We check in with two states, Missouri and Georgia – both states that went to Sen. John McCain in 2008 – to see how voters view President Obama today and what they think he needs to do going forward.

On Capitol Hill and across the nation, the debate over the future of American health care rages on. It’s President Obama against the Republicans; the Blue Dogs versus the progressive Democrats. For a view from the Hill as well as the heartland, The Takeaway is joined by our Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich and public radio reporters Adam Allington of KWMU in St. Louis, Missouri, and Michael Puente of member station WBEZ in Chicago.

To hear some of the strong emotions surrounding the debate, watch the footage of Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Senator Arlen Specter at a health care town hall in Philadelphia yesterday:

While Washington, D.C. is the center of attention today, we are gathering reactions to these historic events from across the country. The conversation continues now as we turn to Adam Arlington at KWMU in St. Louis and Susanna Capelouto, news director at Georgia Public Broadcasting in Atlanta.

Missouri has backed the winner in every presidential race since 1904 with only one exception. This year the polls predict an incredibly tight race. The Takeaway is joined by Adam Allington of KWMU in St. Louis to discuss what he's seeing on the ground and what that means for the rest of the nation. And Indiana reporter Micah Schweitzer talks about a red state that may be going blue.