I'll never stop fighting

ELYRIA (Ohio) - PRESIDENT Barack Obama on 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.

Mr 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,' Mr 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.

In a highly populist speech, Mr Obama said he would fight Wall Street to restore home values, for his embattled health reform plan, to stop credit card companies cheating customers and to cut 'exploding' deficits.

Five days before his showpiece State of the Union Speech, Mr Obama also vowed to redouble the fight to pass historic health reform, which has tumbled into limbo in the US Congress.

'I got to admit, we hit a bit of a buzz saw,' Mr Obama said of the year-long effort to pass the reform despite opposition from Republicans and the health insurance industry. 'I had no illusions when I took on health care. It was always going to be hard. And I'm going to keep up the fight for real, meaningful health insurance reforms.' -- AFP