The day after President Obama's speech Wednesday, Democrats rallied behind his plan, including several key conservative members of the party, the Los Angeles Times reports. "'If the details live up to the quality of the speech, then it's a good plan,' said Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper, a conservative Democrat who has been critical of the healthcare bill developed by House leaders." Other Democrats praised the speech for its endorsement of the proposed public insurance plan (Levey, 9/11).
"Democrats sought to use momentum from the speech to reshape the national political debate after more than a month of playing defense," The New York Times reports. The White House followed up its effort by inviting 17 fence-sitting, centrist Senate Democrats for a meeting the lawmakers later said was very positive.