Mitt Romney’s chief strategist tells National Review Online that today’s Obamacare decision was a disappointment, but it stoked enthusiasm for repeal — and for the Romney campaign. Since late morning, over $1 million in new donations have poured into Boston.
“People are running to the barricades,” says Stuart Stevens, Romney’s top adviser. “We’re able to make a straight-line argument: If you want to get rid of Obamacare, there is only one way to do it. You’ve got to beat Obama and elect Romney.”
“Of course, that was always one of Romney’s arguments,” Stevens says. “But there always was the possibility that this could go away via the Supreme Court. Now, that’s not the case, and the remarks the governor made today reflect that reality.”
“This increases the urgency of the governor’s message, but the message stays the same,” Stevens says. “It was a bad law today, it was a bad law yesterday, and it’ll be a bad law until we get rid of it. The Supreme Court didn’t get rid of it? Fine. We will.”
But what if Obamacare becomes popular? “I don’t think it will,” Stevens says. “At some point, it might statistically become more popular for a brief period, but all the court ruled was that it was constitutional, not [that it was] a good idea. There is nothing in this that will make the economy better.”
“Look, this is a big shot of energy,” Steven says. Obama may be celebrating today, but on the trail, he knows that health care isn’t a winning issue: “This is supposedly the No. 1 achievement for him and he still doesn’t want to talk about it.”