Romney: Against Federal Government-Run Medicine Before He Was For It?
by Charles C. JohnsonEarlier today the Mitt Romney campaign released a video of the 1994 debate he had with Ted Kennedy where a younger Mitt Romney argues against a government takeover of health care.
But in April 12, 2006 at a Faneuil Hall singing ceremony, Mitt Romney actually saluted Ted Kennedy, the very man he debated at Faneuil Hall in 1994 as a “parent” of healthcare. Then Romney celebrated Kennedy’s ability to get a federal monies for their signature health care bill. Now Romney makes a states’ rights appeal and says that the Massachusetts plan was for Massachusetts and didn’t involve the other states.
According to NBC News’ Michael Isikoff, White House visitors logs reveal that Romney’s health care advisers and experts repeatedly met with senior Obama administration officials in 2009, while Obama’s health care plan was being drafted. Indeed when Mitt Romney argued that Barack Obama ought to have called him and asked him what worked and what didn’t, Romney neglected to mention that three of his own advisers decamped to Washington so Obama had little need to phone him.
Indeed, Obama actually contemplated naming ObamaCare after Ted Kennedy after the late (not great) Senator Robert Byrd suggested they rename it after Kennedy. Kennedy had referred to health care as “the cause of my life,” and Obama, many members of Congress, and White House staff wore blue TedStrong wrist bands in honor of Kennedy at the signing ceremony for Obamacare, according to USA Today. As James Pethokoukis reports today at The American, a peer-reviewed health policy journal acknowledges the similarities in the plans.
At the signing ceremony for RomneyCare in 2006, Ted Kennedy and Romney share a yuck, celebrating the passing of the individual mandate. But today Massachusetts isn’t laughing. A poll by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation found that 78 percent of state residents see health care costs as a crisis or a major problem, according to The Boston Globe. Romney’s successor, the Obama-like Deval Patrick, has actually begun implementing price controls, according to CNN, to help contain costs.
Even Romney admits that the plan failed to control costs. “We had hoped that what we did would bring down the cost of health care, even in a modest way. That didn’t happen,” Romney acknowledged in December 2011. “There’s some who say its come down a little bit, or the rate of growth has come down a little bit. But in terms of getting down the cost of health care, that’s the real objective we ought to be looking at the federal level.”
In 2007, Romney explained the difference between RomneyCare and HillaryCare: ”Perhaps the biggest between our two plans was that mine got passed and hers didn’t.“ (The Man, His Values, & His Vision, p.114 , Aug 31, 2007)
Here he is celebrating the achievement with Ted Kennedy.
Sometimes laughter isn't the best medicine, especially when government gets involved (Boston Globe photo)
I guess he was for the government remaining out of healthcare decisions before he was against it.
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92 Comments
And when he chastised Gingrich,….
for a negative ad about his stand on immigration.
What was Romney's attack ads on Gingrich in Iowa,…….????
and why did Newt let that one just slip by.
You take a turd, square the corners perfectly, polish it real good and you STILL HAVE A TURD!
Government run markets are proven failures. Look to the former Soviet Union and the current Cuba, North Korea, Greece, etc for proof.
A turd is a turd no matter what! Time to flush the government mandates and let the markets flourish.
I'm gonna be smiling like that when Obama gets his trash out of the Whitehouse! These guys are just beaming with joy, they found a new way to jackhump the taxpayers!
The flip flopper Kerry/Kennedy clone is exposed. I just hope this information hits Florida quickly. Now maybe some folks will realize why conservatives don't trust rino extraordinaire Romney.
Only a fool would believe that Romney would really get rid of Obamacare…
He'd take his advisor, Norm Coleman's advice and candy-coat that turd to make it easier to swallow….
Romney's no angle when it comes to illegal aliens. Santorum scores an A-.
https://www.numbersusa.com/content/action/2012-pr...
Off topic: EPIC Urges Appeals Court to Shed Light on Google-NSA Agreement
http://epic.org/privacy/nsa/foia/NSA-Google_FOIA_...
