W ASHINGTON | Chanting &ldquo;Kill the bill,&rdquo; thousands of conservatives rallied Thursday at the Capitol against the Democrats&rsquo; health care overhaul plan, calling it a government takeover of the U.S. medical system.</p><p> &ldquo;This bill is the greatest threat to freedom that I have seen,&rdquo; House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio told the crowd gathered on the lawn near the West Front of the Capitol.</p><p> The protest attracted many of the so-called Tea Party demonstrators angry with increased spending and an expanded government role under the Obama administration. Their signs ranged from the harsh, &ldquo;Waterboard Congress&rdquo; to an echo of the rallying cry at August town halls with lawmakers, &ldquo;Vote no to government-run health care.&rdquo;</p><p> Buoyed by two major endorsements, House Democratic leaders on Thursday predicted swift passage of President Barack Obama&rsquo;s historic health overhaul initiative. The president himself declared, &ldquo;We are closer to passing this reform than ever before.&rdquo;</p><p> With a vote set for Saturday, the American Medical Association and the powerful seniors&rsquo; lobby AARP both threw their weight behind the bill Thursday. AARP, with its 40 million members, promised to run ads and contact activists to bolster support.</p><p>The demonstrators came to Washington by plane, bus and other means to send a message to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, as they press ahead with health care legislation.</p><p> &ldquo;It&rsquo;s upsetting because of where we&rsquo;ve come from to where we are today, to see our freedom eroding,&rdquo; said Ben Fourman, 72, of Farmingdale, N.J. The retiree wore a T-shirt that said, &ldquo;Liberty equals limited government.&rdquo;</p><p> Deborah Stevenson, 58, of Southbury, Conn., boarded a bus Thursday morning in Connecticut to make it to the noon rally. &ldquo;Congress and the entire government need to pay attention to the Constitution and stop passing unconstitutional law,&rdquo; she said.</p><p> Ken Klyberg of Satellite Beach, Fla., flew to Washington with his wife, Misty. &ldquo;Common sense is lacking in the decisions that are being made in Washington,&rdquo; he said.</p><p> Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican, told the crowd, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to leave this Hill until we kill this bill.&rdquo;</p><p> The White House downplayed the rally. Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs criticized a Republican reform plan, saying it wouldn&rsquo;t reduce government cost of health care and includes &ldquo;old ideas.&rdquo;</p><p> &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a rally going on without a solution on their side,&rdquo; Gibbs said.