Speaking to a Granite State audience tonight:
Living in New Hampshire, you’ve heard of our healthcare program next door in Massachusetts. You may have noticed that the President and his people spend more time talking about me and Massachusetts healthcare than Entertainment Tonight spends talking about Charlie Sheen.
Our approach was a state plan intended to address problems that were in many ways unique to Massachusetts. What we did was what the Constitution intended for states to do—we were one of the laboratories of democracy.
Our experiment wasn’t perfect—some things worked, some didn’t, and some things I’d change. One thing I would never do is to usurp the constitutional power of states with a one-size-fits-all federal takeover.
I would repeal Obamacare, if I were ever in a position to do so. My experience has taught me that states are where healthcare programs for the uninsured should be crafted, just as the Constitution provides. Obamacare is bad law, bad policy, and it is bad for America’s families.
The federal government isn’t the answer for running healthcare any more than it’s the answer for running Amtrak or the Post Office. An economy run by the federal government doesn’t work for Europe and it won’t work here.
The right answer is not to believe in European solutions. The right answer is to believe in America—to believe in freedom, free enterprise, capitalism, limited government, federalism—and to believe in the constitution, as it was written and intended by the founders.
Romney needed to make those points at least a year and a half ago as part of a vigorous opposition to Obamacare. That speech should have started with something like "I made a horrible mistake, but that's the benefit of our federal system..."
As it is, this is too little, too late. And if he has any real friends they would be telling him to save his money.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI've been saying for quite a while that Romney's history on Health Care/ RomneyCare will end up being a great STRENGTH against Obama. External Link
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt makes him our best candidate to go up against Obama. Knee-jerk voters in the primary may not listed past the 30 sec sound bites to see this, but it's the message that Romney and his team need to get out . . . and it looks like that's starting.
And I'm glad Romney drew attention to how much attention Obama and his crew are paying to Mitt/RomneyCare. It's very telling.
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Time to coalesce around our strongest candidate folks!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDid Romney mention individual mandate? How government can force you to buy something?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseKathryn,
Sounds like you have not been listening to your fellow NRO conservative who has been on the air telling people the truth about Romney and Romneycare.
Rich Lowry, AKA Angry Rich, and Scott Alan Miller have been on the airwaves letting the folks know how Romney failed in MA as governor when he signed Romneycare into law.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat nonsense. If he really believed in America and freedom he'd distance himself from forcing people to buy insurance they don't want or need at prices they cannot afford and from a government, whether state federal or local, takeover of private medical care.
After all, the difference between a state individual mandate and a federal individual mandate is that one is legal and the other isn't. That doesn't make it right, desirable, or good policy. And the Massachusetts plan is a mess.
His so-called state solution differs from socialist European solutions like the Swiss insurance requirement in that some states are larger than most European countries.
Either Romney doesn't know what socialism is, or he thinks he can fool his audience.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@Fred: "Either Romney doesn't know what socialism is, or he thinks he can fool his audience."
Or both. Remember, he comes out of (1) consulting and (2) politics.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI've done a lot of hiring in my day.
It is always clear to me who among the candidates re-wrote their resume to match the job description at hand. Sometimes that is an honest exercise - smart to tailor the advertisement of your experience to match the job. Sometimes, however, it is a dishonest exercise designed to make the applicant appear better via exaggeration and untruths.
Mitt is trying to re-write his resume to match the current definition of what the GOP nominee should be. IMHO, he is looking silly as he attempts this.
I can 100% guarantee you that, if for some reason, Obama and his agenda were popular, Romney would be running as "almost-Obama". At least that would be closer to reality.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCan't this guy just go back to selling used cars or doing the sportscast on the local network affiliate?
Romneycare is a disaster and he has not yet owned up to it. Until that day, he can spend all his time writing books and buying them up for all I care.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRomney/Rubio 2012!!!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseFunny, my state forces me to buy car insurance...fancy that.
We need a guy like Romney to lead the cleanup of the mess this nation is in.
Some of the posters here seem to have some emotional problems with a successful guy, but I'd rather have him working on our problems than not.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRomney doesn't think the federal government should run the Post Office? Has he ever read the Constitution?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI wouldn't trust Romney for a second. The guy is such a phony. I really hope NR doesn't shill for him this time.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Repeal Obamacare. Socialism bad. Europe bad." Does this guy say anything that isn't market researched and carefully tailored to appeal to FoxNews viewer stereotypes? Doesn't he have a bold or interesting take on anything? Who could forget his "Well, I'd have to consult with the lawyers" answer in the 2008 debates.
This is a weak response. I am not a fan of Romneycare, but I would expect the architect of it to give some concrete reaons why I should be a fan. Mitt Romney problem is he always seems like he is trying to tell us what he thinks we want to hear. I am sorry. I would prefer hearing what Romney really believes.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBTW--the government can require you to buy insurance for the privilege of driving a motor vehicle on the public roads (driving is a privilege, not a right).
There is a difference of requiring you to buy health insurance. Living is a right, not a privilege. You should have the right to opt out.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Our approach was a state plan intended to address problems that were in many ways unique to Massachusetts."
This is a very bad premise.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@ Mr. Joe, who writes: "I would prefer hearing what Romney really believes."
I think he believes he should be president and that all other beliefs will serve that one, as needed.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseFYI...presenting this "argument"...
"Funny, my state forces me to buy car insurance...fancy that."
...at this stage of the game leads folks to believe that you've been living under a rock and instantly discredits whatever you're trying to say.
It's so full of holes that I doubt you hear that drivel on even MSNBC or The View anymore.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIn this speech Romney also said "Senator Obama campaigned hard in New Hampshire but he apparently didn’t like what he saw. He certainly didn’t learn from it. Instead of lowering taxes, he raised them."
This is a lie. Obama has lowered taxes.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"The federal government isn’t the answer for running healthcare any more than it’s the answer for running Amtrak or the Post Office."
That's historical and Constitutional illiteracy of the first water.
Health care and Amtrak aside...
Operating the Post Office is most definitely a Federal responsibility and always has been. It is a power and responsibility explicitly granted to the Federal government by the Framers in the original Constitution.
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