, the House minority whip, vowed that Saturday's planned vote won't get any Republican support.

"Not one Republican will vote for this bill," Cantor said. "And … we're going to try to pick up as many common-sense Democrats as we can."

Price helped organize Thursday's rally through his role as chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee caucus.

In an interview after the rally, he said he wasn't surprised by the AARP's and the AMA's endorsements of Democrats' plans.

"We've got the people on our side," Price said. "The president has the folks that he's bought to support the bill. The American people know this isn't right. You wouldn't see this kind of outpouring if that weren't the case."