Populist Obama vows never to quit the fight

ELYRIA, Ohio, Jan 23, 2010 (AFP) - President Barack Obama Friday vowed he would “never stop fighting” for struggling Americans, in a fiery political counter-attack meant to mend Democratic morale and his frayed bond with voters.

Obama sought to recapture the passion of his 2008 campaign, after a wake-up call from voters in liberal Massachusetts who sent a Republican to the Senate, and with his health care plan and wider agenda under assault in Congress.

“I’ll never stop fighting to give every American a fair shake,” Obama said at a town-hall style meeting in the rust-belt state of Ohio, a vital bellwether in mid-term elections in November shaping up as another hit for Democrats.

Striking populist notes, Obama said he would fight Wall Street to restore home values, for his embattled health plan, to stop credit card companies cheating customers and to cut “exploding” deficits.

Five days before his showpiece State of the Union speech, Obama also showed no sign of backing down on reforming health care, even as the historic bill looks to be becalmed in Congress.

“I got to admit, we hit a bit of a buzz saw,” Obama said of the year-long effort to pass the reform, which now looks doubtful after Democrats lost their 60-seat Senate supermajority needed to thwart Republican blocking tactics.

- AFP