With the Senate considering landmark legislation overhauling the health care system, North Carolina groups supporting Democratic proposals are stepping up their lobbying efforts.

The North Carolina chapter of Organizing for America, the grassroots effort of the Democratic National Committee, plans to have phone banks working today in Carrboro, Raleigh, Charlotte, Hendersonville, Asheville, Wilmington and Fayetteville, Rob Christensen reports. The phone banks are part of a national effort by the Obama organization to make 100,000 calls on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama is expected to talk to people working the phone banks by way of a simulcast hook up this evening.

This morning, Congressman Bob Etheridge is holding a health care discussion at the downtown Raleigh YWCA targeted at seniors and retirees. Members of the State Employees Association of North Carolina will be at several college campuses making calls to the office of Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan urging her to pass "real health care reform." Hagan has been vague as to what form of health care legislation she will support.

With the Senate debate on health care reaching a critical juncture, supporters of President Barack Obama's health care proposal plan a phone bank Sunday, Oct. 11 in Raleigh.

The phone bank is being held at the Raleigh headquarters of Organizing for America, the arm of the Democratic National Committee, that is designed to generate support for the president's agenda, Rob Christensen reports.

Those making the calls will receive a pep talk by phone from Jeremy Bird, the national deputy director for Organizing for America.

Earlier this week, Organizing for America held a rally in Harnett County, the home of Congressman Bob Etheridge, a Democratic moderate who is being lobbied by both sides of the health care debate.

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Organizing for America, the organizing arm of the Democratic National Committee, will open a state-wide headquarters in Raleigh this evening.

The group has been operating across the state most of the summer seeking to rally backers of President Barack Obama to support proposed changes in the health care system. But in many instances, their efforts have been over shadowed by opposition that has appeared at town hall meetings, Rob Christensen reports.

The heaquarters at 130 E. Morgan Street will over see what the Democrats hope will be a final push for health care changes this fall as well as other administration proposals for education and energy.

The Organizing for America staff in the state consists of five people, a relatively small group compared to the hundreds of workers in Obama's campaign last fall. The event will be held at 6 p.m. tonight.

Eleven North Carolina residents were in the room with President Barack Obama this afternoon for his chat with volunteers from Organizing for America, a group organized by the Democratic National Committee to rally support for Obama’s health reform.

Among them was Charles Coble of Chapel Hill, who told Obama in the question-and-answer session that he wants health reform for his children and grandchildren, reports Barb Barrett.

“You’ve been outrageously good in trying to get a bipartisan bill through this Congress,” Coble said. “But America needs this to happen, and you know that. So, where are we going to go from here?”

Obama responded that he had committed to getting health reform with Republican ideas.

“But I have no control over their political strategy,” Obama said. “My commitment to the American people is: We’re going to get this done one way or another.”

Correction: An earlier version of the post had the incorrect number of N.C. residents who met with Obama. 

President Barack Obama is trying to re-assemble his old campaign team to help build grass roots support for the overhaul of the health care proposal as well as for his major initiatives.

About 75 Obama backers gathered Monday night at the Church of the Reconciliation in Chapel Hill to discuss how to build support in Congress for Obama’s health care proposals through telephone calls, phone banks, petition signing, door-to-door canvassing, round table discussions, Rob Christensen reports.

"There is a sense of urgency and there needs to be a sense of urgency," Lindsay Siler, the state director of the Obama organization.

"The message is we need to stand up and demand you pass health care reform," she said.

Similar meetings are being held across the state. Tonight there are phone banks planned at St. Matthew AME Church in Raleigh and First Baptist Church West in Charlotte.

The organizing is being done under the auspices of the Democratic National Committee, which has set up an off shoot group called Organizing for America. The campaign team, which will rely much more on volunteers, has only been on the ground in North Carolina for three weeks.

Obama is trying to get the House and the Senate to pass version of the health care plan before Congress recesses in August with passage some time this fall.

Siler, the former Iowa deputy field director for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign, who was previously with Planned Parenthood in North Carolina and surrounding states. The state field director is Greg Jackson Jr., who headed D.C. for Obama, a grassroots effort.

In response to a question, Siler asked the Obama supporters not to pressure North Carolina Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan to support the public health option part of the Obama plan. Obama has sought not to put public pressure on centrist Democrats who may be undecided about portions of the plan.

Correction: Post updated to correct prior affiliations of Jackson and Siler.

Organizing for America, the Democratic National Committee’s effort to bolster President Barack Obama’s policy priorities, stops in Raleigh on Monday to hear from the people.

The group plans to meet at 7 p.m. Monday at St. Matthews AME Church in Raleigh to hear from supporters and volunteers, Barb Barrett reports. The idea, organizers say, is to gather suggestions on the best way to organize Raleigh residents to support Obama’s agenda.

The church is located at 1629 Bennett St. in Raleigh. 

The Democrats want your help in promoting President Barack Obama's agenda.

Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, will be visiting Durham and Asheville next week as part of a "listening tour" in North Carolina. The stated purpose is for people attending "to offer ideas on how OFA should organize in their community to support President Obama's priorities."

OFA is scheduled to be at St. Joseph's AME Church in Durham at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, and at the Mountain Java Coffee Shop in Asheville at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

The group says it plans to make visits to several other North Carolina cities, including Raleigh and Chapel Hill.

A national political group built on President Barack Obama’s campaign is coming to North Carolina.

Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, is expected to announce Tuesday the hire of two staffers in Raleigh, Barb Barrett reports. The group will conduct what it calls "listening tours" around the state in coming weeks, focusing on education, energy and health care. The group hopes to build support for Obama’s agenda.

The group’s inaugural N.C. state director, Lindsay Siler, is a former field director and public policy director for Planned Parenthood in North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia. She also worked for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in Iowa.

The new field director, Gregory Jackson, led the group D.C. for Obama, which sent volunteers to key states during the presidential campaign.