President Obama support and protest

GREEN BAY - The President's upcoming arrival in Green Bay is creating a buzz, and that's just what the White House is hoping to do regarding its town hall topic of reforming health care.

"We're very honored to have the President come to Northeast Wisconsin to listen to our stories to listen to the needs of our patients," said Congressman Steve Kagen, (D) Appleton.

"If we do nothing everyone's health care will be in jeopardy," said President Obama through his most recent video address on YouTube.

Supporters have also organized gatherings around the country focusing on health care reform. It is all part of President Obama's push to get average Americans involved in urging legislative change this year. Something that didn't happen 15 years ago under the Clinton administration.

"When President Clinton was in office it was a closed door meeting, here as you can see today the doors are open if you have a concern bring it in," said Kagen, at a local listening session of health professionals earlier in the week.

The President's stop here at Southwest High School is just the first of a series of town hall meetings planned on health care reform to take part around the country. Thousands of other grass roots gatherings without the president are also in the works.

"We're priming the pumps, we'll make more explicit calls for people to call Congress as we near key votes," said Dan Grandone,
Wisconsin's state director for the democrat's Organizing For America program.

"The current healthcare system is broken and you’re in denial if you would disagree with that position," said conservative talk show host Jerry Bader, who acknowledges the current health care system isn't working. But on his WTAQ show he criticizes the Obama plan to add government-run health care into the mix. And he's organizing a demonstration during the president's visit.

"Letting the government run it is not the answer," said Bader.

Bader has had more than 4,000 hits on his Web site set up just this week in advance of the President's visit. He hopes his group's presence outside Southwest High School with signs will send its own message and weigh in on the health care debate.

The President says all views are encouraged in the discussion, since his push to lower health care costs and improve quality will affect all Americans.