Listening to the Supreme Court hearings on Obamacare. . .

Eric Fehrnstrom, a senior campaign adviser for Mitt Romney, said Monday that he disagrees with the Supreme Court’s characterization of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate as a “tax.”

My "thesis" doesn't ignore moderate and independents.

Mitt Romney is trying to convince the American people that he does not support a federal individual health care mandate—even though an individual mandate was a fundamental component of his own Massachusetts health care law. That 2006 law was one of the models for the Affordable Care Act, the law President Obama signed two years ago to bring more people into the health care system and end insurance companies’ discriminatory practices.

But Romney insists that he has “opposed the idea of a federal mandate from the beginning” and that “the last thing” he’d ever do would be “to take what we had done for one state and impose it on the entire nation.”

As is often the case with Romney, he had the opposite view just a few years ago. Here are just a few of the many times Romney said he was for the individual mandate at a national level:
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In 2007, Romney praised his Massachusetts health care law as a model for the nation.

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In a 2009 USA Today op-ed, Romney praised the Massachusetts individual mandate as a plan that “encourages ‘free riders’ to take responsibility for themselves rather than pass their medical costs on to others” and it “doesn’t cost the government a single dollar.”

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That same year, he told House Republicans that they “should be first to propose a Republican plan to bring health insurance to all Americans” and use his Massachusetts law as “a good model to start from.”

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During the national health care debate, Romney praised the “similarities” between President Obama’s plan and the Massachusetts plan. “Some of the best features of his health care plan are like ours—such as, we do not allow insurance companies to drop people who develop illnesses, our insurance is entirely portable, virtually all of our citizens are insured and there is an individual responsibility for getting insurance.”

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In trying to contrast his views with the President’s during the debate, he said he preferred the Wyden-Bennet bill as “a very good health care plan.” The Wyden-Bennet Bill actually includes an individual mandate to buy coverage. [Source: Meet the Press, 6/28/09]

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When he had the chance to back off his support for a national individual mandate during a debate in the 2008 GOP presidential primary, he instead insisted, “I like mandates.” He added: “If people can afford to buy it, either buy the insurance or pay your own way. Don’t be free riders and pass on the cost to your health care to everybody else.” [Source: ABC Debate,1/5/08]

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In 2011, he praised the health care mandate as “fundamentally a conservative principle,” adding “I’m happy to stand by the things that I believe.”

This is the Etch-A-Sketch asshole.

If Romney can't bring himself to firing this clown, he will lose.

Romney Campaign Declaring Cease Fire on Health Care

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court health care ruling, the early conventional wisdom was that an unfavorable health care ruling at the court would be good for Republicans politically, even as it was a serious policy setback for conservatives. But that’s not shaping up to be the case. Mitt Romney, after giving a brief statement decrying the decision, has been virtually silent on criticizing the health care law. He’s been on vacation and his campaign has been giving off clear signals that it doesn’t want to make health care a major part of the election.

I'm afraid this will put him at odds with the rest of his party.

No matter what Romney says about Obamacare, all the Democrats have to do is put "Romneycare" and "flip-flopper" in the same sentence to totally neutralize him.

http://decoded.nationaljournal.com/2012/07/romney-campaign-avoiding-healt.php

Quote:

Romney Campaign Declaring Cease Fire on Health Care

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court health care ruling, the early conventional wisdom was that an unfavorable health care ruling at the court would be good for Republicans politically, even as it was a serious policy setback for conservatives. But that’s not shaping up to be the case. Mitt Romney, after giving a brief statement decrying the decision, has been virtually silent on criticizing the health care law. He’s been on vacation and his campaign has been giving off clear signals that it doesn’t want to make health care a major part of the election.

Well, that's the absolute opposite of committing to a fight on the issue!

I'm afraid this will put him at odds with the rest of his party.

Cycloptichorn

What's he supposed to do, whine about it like the talking heads? It's done now and whining is going to jack **** about that. He has already said that he will repeal it when he gets elected so now he just needs to get elected.

Public Divides On ACA Ruling, But Romney’s Plan Fall Shorter

Americans divide on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the federal health care law and on Barack Obama’s plans for the health care system alike, while favorable views of Mitt Romney’s approach to health care fall shorter, with more undecided.

Just 30 percent in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll have a favorable opinion of Romney’s approach to health care, while 47 percent see it negatively, putting him underwater on the issue by a 17-point margin.

Twenty-three percent are undecided, perhaps marking a lack of specifics by Romney on his plans – but giving him an opportunity to persuade.

The public at the same time divides by 45-48 percent, favorable-unfavorable, in views of Obama’s plans for the health care system. ABC

No matter what Romney says about Obamacare, all the Democrats have to do is put "Romneycare" and "flip-flopper" in the same sentence to totally neutralize him.