Do newly leaked emails discredit Romney's ObamaCare attacks?
Old emails acquired by The Wall Street Journal suggest that Mitt Romney was a committed champion of mandatory health insurance when he was Massachusetts governor
These days, Mitt Romney is promising to demolish ObamaCare, but back when he was governor of Massachusetts, he aggressively defended the individual mandate to buy health insurance, which is the core of President Obama's health reform law, according to circa-2006 Romney emails acquired by The Wall Street Journal. The messages show that he actively pushed through his state's health-care reform law, and once boasted that it would allow hundreds of thousands of people in his state to "have healthier and happier lives." Will this undermine his attempts to win over anti-ObamaCare voters in November?
This is enough to scare opponents of the mandate silly: It's not just that Romney "worked so hard to pass his controversial health-care law," says Mollie Hemingway at Ricochet. He apparently used tactics, such as the public shaming of companies that didn't provide enough health insurance, "that even Barack Obama might find heavy handed." Romney is telling liberty-loving voters to have faith that he'll crush ObamaCare, "but this slow drip of scary information is not helping."
"Romney personally advocated for individual mandate"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Romney and Obama both flip-flopped: It wouldn't be a big deal if Romney had simply changed his mind, says Patrick Caldwell at The American Prospect. President Obama did the same thing — remember, he was the anti-mandate candidate in his 2008 primary battle against Hillary Clinton. The shocking thing about Romney's position is that he still says the mandate was right for Massachusetts, but he somehow thinks the same policy "would be a disastrous assault on freedom at the national level." Huh?
It makes you wonder if Romney truly opposes ObamaCare: This fits a troubling pattern, says Peter Suderman at Reason. Just before the emails surfaced, Romney appointed Michael Levitt, a consultant who has spent months urging states to set up health insurance exchanges as called for by ObamaCare, to head his transition team. Taken together, it's enough to make anti-ObamaCare voters wonder whether Romney is really vehemently opposed to the law, or just telling them what they want to hear.
"Romney defended the Massachusetts mandate, appoints ObamaCare profiteer as campaign adviser"
Read more political coverage at The Week's 2012 Election Center.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published