The biggest difference between Romneycare and Obamacare is that the people of Massachusetts actually wanted the government to take over health care. The rest of the American people did not. As long as Romney gives me my way, I don't really care that he gave the people of Massachusetts theirs.
but as a polititian this flip shows he can play the angles
I'm a thinkin' that if we could bake 'em in an oven, we could make adobe bricks.
Maybe use 'em to build a wall on our southern border?
I remember him saying that he would repeal Obamacare "as it stands today". Just what does he mean by that?
Ron Paul was against Government run medicine before there was Government run medicine.
Ya got me. Messed up the spelling "angel" was the correct word. Not to worry. I severely punished those pesky fingers. Thanks for the head slap.
Man, must be killing you contributors at The "Bigs" that Drudge is handing you your lunch when it comes to releasing facts about candidates. But you just keep focusing on your "Anybody But Mitt Campaign". You and your echo chamber of posters are keeping me entertained. Look, Romney has made it clear. It's a States Rights issue. He's been perfectly clear that he will repeal Obamacare. He's made it clear that The Mass Health Plan isn't perfect, far from it. But it's what the state legislature and voters wanted. If the polls sow they have buyers remorse it's on them. This wasn't Gov. Scott Walker who could utilize a veto. He didn't have close to a majority in the Mass Legislature and would have been crushed if he had tried to stop the plan. You all call him a Flip Flopper. You bring up that he moved from Independent to GOP. You mention he voted for Tsongas. You lament that he wasn't/isn't Pro-Life. You swear he's a Dem in GOP clothing. But riddle me this…wasn't President Reagan a Democrat and President of his Union BEFORE he was GOP?Didn't he support FDR? Does that make him a flip flopper? Take off the Tea Party Colored Glasses and look a little deeper. Mitt is a good strong candidate, you may not like everything about him but he will pull us back from the brink. "I'm Mitt Romney and I Approve this Message." ;>)
As a fiscal conservative looking at the last four candidates, I see only one real choice.
Could'nt resist, have a great weekend.
test
Romney was finally outed once and for all last night on his support for the individual mandate.
Santorum kept firing and firing until Mitt had emptied all his cylinders.
It might have been when he mentioned the fine for not participating.
I'm also sick of Congress' short memory on repeal.
The repubs has to wise up the liberal media will try to continue the repubs circus/food fight while Obama lay out the vision for America. The funny thing is thanks from the help of self appointed republican elitists who thinks they hold the oracle of wisdom knocking off another candidate they despise.
Not really. Romneycare is under funded right now. Federal government will step in. You will be paying for that pretty soon by subsidizing MA's healthcare.
A side benefit is that you can reduce the number of turd rollers.
Here is some insight to our government and healthcare. Do not get sick AFTER JUNE on the Reservation?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Z4YROH4Jw&fe...!
U.S. Government Healthcare On Indian Reservations Is A Nightmare Posted by Admin | Posted in Politics | Posted on 3-08-2009
http://thetruthwins.com/archives/us-government-he...
"The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves."
George Washington
Precisely. When a campaign staffer cracks on a key issue, you KNOW there's a problem.
This is typical republican/democrat behavior, lie to the public and just pretend to support whatever you think is popular.
Quit voting for these democrats and republicans they are both ruining the country, we need to stop electing these people.
It's a weird trick here in Florida, Rick. We had 200,000 absentee votes early on. Then we had "early voting."
The key to who wins in FL is the I-4 corridor. Tampa/Orlando/Melbourne. With Bill McCollum's endorsement, Newt has a good chance to defy the polls. We'll have to see what happens on Tuesday.
True, he is the only candidate that actually opposes big government, why is there even a debate, its clear Obama and Gingrich and Romney are all for bigger government.
Romney won't give you your way, the only people that will benefit if Romney gets elected is democrats and republicans that hold office.
If Obama wins only people who benefit will be democrats and republicans that hold office.
Only if Ron Paul or a third party wins will actual citizens benefit.
Yes and the only way to do it is to start voting third party in all elections, and never voting again for another republican or democrat.
