Obama praises Sen. Reid in Nevada trip

HENDERSON, Nev. — Days before hosting a health-care summit with Republicans and Democrats, President Obama made a fervent push for his overhaul, calling it critical for the country's economic well-being.

"It is vital for our economy to change how health care works in this country," Obama said Friday at a town-hall meeting in a school gym.

He said the drawn-out effort on his top domestic priority has cost him politically and undercut the standing of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

Obama was in Nevada to help the Senate leader survive a tough re-election fight this year, a race that could have a big impact on the balance of power in Congress.

The president's bipartisan summit is Thursday. He dared Republicans to present a proposal addressing the uninsured and rising medical costs, rather than merely saying no to Democratic approaches.

The Nevada appearance was billed as focusing on the economy but turned into an extended campaign plug for Reid, seen as one of nation's most vulnerable incumbents in the November elections. Reid introduced Obama then sat behind him, basking in each applause line.

The president's appearance served many missions:

• He announced a $1.5 billion boost in public money to help people struggling to afford their mortgages to keep their homes, targeting the five states, led by Nevada, that have been hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis.

• Obama tried to soothe hard feelings in Las Vegas, where leaders say the president has singled out Sin City as a symbol of irresponsible spending, particularly when he said people shouldn't gamble in Vegas with their college funds.

He capped his Vegas trip with a speech to the Chamber of Commerce, where he said: "Let me set the record straight, I love Vegas — always have."