Faith Groups Rally Behind Obama on Health Reform

Steve King, Louie Gohmert not far behind among fringe congressmen

(NEWSER) - A week after releasing its Senate Wingnut Index , the Daily Beast investigates wingnuttery in the House. Using a “semi-scientific” process to identify the most extreme members on both sides of the spectrum, the site ranks them:

1. Michele Bachmann (R-MN): From calling the president “anti-American” to warning of tyranny, “Bachmann has become a symbol of all things Wingnutty in American politics.”

President takes more hands-on approach to legislation

(NEWSER) - President Obama is growing more assertive on Capitol Hill. Since he took office, the president's supporters have criticized him for not exerting enough control over the details of legislation, instead letting Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi hammer out specifics—even on major administration goals, like the health care bill. On legislation this week concerning the Gulf oil spill and financial regulation, Obama has switched to a prescriptive style, reports Politico . More»

Pelosi, Obama get slight boost; Reid continues race to bottom

(NEWSER) - The passage of health care reform hasn’t been a huge boon for Democrats, but it hasn't been a disaster, either. Overall approval ratings have remained stable for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi since January (46% negative, 42% positive), and President Obama got a boost of 5 points on his handling of health care reform, to 48%. Not so fortunate was Harry Reid, whose numbers continued to slide. Overall approval for the Senate majority leader fell to 29% from 35% in January. More»

It's too early to tell if bump in support for reform will stick

(NEWSER) - Much ado has been made over yesterday's Gallup poll, which showed 49% in favor of the health care bill to 40% opposed, but Republicans shouldn't freak out just yet, writes Nate Silver. Yes, it shows a big increase in support for reform, but it's just one poll, "and even if the bounce is real, it may very well evaporate," he writes at FiveThirtyEight . More»

Says it's the most important step since Medicare

(AP) - Victory within reach, President Obama rallied House Democrats today for a final health care push. "After a year of debate ... we're 24 hours away," said the president during a visit to Capitol Hill. “Every once in a while a moment comes where you have a chance to vindicate all the best hopes you had," he said. "This is one of those moments.” More»