Agreed. The trouble with Paul is that when Iran launches an EMP attack on America, because we want to be "non-interventionist," ALL health care will be "government health care," by default.
Thank you for your support of Newt.
It turns out that Romney and his cohort are engaged in dirty politics to knocked off his formidable opponent Newt Gingrich. Romney's operative turns out selectively edited Newt speech to make him looks like he was ranting against Reagan. If this continue, we need a new and an honest nominee for the Republican Party.
The reason the Coleman vs Franken race was so close, was there was little difference between the two…
Except of course when he was paid to practice medicine by the government instead of slog through the mud with a rifle.
Intelligence Officer: Ron Paul’s Right on Iran: Jan 13, 2012 Former Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer explains why he says Ron Paul’s stance towards Iran is the most grounded in reality of the GOP candidates. http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/1389827493001/inte...
Another John Kerry…
Romney(care): He was FOR abortion before he was AGAINST it; he was FOR the individual mandate before he was AGAINST it; he was FOR appointing leftist activist judges before he was AGAINST it; he was FOR coddling ILLEGALS before he was AGAINST it; he was FOR the auto bailout before he was AGAINST it; he was FOR massive tax increases BEFORE he was AGAINST it….
SO WHERE ARE THE SWIFT BOATERS WHEN WE REALLY NEED THEM ?????
Uh…would you call that a 'flip flopper' and a 'fence sitter'…and also deep in bed with NWO money?
I would!
HE CANNOT WIN!
HE WILL NOT WIN!
HE SHOULD HAVE NEVER, EVER RUN IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Americans — and much of the rest of the world — have been deprived of one of the most important means of establishing and maintaining a free society, namely, federalism or states' rights. It is not just an accident that states' rights have either been relegated to the memory hole, or denigrated as a tool of racists and other miscreants. The Jeffersonian states'-rights tradition was — and is — the key to understanding why Thomas Jefferson believed that the best government is that which governs least, and that a limited constitutional government was indeed possible.
Prepare for disaster on a scale never experienced before. Romney is another clone for the one world, everybody can get along together, government knows best crowd. He reminds me of a member of Obama's house full of hired cronies.
Conservatives , we are totally ignored. Continuing on the same path as set by Obama's administration will undo the Constitution and bury us as a nation. I will probably revive "non of the above" as a bumper sticker.
States rights are practically dead and soon martial law will be in effect because of a general unrest by majorities filling the streets similar to the occupy crowd. I wish for a return to a government as it was established originally.
States don't have rights.
States have powers.
Where States, or any governments, have rights, people don't.
States must have powers for our federal republic to work, but they must never have rights they can assert to the detriment of the rights of the people.
10th amendment: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
That's exactly correct:
The POWERS not delegated to the United States.
Not the rights not delegated to the United States, the powers not delegated.
No rights are delegated to the United States, or the several States.
That's what the 9th Amendment covers:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Note the "retained by the people" part.
Not "retained by the States respectively, or the people".
You could also reference the Declaration of Independence for the underlying theory:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,"
Men (the people) have unalienable rights.
Governments (States) derive powers from the consent of the government (the people).
So again:
States do not have rights.
People have rights.
When States have rights, people don't.
You have that correct! Reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Yes, I know.
The people have powers too.
I've said that many times, the Constitution makes note of powers belonging to FIVE branches of government:
Legislature
Executive
Judiciary
States
People
The last two on that list are essential, particularly since the full scope of their retained powers are not enumerated, doubly so since the fourth group have their delegated powers enumerated in other documents while the final group never have their retained powers limited by an enumeration.
Yes indeed, I think we can all see this clear as day right now. The one flaw is that the states will not, and have not allowed its power to the people. Here is a flaw we have found, and need to address.
"The basis of our political system is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government."
George Washington
When Bob Dole, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Jon Huntsman and a handful of other RINO's are endorsing you, you are not a conservative. As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney's achievement was the most socialistic health care plan in the country.
It is the states (governments), both federal and State, that are asserting rights against the people, and in the case of the federal government, against the lawful agents of the people, the States.
And yes, the representatives elected to all levels must be those who will respect the rights and powers of the people, and the powers of the States.
