Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
This Wall Street Journal scoop is not going to make many folks feel particularly enthusiastic about Mitt Romney Presidency. It's about the discovery of a few emails from the time Mitt Romney worked so hard to pass his controversial health-care law:
When Mitt Romney left office as Massachusetts governor, his aides removed all emails from a server computer in the governor's office, and purchased and carted off hard drives from 17 state-owned personal computers, according to a current state official.
But a small cache of emails survived, including some that have never publicly surfaced surrounding Mr. Romney's efforts to pass his now-controversial health-care law. The emails show the Republican governor was closely engaged in negotiating details of the bill, working with top Democratic state leaders and drafting early copies of opinion articles backing it.
Mr. Romney and his aides, meanwhile, strongly defended the so-called individual mandate, a requirement that everyone in Massachusetts have or buy heath insurance. And they privately discussed ideas that might be anathema to today's GOP—including publicly shaming companies that didn't provide enough health insurance to employees.
Mr. Romney signed the bill April 12, 2006, and that night sent an email thanking a top aide, saying the law would help "hundreds of thousands of people…have healthier and happier lives."
A few days ago, Ben Domenech wrote about how Romney had picked someone who has been tirelessly pushing Obamacare implementation at the state level to lead his transition team.
Here we see the type of ideas that are encouraged in the Romney inner circle, including some tactics that even Barack Obama might find heavy handed.
I know that Team Romney is telling advocates of increased liberty to not worry about what he'll do surrounding Obamacare, but this slow drip of scary information is not helping.
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Comments:
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Thanks, Mollie. Alas, this comes as no real surprise. If he is elected President, Romney may govern as a conservative. If, however, we are to judge by his record in the past, he will turn out to be just another managerial progressive. In the past, he has been a fervent supporter of the administrative entitlements state and no friend to individual liberty. Let's hope that he has learned a few things along the way or that he is enough of a chameleon to take his direction from us.
May '12
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
I suppose this would be news if Romney had ever renounced Romneycare, never said he thought it could be a model for other states, or said anything during this campaign other than that he thinks states should be able to try what they want to deal with healthcare access. He's repeatedly stated that some states may choose mandates, some may not, but it's important for states to have the ability to come up with their own solutions. Is it really some revelation that Romney worked hard to pass a piece of legislation that he supported while governor?
He's the nominee and he's your only choice if you want to get rid of Obama. Get over it.
Edited on June 5, 2012 at 3:22pmAug '10
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Sorry Mollie, but this is an old story.
Yes, he advocated for the individual mandate in Romneycare.
Yes, he pushed for Romneycare in Ma which includes an individual mandate.
Romneycare in Ma also includes an individual mandate.
However, he has also said that Federalism allows states to do things that are prohibited to the Federal Government (although this is a true argument, it doesn't scratch the 'mandate vs liberty' itch).
He has pledged to repeal Obamacare.
In other words, asked and answered.
Say, can we talk about the Choom Gang now?
Edited on June 5, 2012 at 3:23pmNov '11
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Cylon: I suppose this would be news if Romney had ever renounced Romneycare, never said he thought it could be a model for other states, or said anything during this campaign other than the fact that he thought states should be able to try what they want to deal with healthcare access. He's repeatedly stated that some states may choose mandates, some may not, but it's important for states to have the ability to come up with their own solutions. Is it really some revelation that Romney worked hard to pass a piece of legislation that he supported while governor.
He's the nominee and he's your only choice if you want to get rid of Obama. Get over it. · 0 minutes ago
If you worship at the altar of federalism and ignore all other concerns, this may placate you. If, however, your concern is about personal freedom, and limiting the power of the state, then Romney's line walking on RomneyCare is a distinction without a difference.
Edited on June 5, 2012 at 3:25pmDec '11
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Instugator: Sorry Mollie, but this is an old story.
Yes, he advocated for the individual mandate in Romneycare.
Yes, he pushed for Romneycare in Ma which includes an individual mandate.
Romneycare in Ma includes an individual mandate.
However, he has also said that Federalism allows states to do things that are prohibited to the Federal Government (although this is a true argument, it doesn't scratch the 'mandate vs liberty' itch).
He has pledged to repeal Obamacare.
In other words, asked and answered.
Say, can we talk about the Choom Gang now?
· 0 minutes ago
Romney will tell you anything you want to here.
What Romney says =/= What Romney does.
Nov '11
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Cylon:
He's the nominee and he's your only choice if you want to get rid of Obama. Get over it. · 4 minutes ago
Edited 3 minutes ago
That should be Romney's campaign slogan, because it's really what he's running on.
Too bad there isn't another choice.
May '12
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Gary Johnson is not a choice for anyone who wants to remove Obama. In fact, the most Johnson can hope to accomplish is making sure Obama gets reelected. Try again.
Aug '10
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Fred Cole
If you worship at the alter of federalism and ignore all other concerns, this may placate you. If, however, your concern is about free, personal freedom, and limiting the power of the state, then Romney's line walking on RomneyCare is a distinction without a difference. · 0 minutes ago
Until he works to repeal Obamacare which Obama will never do. The expected value of probable outcomes is greater for Romney.
Nov '11
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
MITT ROMNEY is not a choice for anyone who has a concern about individual liberty.
May '12
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Fred Cole
MITT ROMNEY is not a choice for anyone who has a concern about individual liberty. · 2 minutes ago
Of course he is when the alternative is Barack Obama. If you think there is no difference between Obama and Romney in terms of who will remove more obstacles to personal liberty, especially the liberty of small business owners, you are in denial of reality.
