The Democratic party sought Thursday to make the political debate over healthcare personal, inviting the sick and uninsured to share their struggles at rallies in South Florida and across the state.

The stakes are so high for President Barack Obama that the party is publicly pressuring its own members in Congress to get behind sweeping changes. Small rallies were held at the offices of Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and Republican Sen. Mel Martinez across the state. The party is also airing television ads that demand ``It's time'' in eight states with fence-sitting senators, including Florida.

In Coral Gables, about 50 people gathered on the sidewalk in front of Nelson's office holding signs and chanting when a lone television camera approached. Democratic party officials insisted the low-key events were not ``protests,'' but some participants said Nelson was tiptoeing around the healthcare debate.

``I feel let down. He needs to step up,'' said Jackson Memorial nurse Martha Baker, president of the hospital's Service Employees International Union, who addressed the crowd wearing her white lab coat.

Mike Latta, a 63-year-old retired nurse from North Miami, said, ``You can bet if all congressmen and senators didn't have healthcare they'd be out here with signs, too. Why can't we have what they have? I pay for it.''

SENATORS' THOUGHTS

Nelson's office said the senator welcomes feedback from fellow Democrats. A groundswell of support for overhauling the healthcare system could help provide him with political cover from Republican attacks that healthcare changes will bankrupt the economy and lower the quality of medical services.

``It's not about political parties,'' argued Nelson spokesman Dan McLaughlin. ``It's about folks getting medical care, and he appreciates those who advocate for their ideas on how to fix a broken healthcare system.''

Martinez said earlier this week: ``The main concern at the moment is the rush. . . . Before we go completely revamping the best healthcare system in the world, we should take our time to do it. We should get it right.''

`RISKY EXPERIMENT'

The rallies followed days of phone banks, neighborhood walks and news conferences across Florida aimed at mobilizing public support for healthcare change. The Republican Party has countered with a media blitz on television and the Internet that derides Obama's plan as a ``risky experiment.''

The difference between the healthcare debate of 2009 and past Washington battles is the Democratic Party's expanded grass-roots network. The rallies and other events were set up by Organizing for America, a tech-savvy arm of the Democratic National Committee that puts supporters from the 2008 campaign to work advancing the president's agenda.

``The president's volunteer base not only voted for change in November but really wants to bring it about,'' said Ashley Walker, Organizing for America's Florida director. ``This is a true opportunity to make it happen.''

An estimated 3.6 million to 3.8 million people in Florida lack insurance. A recent report by the Families USA consumer group projected that about 3,560 will lose benefits every week through 2010.