They must not believe they have any more powers than those explicitly delegated, and definitely have no unalienable rights by virtue of their selection, merely certain granted privileges of exception.
YOU CANNOT THINK!
YOU CANNOT ARTICULATE INDIVIDUAL THOUGHT!
YOU WILL NEVER BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY WITH YOUR MULTIPLE AVATAR TITLES!
Let me be clear, Mitt Romney will never come close to Reagan. There was only one, and there is nobody in the field that is even remotely close!
Let me be clear Washington76, I'm not saying he is close to President Reagan. What I am saying is that even the GREATEST of us transition. Even the one's we look up to today have changed their minds. The Flip Flop moniker is a convenient one to push on Romney. Not because of his ideology but because of his geography and fiscal superiority. It's a way to try and lump him in with John Kerry. Another person Mitt will never come close to. THANK GOODNESS!
So endorsements from Connie Mack, Robert Bork, Ann Coulter, Nikki Haley, John Bolton, Thaddeus McCotter, Chris Christie, and Jason Chaffetz are not conservative enough for you easye2984?
None of those surprise me except for Thad McCotter… That is a disappointment if true. But the rest are all blood sucking leeches if you ask me. So nice try, but NO!!
I do support him.
Maybe not as much as I support another but he's still going in the same direction I am.
I will repeat it a thousand times if necessary. There is no defense for Romneycare and Obama will destroy Mittens with it.
I'm glad to hear that. No candidate is going "entirely" in the direction that I am, but Newt comes pretty close.
So who is conservative enough for you, John Birch? Robert Bork is no RINO. Neither is John Bolton. That is a very small list. There are plenty of others including several Tea Party Groups. I have to laugh since when is Mike Huckabee considered a RINO? You "Big"o-phants make me chuckle.
Well if that happens I guess we'll all pray at the alter of basterdscalper and declare you Prophet Prognosticator of the Year! Well Done! LOL!
Well if that happens I guess we'll all pray at the alter of basterdscalper and declare you Prophet Prognosticator of the Year! Well Done! LOL!
How is being underfunded a difference between Romneycare and Obamacare?!?
I've got a primary vote at the end of Feb.
I think I can make up my mind by then.
Mitt Romney is certainly not!! The author of Obamneycare.
Oh my! What a one noter you are! Question, who gave amnesty to thousands of immigrants back in the 80's? Who made deals with Massachusets own Tip O'Neil because he had to. To quote the famous baseball movie "Bull Durham", "Bad trades are a part of baseball." The same apples to politics. But you just keep facing right. Pretty soon you'll have come full circle and bump into Michael Moore, Kucinich, and Obama. HAHA!
As governor, Mitt Romney's no. 1 achievement was the most socialistic health care plan in the country.
THE STALKER APPEARS AGAIN!
If you keep playing that one note you'll never get out of remedial band. ;>) The Newtrons are being really obtuse. So you'll sit out if Mitt gets the nomination? I'm reading correctly? I mean you're saying with a straight face that you'd rather let O have another 4 years just because of a law that a GOP Gov in the Bluest of Blue States had to broker with an overwhelmingly Blue Legislature? You really don't see what he was up against? Seriously? I'm not going to say it but I think it's more about the 800 Pound Gorilla that doesn't get mentioned this election cycle.
Don't you have anything better to do? Perhaps taking your EBT card to the shoe show?
Wow! 15 Hours and that was the best you could come up with? Couldn't find your "Debating for Dummies" by Newt Gingrich book? Or maybe the prophetic voices in your head were told not to cheer at your snappy comebacks so that has thrown you off. Or maybe those one hit wonder voices in your head weren't allowed in and your brain has been stacked by other voices that didn't cheer? Or maybe everyone but you is a liar? Yeah, must be one of those Mr/Mrs/Ms basterdscalper. Here let me make your next retort for you, just to help out. "Blah blah diddy blah Romneycare! Blah diddy blah blah Massachusetts! Blah diddy blah diddy blah Obama Smash! Blah bluh bluh personal attack on fellow GOP and Poster." There you go Sweet and Low, buy that with your EBT Card! HAHA!
