Yes, yes, you've all heard all the Republicans whine about how they're going to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act. You've heard them all shake their fists about this awful government-run plan, and how they're going to act posthaste to
July 2, 2012

Yes, yes, you've all heard all the Republicans whine about how they're going to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act. You've heard them all shake their fists about this awful government-run plan, and how they're going to act posthaste to repeal it. You've even heard Willard himself say it.

But you know, there's a problem, and that problem is Mitt Romney himself. Spend the three minutes to listen to him talk in that 2007 video before the Iowa caucuses in January, 2008. The content is certainly interesting, but what's more interesting is Romney's demeanor. In that three-minute video, he makes the argument for why the Affordable Care Act works. Of course, the Affordable Care Act was just drafted legislation in some House Democrats' dreams at the time, but the 2008 Democratic platform centered on making sure all Americans had access to affordable health care, just like Romney centered on making that access a 'market-based solution.'

In this video, a relaxed and frank Mitt Romney talks confidently about his solution for Massachusetts and how he handled 'free riders.' I'm guessing his reference to constraints on insurers probably centered around pre-existing conditions, since that's always the central issue in these debates despite what everyone says.

Mitt Romney himself makes the best argument for the Affordable Care Act there is. I dare the Democrats to clip this video, mash it up with Thursday's thin-lipped promise of repeal and make it into a national ad. This should be done not to highlight Romney's agreement, but his lies.

Conservatives' dilemma will come down to whether or not they think Romney was lying then, or lying now. I think the difference in his demeanor will reveal the answer to that question.

Here he is, just minutes after the Supreme Court ruling was made public.

[oldembed width="420" height="356" src="https://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/271557391" flashvars="videoId=1711210917001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedailybeast.com%2Farticles%2F2012%2F06%2F29%2Fmitt-romney-s-empty-obamacare-repeal-rhetoric.html&playerId=271557391&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" resize="1" fid="22"]

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon