Romney has done some extraordinary things in his lifetime, but don't think he can change the dynamics of the health care debate with one speech -- a speech delivered long before anyone is really paying attention. The bottom line is that Romney's opponents are going to continue to blast him with his past health care policies. That is not going to change.
There are profound reasons why one could be against individual mandates. I just recently had an intelligent conversation with a friend who is strongly against them. We left that conversation unconvinced of each others' opinion, but with a healthy respect for the various factors and sides of the health care debate. My friend will probably not support Romney and I can respect him for that. If Romney loses because the conservative movement takes the time to consider what he did in MA and finds it lacking, then I can continue to be satisfied with the Republican Party.
However, we all know that this is not going to happen. There will be no debate on the issue. Here is what is going to drive the discussion. In fact, if Romney is going to change the dynamics of the discussion, he is going to need to change one of the following:
1. Anything that shares similar parts to Obamacare is really, really, really, really bad. Why? Because Obama is a Kenyan socialist bent on destroying America as we know it.
2. The low information voters that flocked to the polls during the Republican primaries don't really care to understand public policy anyway. They withdraw themselves from the outside world by limiting themselves to Fox News and talk radio all day.
3. During the Republican debates, the 60 seconds that a candidate gets to speak is not enough time to discuss public policy in detail. Furthermore, the low information voters would get bored anyway, so the candidates instead tried to give off rhetorical red meat and seek to tag the other candidates as not "conservative" enough. Romney's opponents will have every incentive to tag Romney with his past health care reform. And they will get away with it.
4. Ironically, the nomination of the Republican for President really has very little to do with the past accomplishments and policies of each candidate and everything to do with his or her temperament and empathy. Romney is not folksy and he isn't a fighter. Enough said. He is a RINO. Romney's problem with his health care policies have very little to do with the actual policies and everything to do with the fact that they are too similar to Obamacare. As I have pointed out many times, most Republicans had no problem with Romneycare prior to 2009. When Obama passed his health care plan, nothing had changed about Romney. But he was no longer seen as a big enough fighter.
Anyway, I hope that Romney today proves me wrong.
5 comments:
I agree that this probably won't change the debate. If anything, it may give his opponents additional material. But, I'll reserve judgement until I watch it.
I continue to be both fascinated, amazed and stupified bgy the assortment of Republican comments about Romney and this issue. To wit
a. Didn't Jim DeMint endorse Romney in 2008 applauding this same healthcare measure and the mandates it requires ?
b. Don't conservatives criticize Romney for " Flip Flopping " on issues at the same time they demand that he " flip flop " on this issue ?
c. Didn't the WSJ applaud Romney's original healthcare plan when it was passed in 2006 ?
d. What is said about the onerous parts of the current plan that Romney vetoed in 2006 that were passed by an override by the Mass legislature ?
Many in the GOP are anxious to mount a modern " Children's Crusade " for the White House next year. It will be fun, motivated, full of earnestness and convistion.....and ultimately totally doomed to failure. I was involved once before.....in 1964. Full of energy, zeal, enthusiasm and delusion and the results may well be the same. Check it out. Great candidate. President with a war and social legislative delusions. Easy target.
We won ONE state
"a. Didn't Jim DeMint endorse Romney in 2008 applauding this same healthcare measure and the mandates it requires ?" Let's cut this non-sense about Mr. DeMint and company. The only reason people like Mr. DeMint endorsed Mr. Romney last time was because the field of candidates were different.
"b. Don't conservatives criticize Romney for " Flip Flopping " on issues at the same time they demand that he " flip flop " on this issue ?" I for one am glad he flip flopped on Abortion, but Pro-Life Socialism is not my favorite ideology.
"c. Didn't the WSJ applaud Romney's original healthcare plan when it was passed in 2006 ?" That was before they realized how bad it would be.
Jonathan. Great post, and I mostly agree. Romney is not a RINO, and I do think Romney is a fighter. Look at everything he's done in his life, including the tremendous effort over the last 2 years to build the party. He's methodical and meticulous, but not rash, nor prone to reckless flights of fancy, etc.
He's not angry, either. He 'gets' the dire fiscal situation we're in, and is the best prepared to deal with it IMO, but he's not going to stoop beneath his own principles and demeanor to do so.
We'll soon see if the party is hell-bent on suicide, or if they really want to solve the problems.
-Martha
OJ, mandates were conservative until Obama tried them. It's all very disingenuous.
-Martha
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