Warner Todd Huston
Romney: Nope, I'm NOT apologizing for Romneycare!
By Warner Todd Huston
After all these years in politics, Mitt Romney has finally found something he isn't going to flip flop on — so far, anyway. Romney recently started a tour to kick off the release of his latest book and when asked if he was sorry he ever signed his name on the Massachusetts healthcare law derided as Romneycare, he ignored the advice from every GOP thinker out there and refused to distance himself from the calamitous law. It's no apology from Mitt for Romneycare, then.
On his ABC News blog, George Stephanopoulos (every time I hear his name I think Snuffleupagus. I just can't help it) reported that Romney is standing firm that Romneycare was a good idea at the time. Imagine that. Right when the bulk of the American people are appalled at Obamacare and Romney is about to launch a second attempt to take the White House, Mitt doubles down on Romneycare.
Now, strictly speaking, Romney was right that in our system it is up to the states to be the "laboratory" for experimenting with policy. So, in that vein, there was nothing wrong in general with Massachusetts attempting to find a way to deal with its healthcare woes. But the fact of the matter is, the whole edifice that Romneycare was built upon was just as fatally flawed as Obamacare. It should never have been done. And now Romney is appearing to double down on this first mistake and compound it with a second; refusing to admit that his Romneycare was the wrong solution.
Enemies of Romney's bid for president should, no must, make this the staple of their attack on him. The most amusing thing of all, here, is the fact that Mitt Romney, the king of flip floppers, chose the absolute wrong issue over which to suddenly grow a spine!
© Warner Todd Huston
February 3, 2011
After all these years in politics, Mitt Romney has finally found something he isn't going to flip flop on — so far, anyway. Romney recently started a tour to kick off the release of his latest book and when asked if he was sorry he ever signed his name on the Massachusetts healthcare law derided as Romneycare, he ignored the advice from every GOP thinker out there and refused to distance himself from the calamitous law. It's no apology from Mitt for Romneycare, then.
On his ABC News blog, George Stephanopoulos (every time I hear his name I think Snuffleupagus. I just can't help it) reported that Romney is standing firm that Romneycare was a good idea at the time. Imagine that. Right when the bulk of the American people are appalled at Obamacare and Romney is about to launch a second attempt to take the White House, Mitt doubles down on Romneycare.
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"I'm not apologizing for it, I''m indicating that we went in one direction and there are other possible directions. I'd like to see states pursue their own ideas, see which ideas work best."
Now, strictly speaking, Romney was right that in our system it is up to the states to be the "laboratory" for experimenting with policy. So, in that vein, there was nothing wrong in general with Massachusetts attempting to find a way to deal with its healthcare woes. But the fact of the matter is, the whole edifice that Romneycare was built upon was just as fatally flawed as Obamacare. It should never have been done. And now Romney is appearing to double down on this first mistake and compound it with a second; refusing to admit that his Romneycare was the wrong solution.
Enemies of Romney's bid for president should, no must, make this the staple of their attack on him. The most amusing thing of all, here, is the fact that Mitt Romney, the king of flip floppers, chose the absolute wrong issue over which to suddenly grow a spine!
© Warner Todd Huston
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