Obama: Health Reform not about Government Takeover

During what was a rather calm and friendly town hall meeting on Tuesday night in Portsmouth, New Hampshire President Barack Obama sought to reassure both the assembled audience and the country at large that his health care reforms will leave doctors and their patients in charge, not the big health insurance companies or government agencies.

"This is not about putting the government in charge of your health insurance," Obama told the assembled audience at an area high school "I don't believe anyone should be in charge of your health insurance decisions except you and your doctor."

He added" I don't think government bureaucrats should be meddling but I don't think insurance company bureaucrats should be meddling. Your health insurance will be there for you when it counts, not just when you're paying premiums," Those remarks drew him a sustained round of applause from the majority of the spectators.

Still, Obama has a long way to go. A national telephone survey conducted by Rasmussen reports showed that support for the President's plans has fallen to an all time low of 42%, while opposition has grown to 53%, a full 9 point increase since the end of June.

Although things inside the Portsmouth high school were relatively calm, cordial and Obama friendly at points during the day the mood of some of the crowd outside the hall was less conciliatory.

Outside, earlier in the day, reporters and members of the media covering the event spotted something that surprised even the most seasoned of them. William Kostnic, carrying a placard that read "It’s time to Water the Tree of Liberty" waited for the President to arrive in the grounds of a nearby church. Strapped to his leg observers noticed was a 9mm pistol. As New Hampshire state law decrees that a person may carry a weapon as long as it is not concealed the police declined to take any action against the man.

A bemused MSNBC anchor, in a live interview asked a local reporter on the scene "Just to be clear, You’re saying a guy has a gun in the open - where we already know there are concerns about every president's safety, but certainly this president... and the guy's just being allowed to stay there? Is that right?" The reporter replied that the law did allow Kostnic to do that and that the police were well aware of both his presence and the weapon he was carrying.