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Obama Heads to Capitol on Friday to Lobby House Democrats on Health Reform

Updated: 1:53 p.m.President Barack Obama is trekking up to Capitol Hill on Friday at 10:30 a.m. to rally support among House Democrats for a sweeping health care overhaul one day before it hits the chamber floor.The president will address a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic Caucus, a senior Democratic aide confirmed. Word that Obama would make an appearance first started circulating Wednesday night, as House Democratic leaders continued trying to hash out a compromise over abortion language that has remained the last major stumbling block to the White House’s signature initiative. House Democrats are eyeing a Saturday evening vote for their signature health care overhaul and are furiously whipping Members to line up the necessary 218 votes.Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) dismissed a suggestion that Obama’s visit meant Democrats were having trouble rounding up votes for the package. “No, it just means that we have a historic opportunity for us to provide quality health care to all Americans,— she said. “If he were not coming, you would say, ‘Why is the president not coming?’ So we are thrilled he is coming tomorrow and we can have a conversation before we go into the process of bringing this legislation to the floor.—

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