The crunch-time atmosphere was reminiscent of Obama's final days on the 2008 campaign trail.
"I love you!" someone shouted from the bleachers as Obama dashed onstage to a deafening roar.
"Love you back," he responded.
Obama ditched his suit jacket and got down to business, lashing out at politicians in both parties who have blocked his signature legislative initiative for the past year.
"When you're in Washington, folks respond to every issue, every decision, every debate, no matter how important it is, with the same question," he said. "What does this mean for the next election? What does it mean for your poll numbers? Is this good for the Democrats or good for the Republicans? Who won the news cycle?
"That's just how Washington is," he said. "They can't help it. They're obsessed with the sport of politics."
Obama then trained his fire on the insurance industry, which he said has been allowed to "run wild." If left unchecked, companies will continue to hike premiums, he said.
"They will keep on doing this for as long as they can get away with it," he said. "This is no secret. They're telling their investors this: We are in the money. We are going to keep on making big profits even though a lot of folks are going to be put under hardship."
He asked: "How much higher do premiums have to rise until we do something about it? How many more Americans have to lose their health insurance? How many more businesses have to drop coverage?"
The White House is calling on Congress to vote on a health-care bill by March 18, when Obama leaves for Asia. He's taking his road show to St. Louis tomorrow.