Now you're insulting military flight surgeons and the work they do. Nice. Hear that, vets? Republicans only "Support the Troops" if they were on the front lines, "slogging through the mud with a rifle". All of you pilots, flight surgeons, sailors, Coast Guardsmen, MP's, electricians, cooks, electricians, drill instructors, etc., don't count.
Not at all.
I am insulting one hypocritical ex-flight surgeon who never deployed outside the United States and only "volunteered" because he did not want to be drafted as a rifleman, along with his even more hypocritical worshipers who like to posture as if he was right there on the front lines, covered in mud, thousands of miles from home, with bullets whizzing past his head, as he performed field triage like a medic instead of staying in base like an ordinary surgeon.
He's not even Hawkeye and Hunnicutt, but you want to pretend he's Benjamin L. Salomon.
You are welcome to enjoy your Kool Aid all you want, but don't expect the rest of us to guzzle down with you.
Nobody is saying any of the things you say they are. You really should get out more.
Right, nobody but you Ronulans is saying any of the things you say until you try and scrub the record and deny the things you said because someone holds you accountable for them.
No, nobody period is saying those things. What YOU are saying, on the other hand, is that unless the soldier or Marine is on the front lines, "slogging through mud with a rifle", then they're not really one of the troops.
Facts are facts: Ron Paul served his country in uniform, none of the other candidates have done so. Newt Gingrich dodged the draft and used his kids as an excuse. Ron Paul, on the other hand, was married with two kids and still went. You can try to spin it all you want, claiming he "only volunteered because he did not want to be drafted as a rifleman". It's disingenuous, and in fact, it makes him look better because rather than waiting to be drafted, he actually went and volunteered. Thank you for unintentionally promoting Ron Paul.
Please, just leave the political discussion to us adults.
I said nothing about a soldier or Marine having to be on the front line.
Of course, Ron Paul was neither a soldier or a Marine, now was he? But there you go, trying to make him out to be one, proving that just as I said, you Ronulans are trying to play up his service.
Further, Ron Paul did actually dodge the draft, choosing to run off to be a medical officer rather than accepting being drafted into the Army. And to be clear, Ron Paul did receive a draft notice. He didn't want to serve as a rifleman, so before he had to report he volunteered for the Air Force. Had he not received his draft notice he never would have volunteered. So that is both another lie on your part in an attempt to play him up as a super-patriot he never was.
Newt Gingrich dodged nothing. He simply got married and chose a course of study. That the government decided that made him a lower draft priority was a choice of the government. Are you suggesting that all men who got married before being drafted are really cowards who did solely to avoid the draft? That certainly looks like what you are saying. That's a nice bit of general mudslinging you've got going on there.
I would greatly prefer if this political discussion would be left to adults, but you juvenile Ronulans keep sticking your cult of personality noses into things and we have to deal with you.
Hmmm.
So Ron Paul, who did serve (volunteered) while married with two kids, dodged the draft, but Newt Gingrich, who didn't serve, didn't dodge the draft. Interesting. I suppose that, technically, you're right. Paul, by volunteering to serve, "dodged" the draft. But still, that's an amazing mental gymnastics routine you've got there, Bronx.
And I'm not making him out to be a Marine, and I'm not saying that all men who got married before being drafted are really cowards who did solely to avoid the draft. All I'm saying is that Paul served and none of the other candidates did, which is a fact that you want to avoid.
You Newtbots really should just stay home this year.
How sad.
He is your boy and you do not even know his background.
Wow.
No wonder you are so eager to keep anyone else from looking into his background.
Ron Paul received a draft notice.
When he asked about he was informed that if fully processed he would serve in the Army as a private. He was also told that if he went out and volunteered first he could get in as a medical officer.
Obviously he felt there was a reason not to serve as a regular soldier, so he went and became a medical officer – in the Air Force.
By your standards, twisted as they are, he "dodged" the draft – rather than be drafted he used a way to get a much safer assignment.
Now perhaps you want to revise your standards that enable you to so casually attack other candidates, but I doubt you are capable of such honesty.
