Obama Says He Has 'Ton of Fight' Left in Health Care Push

President Obama said Tuesday that he's still got a "ton of fight" left in him to push health care reform, as he rallied workers at a General Motors assembly plant in Ohio.

The president is once again stepping up his public appearances to build support for health care legislation as his allies in Congress try to hammer out a package that can withstand votes on the floors of the House and Senate.

"As long as you've still got an ounce of fight left in you, I've got a ton of fight left in me," Obama said at the plant near Youngstown, Ohio. "I've said it before -- I'm skinny but I'm tough."

The president planned to spend his Tuesday before friendly groups of autoworkers and union members, trying to assure blue-collar audiences that the economy is coming back -- and that his administration deserves credit for saving some of their jobs.

Later, the president addresses the AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh, where he will urge the nation's largest labor federation to support his health care overhaul. Obama planned to tell AFL-CIO members how his health care proposals would help repair an economy that is inching toward double-digit unemployment.

The events are designed to be heavy on working-class appeal in hopes of boosting the White House's credentials with the middle-class voters so crucial to the president's economic agenda.

In Youngstown, Obama also claimed credit for an economic uptick on his watch, telling autoworkers that the economy is on its way back from the brink because of his policies.

Pledging to stand firm with autoworkers, Obama told factory workers that his administration had no choice but to intervene and prevent the collapse of automakers. He told General Motors employees that their company has retooled itself and is heading back to a solid business, in part, because of its work force.

"Your survival and the success of our economy depended on making sure that we got the U.S. auto industry back on its feet," Obama said, standing near a production line where compact Chevrolet Cobalts are produced.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.