Edited on June 5, 2012 at 3:38pmAug '10
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Guruforhire
Romney will tell you anything you want to here.
What Romney says =/= What Romney does. · 7 minutes ago
<snort> and Obama doesn't?
Actually, Romney does deliver on his promises. He promised Romney care and delivered. He also promised MA would be fiscally responsible and it was.
Obama is currently telling us that he is a fiscal conservative - despite adding more debt in 3.5 years than the govt had under the first 42 presidents.
So, please tell me a Romney promise that he didn't deliver.
May '12
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
I have heard that there is only a time or two in a campaign that a candidate gets to look presidential and offer insight to his decision making.
It seems to me that Gov. Romney's choices - transition team leader - combine with the Email history are potentially illuminating as to what kind of decision making he will execute as president.
Gov. Romney and his staff know this individual mandate stuff is out there and that Obama will tie Romneycare around his neck like a millstone, so why choose a consultant that advocates so hard for implementation of mandated exchanges - they are not the same as Utah's. The history and these Emails aren't troubling, it is the present day decision making that is worrisome.
Cylon - I can't argue with your statement, you are correct and as Mr.Cole points out - if that is the best campaign slogan we can get (and at this point it is the only Romeny slogan) then a 2nd Obama term is within his reach.
May '10
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
I have to agree. We have winner takes all in our system. This is not a proportional system like in some nations. There has been not one state that has gone for any but a Republican or Democrat candidate since the birth of the Republican party. Gary Johnson is not going to win any state. Ross Perot did not win a single state; he just made sure Bush I lost enough for Clinton to win.
If the Libertarian Party is so in tune with what American's want, how come they cannot even get 1% of the vote? Americans no more want what the Libertarian Party is selling.
Performance in POTUS elections
Dec '11
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Who cares. You are arguing a distinction without a difference. There is no real practical difference here.
We are paying banks to keep the liquidity out of the markets, and monetizing our debt to keep interest rates low. The end game is well within the whole not balancing the budget for 30 years thing that Romney and Ryan are running on. The choice between drooling babbling mad, and only babbling mad has no practical difference.
Dec '10
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Fred Cole
MITT ROMNEY is not a choice for anyone who has a concern about individual liberty. · 2 minutes ago
I had really hoped that we were done with the Ron Paul/Gary Johnson arguments.
Ron Paul lost.
Gary Johnson lost.
Voting for either of them (or another 3rd party candidate) is a vote for Obama.
Mitt Romney is the only hope to defeat Obama (help me Obi Romn, you're my only hope!)
Maybe Romney isn't as conservative as we would like him to be, but for God's sake he isn't Obama! Why continue to beat a dead and impotent horse? Instead of bemoaning the fact that our favorite candidates didn't make the cut, we should work to make the flawed candidate we're stuck with, a better conservative.
If we get a conservative Congress, then Romney's more progressive impulses will be curbed.
I sympathize with your point, Fred. Frankly, you're right on many things. But at this stage in the game we have to play with the pieces we have, regardless of the ones we want.
Aug '10
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Guruforhire
Who cares. You are arguing a distinction without a difference. There is no real practical difference here.
We are paying banks to keep the liquidity out of the markets, and monetizing our debt to keep interest rates low. The end game is well within the whole not balancing the budget for 30 years thing that Romney and Ryan are running on. The choice between drooling babbling mad, and only babbling mad has no practical difference. · 1 minute ago
Your oversimplification is what makes a distinction withou a difference. If your adopted metrics are unable to discern between the two candidates, when they are obviously different, then you need to do some study to find different metrics.
Standing on this street corner with your "the End is Near" sign really isn't helping. You might start with a "practical" solution.
Gary Johnson isn't a practical solution.
If my choice is between cleaning up drool or not, I'll take not. (See there is a difference!)
Jul '10
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Did they do it? Or threaten companies which opposed the legislation that they would?
Jan '11
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
We don't elect ideologies, policies, or parties ... we elect people.
That may sound trite, but it profoundly affects the way we govern ourselves. It means we have no direct way to identify how we want to be governed. We can't elect an ideology. California has referendums on particular policies, but because they're disconnected "issues," we're never asked to vote on a coherent whole.
Party affiliation doesn't qualify, since (as Mitt shows) individuals within parties can vary widely in their understanding.
Because we elect people, an election never actually affirms ideas. To win an election, you only have to be better than the other guy. Since Obama is so far to the Left, Romney only needs to be closer to the center than Obama. Romney doesn't have to be conservative. In fact, I'm sure the Romney camp figures that they have the conservatives in the bag, and they can pick up votes being only slightly less liberal than Obama.
It's a sucker's game. In fact, by going further and further Left, Obama pulls Romney to the Left with him. How far will they pull Romney?
Mar '11
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
Guruforhire
Romney will tell you anything you want to here.
What Romney says =/= What Romney does. · 33 minutes ago
Hear here. :)
Vote for the lame-o statist with no support from his base for more statism versus the lame-o statist with support from his base for more statism. It's important.
It's too long to fit on a bumper sticker, but it's all I've got left.
May '10
Re: Romney Personally Advocated For Individual Mandate
The bottom line is this: Problems looked at individually are solvable but when presented in context to the larger picture often create more problems than the one solved. Politicians are myopic creatures who never, ever look beyond the next election or the current topic du jour.
If you look at the just the health care issue, individual mandates make sense. However, no one bothered to look at the broader economic impact, let alone the impact on personal liberty.
The real problem is US. Until we stop demanding politicians fix our problems then we get what we get.