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President 2012: The Problem With RomneyCare
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney delivers his annual State of the Commonwealth, January 18, 2006. Massachusetts lawmakers overwhelmingly approved an ambitious health-care bill on Tuesday that would make it the first U.S. state to require nearly all residents to be insured or face penalties
I was reading a tweet from Washington Examiner’s Phil Klein about cleaning out his old G-Mail box and discovering an old Google Chat about Mitt Romney and RomneyCare. Then, I remembered I had written a post many years ago (April 5, 2006 to be precise) criticizing Romney and his Massachusett’s health care plan.
Here is the old post (some of the links are bad) and it rings true today as it did then.++++++ASSociated Press: Clinton Praises Romney Health Care Plan
A Massachusetts plan that blends the Democratic goal of universal health care with the Republican philosophy of personal responsibility could be a model for politicians nationwide — and a presidential launching pad for its chief sponsor, GOP Gov. Mitt Romney.
The proposal, approved Tuesday by Massachusetts’ Democratic-led Legislature, won Romney cautious praise from Democrats, including a longtime champion of health care overhaul: Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.“To come up with a bipartisan plan in this polarized environment is commendable,” said the former first lady, who led President Clinton’s failed health care campaign.
She embraced the Massachusetts measure’s most striking aspect ” requiring people to purchase health insurance ” but questioned Romney’s plans to eliminate a fee on companies that do not provide health insurance for employees.
“That would unravel the plan,” Clinton said.
Of course, the LEFT and Clinton like this compulsory state sponsored plan – they want national universal care and this is a step toward their goal.
Hugh Hewitt calls this bill a “Home Run” for Governor Mitt Romney.
Flap says Hugh Hewitt has it WRONG.
Romney STRIKES OUT with this proposal.
Romney’s health care plan is another socialistic attempt to nationalize medicine. Why would ANY conservative support this fiasco?
Sally C. Pipes over at National Review has Unhealthy in Massachusetts, The Romney plan doesn’t cut it.
READ IT ALL.
As for Hillary……she will have to debate health care with Rudy Giuliani in the 2008 Presidential debates not a light weight (who has decided to NOT run for re-election) like Mitt Romney.
Mitt Romney has a RomneyCare problem which will likely be exploited by Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. If he gets by them, then he will have to convince the American people that Sally Pipes is wrong and that ObamaCare is different than RomneyCare.
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Update: President 2012: Mike Huckabee Better in or Better Out of the Race?; Huck Won’t Run
+++++Update+++++
Mike Huckabee announced tonight on his Fox News Show that he will not be a candidate for President
Better in for the Republican Party.
And this from Democratic Pollster PPP.
Rumor has it Huckabee may announce that he is not running on his Fox News show tomorrow. That would be good news, at least for the time being, for the president. Huckabee gives him more trouble than the others in the South, in Appalachia, and up and down the Mississippi–including in states where the president remains strong (like North Carolina and Virginia) and states where he has declined since 2008 (like Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Missouri). The GOP almost certainly needs to return to Southern dominance and dip into either the West or Midwest–or both–to win the White House next year, and it remains to be seen whether another candidate can establish the rapport with these voters that Huckabee has.
Romney is not a much weaker alternative in these states, and he does put Obama more on the defensive in the Northeast and Southwest, particularly Nevada and New Hampshire, than does Huckabee. But Huckabee would certainly be leaving both a good shot at the nomination and a decent shot at Obama on the table by keeping his hat out of the ring.
Mike Huckabee is a stronger candidate than Mitt Romney and will provide an alternative to Mitch Daniels, should he falter. Moreover, should Huck not run, Sarah Palin may decide to go. Her polling against President Obama has been appalling.
All in all having the affable, Baptist minister in the race is better for the GOP, than Donald Trump, Newt Ginrich or Tim Pawlenty.
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President 2012: Mike Huckabee Better in or Better Out of the Race?
Better in for the Republican Party.
And this from Democratic Pollster PPP.
Rumor has it Huckabee may announce that he is not running on his Fox News show tomorrow. That would be good news, at least for the time being, for the president. Huckabee gives him more trouble than the others in the South, in Appalachia, and up and down the Mississippi–including in states where the president remains strong (like North Carolina and Virginia) and states where he has declined since 2008 (like Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Missouri). The GOP almost certainly needs to return to Southern dominance and dip into either the West or Midwest–or both–to win the White House next year, and it remains to be seen whether another candidate can establish the rapport with these voters that Huckabee has.
Romney is not a much weaker alternative in these states, and he does put Obama more on the defensive in the Northeast and Southwest, particularly Nevada and New Hampshire, than does Huckabee. But Huckabee would certainly be leaving both a good shot at the nomination and a decent shot at Obama on the table by keeping his hat out of the ring.
Mike Huckabee is a stronger candidate than Mitt Romney and will provide an alternative to Mitch Daniels, should he falter. Moreover, should Huck not run, Sarah Palin may decide to go. Her polling against President Obama has been appalling.
All in all having the affable, Baptist minister in the race is better for the GOP, than Donald Trump, Newt Ginrich or Tim Pawlenty.
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President 2012: Mitt Romney Flipping and Flopping Like a Fish on RomneyCare?
One of the main complaints of Mitt Romney’s 2008 Presidential run was his constant shifting of positions on the issues. Now, there is RomneyCare or the Massachusetts Health Care Plan that Romney signed into law while Governor. One with a personal insurance mandate like ObamaCare.
Romney today delivered a speech that didn’t help.
This morning the Wall Street Journal editorial board accused Mitt Romney of being a technocrat and not a conservative. In his speech in Ann Arbor, Mich., today, Romney proved the editorial board correct. You could tell it wasn’t going to be a good outing when it became clear that a tiny room of about 100 invited guests was the setting. Message: Only handpicked friends could be counted on not to boo or laugh. (…)
In the Q-and-A afterward he got mostly softball questions. But at one point he spoke admiringly of the French health-care system. I’m not kidding.Romney is entirely lacking in self-awareness and understanding of the current Republican primary electorate if he thinks this speech is going to help. I’m sure his primary opponents, like many pundits, are dumbstruck that such a capable man could be so dense when it comes to his chosen profession.
Mitt should have flopped like a fish away from RomneyCare – like he has done many times before on many different issues. He didn’t.
I say he is done as a Presidential candidate and will be beat up unmercifully by his Republican competitors at the first change they get.
Romney will NOT be the 2012 GOP Presidential nominee.