From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Who's opposed to health care reform?

Hello again, I'm Warren Alney, and this is To the Poet from Public Radio International,

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

Tampa, St. Louis, Houston, Austin, and Denver are just some of the cities to see rowdy protests in the past few hours. White House aides told senators on their way home for the August recess, if you get hit, punch back twice as hard with arguments for reform. But the Democrats are still squabbling over details, so there's no coherent message,

either for them or a president whose approval ratings are on the decline.

The Republican message is just say no to some variation of socialized medicine.

Could the protests backfire?

Will the Democrats strike back in kind?

When the August recess is over, will it be too late for the president to reset the

agenda? First, here's the news. Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica

and from the Public Radio International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation,

the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation, and the Skoll Foundation, supporting social entrepreneurs around the world, uncommon heroes dedicated to the common good. Learn more at scole.org. Hello again, Warren Allene. Back with To the Poet. With Congress and now the Senate at home for the August recess, what's the status of health care reform?

Why is it being, or was it proposed in the first place?

Why are angry protesters gathered around the country before President Obama has even signed on to a final proposal?

First this news update, 247,000 Americans lost their jobs last month, but that's better than had been predicted,

and the unemployment rate actually declined by a tenth of a point down to 9.4%. President Obama says the worst is behind us.

Today, we're pointed in the right direction. We're losing jobs at less than half the rate we were when I took office. We've pulled the financial system back

from the brink in a rising market is restoring value to those 401ks that are the foundation

of a secure retirement. We've enabled families to reduce the payments on their mortgages,

making their homes more affordable, and reducing the number of foreclosures.

President Obama, obviously, a claiming credit for what appears to be good news.

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