The President has repeatedly stated that health care reform is not a political issue.  He has accused Republicans of turning it into a political issue. Yet this week President Obama is set once again to hit the campaign trail.

On Wednesday the President will visit Raleigh, North Carolina and hold a town hall meeting at Broughton High School.  North Carolina has been noted to be a “crucible for health care“.  The Times & Observer sets the scene for what the President will be walking into on Wednesday:

Rallies, phone banks and door-to-door canvassing are under way, TV commercials blast on the airwaves, and petitions appear beside ripe tomatoes at farmers markets. It’s July in a nonelection year, but the political machinery is fully engaged, complete with letter-writing campaigns and statewide bus tours….

…Though the health-care debate is national, it is particularly loud in North Carolina because of the concentration of moderate Democrats that both sides see as potentially persuadable, particularly freshman Sen. Kay Hagan.

The Tar Heel State is also the home of some major players in the health-care industry, including GlaxoSmithKline, one of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

Moreover, North Carolina is now seen as one of the nation’s newest battleground states, having gone for Obama last November after voting Republican in the previous seven elections.

One night last week at Raleigh’s RBC Center, home of the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team, opponents were trying to fan opposition to Obama’s health-care proposal, literally.

The 350 people who packed into the club room were given fans that bore a drawing of a hand and the slogan: “Hands Off My Health Care.”

Following the Raleigh event on Wednesday, the president will travel to Bristol, Virginia to have a town hall meeting inside a Kroger grocery store.  This is a key location because it is in the heart of Appalachia, a region that is frequently talked about in the health care reform debate.  The President’s visit to Bristol comes one week after an annual free clinic which was held in the region called RAM (Remote Area Medical).  The event was attended by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.  RAM is an event that provides free medical, vision, and dental care and is highly attended each year in the region.  This year, the event reportedly served a record number of people.  The Bristol Herald Courier sets the scene for what the President will be walking into at this town hall meeting:

President Barack Obama is expected to talk health care in Bristol, Va., on Wednesday, just days after thousands of uninsured people received free health and dental care at the 10th annual Remote Area Medical clinic in Wise County.
The president, who is pushing Congress to adopt sweeping health care reform legislation this summer, will appear at a town-hall-style meeting with Kroger employees at the grocery store at 31 Midway St. about 4 p.m.

In his last ObamaCare campaign event before a congressional recess and potential congressional vote, the President will attempt to sell his version health care reform to the nation and to Congress.  I look for him to especially use the Bristol event for this purpose.  It may be of interest to note that Bristol is very close to Appalachia, Virginia which is the home of Debby Smith whose  story made headlines during the first town hall meeting in Annandale, Virginia.  I look for the President to use these events as his “Exhibit A” in his final push for Obama Care before a possible congressional vote later this week.