And you are making him out to be a man who went out and volunteered when he did not have to.
That is not what he did.
He volunteered only because he was going into the service no matter what, and he wanted to be an officer in a guaranteed rear area position rather than an enlisted man almost certain to go to the front.
And yes, you are calling all married men cowards who only did it to avoid the draft as you are saying Newt used being married to get an exemption. You are doubly lying as you very much said more than Ron Paul served while none of the other candidates did, you deliberately chose to call Newt a draft dodger because of his status as a married man.
All of this is typical of you Ronulans.
You show up and fling your poo then get all bent out of shape when it is pointed out that what you are flinging smears your boy just as bad if not worse and start whining about being taken out of context.
Your context is quite clear.
It is also complete nonsense, failing to reflect the actual facts.
As always, reality is simply not your friend.
Oh please, anyone just graduated with a M.D. who opted to be a rifleman would get a section 8 straight to the loony bin.
Mittens, Newt, and Santorum are all flip flopping fence sitters.
So then his behavior does need to be explained.
Nice excuse though.
Ron Paul's stance on fighting wars stands as prima facie evidence that he is in fact a conscientious objector. Or maybe that is semiconscious objector… either way… you get my drift.
That is…. if the Rinos haven't made up our minds for us before we get there
A whole lot of words, and absolutely nothing said.
Why do you refuse to accept the fact that Ron Paul served his country and none of the other candidates did? Just face it: Paul served while married with two kids, Newt refused to as did the other candidates. Accept it and move on.
Just accept it: Paul served while none of the other candidates did, but had the chance to. Why do you refuse to acknowledge this fact?
When did I ever deny that Ron Paul took federal money to give medical exams?
Never.
As always, you have to lie and spin to try and make your guy look like some superhero when he is anything but.
I have never refused to acknowledge the fact that Ron Paul took government money to perform medical exams.
You are the one who has a problem admitting that, not me.
LOL
The only one lying and spinning here is you. Paul served, none of the other candidates did. Just admit it.
So now you're reducing military service to "taking government money". Wow. Just when I thought you Newtbots couldn't sink any lower…
Face reality: Ron Paul served in uniform. None of the other candidates did, though they all had the chance. You lost this argument before it even began.
Nope.
I'm just reducing Paul and his preening, along with yours, to the level you prefer.
You just don't like having the perverse standards of your own rhetoric thrown back at you.
I've never denied that.
You are the one pretending Paul volunteered because he wanted to rather than because he really wanted to avoid another form of service, as well as condemning the other candidates for not having to circumvent the draft the way Paul did.
What "preening"? And the biggest question is, why do you keep avoiding the fact that Paul served when none of the other candidates did (but they all had the chance)? Why is this so difficult for you to grasp?
Reality must not be your friend.
The preening is yours, and it is right here: acting as if Paul giving flight exams because his draft number was picked makes him inherently superior to all the other candidates.
There is nothing difficult to grasp there, the reality of your statments is quite clear, and is in fact very much my friend for what it shows about you and the race-baiting fraud that you worship.
You keep avoiding the question and the facts. Oh well, this isn't the first time you've been wrong.
I've avoided absolutely nothing.
As for the first time for me being wrong about something like this, that will never happen as long as Ron Paul's shenanigans are involved.
Getting two right out of three ain't bad…Bubba…but you are wrong…so wrong on the only 'real' conservative in this race…Rick Santorum! I can only guess who YOU are rooting for!
Santorum telling it like it is…and not backing down!
http://bigpeace.com/jpollak/2011/12/11/santorum-f...
http://bigpeace.com/sfr/2011/12/22/interview-rick...
http://biggovernment.com/jpollak/2012/01/02/ron-p...
http://bigpeace.com/stzu/2012/01/06/santorum-obam...
NOW LET US SUPPORT RICK SANTORUM WITH OUR MONEY AND OUR VOTE TO FIGHT THE NWO MONEY…FLOWING INTO ROMNEY!
https://transaxt.com/Donate/PTWALC/RickSantorumfo...
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