Politics

Romney Slammed by Conservatives for Pushing Federal Health Mandate in 2009 Op-Ed

Romney Slammed by Conservatives for Pushing Federal Health Mandate in 2009 Op Ed

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has faced criticism throughout the campaign for the similarities between the healthcare reform plan passed while he was governor of Massachusetts, and the plan crafted by President Obama and passed in Congress in 2010. Romney has batted down the comparison, arguing that his plan was a conservative solution to a problem that needed to be addressed in a liberal state, and argues that he never advocated for his plan to be adopted on a national level. Romney’s opponents have questioned his record on promoting the plan nationally, attacking the former Massachusetts governor on the debate stage and citing now revised passages in his book No Apology.

Conservative commentators have now pounced on Romney after “it was revealed” late Friday that he penned a July 2009 op-ed in USA Today encouraging President Obama to adopt an individual mandate requiring Americans to buy health insurance, a provision near universally despised by Republicans on the stump over the last two years. Romney wrote in 2009 that Obama could “learn a thing or two” from his plan:

“Our experience also demonstrates that getting every citizen insured doesn’t have to break the bank. First, we established incentives for those who were uninsured to buy insurance. Using tax penalties, as we did, or tax credits, as others have proposed, encourages ‘free riders’ to take responsibility for themselves rather than pass their medical costs on to others. This doesn’t cost the government a single dollar. Second, we helped pay for our new program by ending an old one — something government should do more often. The federal government sends an estimated $42 billion to hospitals that care for the poor: Use those funds instead to help the poor buy private insurance, as we did.”

Commentators and primary opponents slamed Romney over the weekend for the op-ed where he “urged Obama to embrace the individual mandate.”

“Friends, if Mitt Romney is the nominee, we will be unable to fight Obama on an issue that 60% of Americans agree with us on,” Erik Erikson wrote on Red State Friday evening. Rick Santorum, Romney’s closest follower in the primary delegate count, hit the former governor for the op-ed at an event in Ohio Saturday before the state’s key primary vote Tuesday.

“Governor Romney has been saying throughout the course of this campaign, ‘Oh, I never recommended that they adopt my program in Massachusetts for an individual federal mandate, oh, I never did that,’” CBS reports Santorum told a crowd of about 250 people in Blue Ash. “Oh yes, he did. In a 2009 USA Today op-ed he recommended, he made suggestions to President Obama, including the individual mandate and taxing people who don’t buy insurance. That is the individual mandate.”

Romney’s campaign has moved quickly to repsond to the criticism.

“Rick Santorum has a habit of making distortions, exaggerations and falsehoods about Mitt Romney’s record,” Romney’s spokesperson Andrea Saul told TPM. “Governor Romney has never advocated for a federal individual mandate. He believes in the Tenth Amendment and, as a result, has always said that states should be free to come up with their own health care reforms.”

Andrew C. McCarthy of The National Review argues that the op-ed still forwards the biggest question conservatives have about Romney: can he really make the case against Obama on health care.

“This seems very significant. A number of us have expressed concerns that Romney cannot effectively confront Obama on Obamacare, the wrongheadedness and unpopularity of which make it the Republicans’ most crucial issue in the campaign. In response, Romney posits that he is a Tenth Amendment guy who saw what he was doing as right for his state, and perhaps other states, but certainly not a national model to be adopted at the federal level. For what it’s worth, I’ve contended that those claims are utterly unpersuasive (some are downright frivolous). But that hardly matters now. The op-ed demonstrates that Mitt regarded Romneycare precisely as a model the federal government ought to adopt, and that the ‘tax penalties’ by which Massachusetts’s individual mandate are enforced were a good fit for Congress and the Obama administration to impose by federal law.”

A Gallup survey published last week found that Americans overwhelmingly believe that the “individual mandate” within the President’s health care plan is unconstitutional, by a margin of 72% to 20%.

Comments (87)

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  • Ebbertron
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:58pm

    http://mittromneycentral.com/2012/03/04/a-response-to-the-current-buzz-over-romneys-2009-op-ed-on-health-care-a-liberal-buzzkill/

    Report Post »  
    • The-Real-Enrico
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 11:16pm

      Does anybody remember John Kerry? You can not win with this kind of flip flopping! I believe he would be better than his record with the rest of the nation holding him accountable. Both Mitt and Newt are hard sells to anybody.

      It is a sad fact when both Santorum and Ron Paul are the marketable/electable candidates. We’re doomed at this rate. Please just don’t let RomNewtey win the primary!

      OMG 2012

      Report Post » The-Real-Enrico  
    • soybomb315
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 11:22pm

      true..the same attacks used against john kerry will be used against mitt romney. We have come full circle. Now you see why many people consider the two parties as different wings of the same bird

      Report Post » soybomb315  
    • Tallaron
      Posted on March 5, 2012 at 1:44am

      Enrico…it would be a sad day to vote for a man (Ron Paul) that’s honest and wants only what he believes is best for for us and believes in the Constitution. Dang is he all we got…no Santorum a guy that says black on video then says he didn‘t say it he mumbled he don’t use the word black. Then the media shows him using the word black several different times. I love flip-floppers so he’s cool…NOT. Maybe now if you have any morals Paul is the only choice.

      Report Post »  
    • TeaPartyForRomney
      Posted on March 5, 2012 at 7:24am

      THIS FIRST CAME FROM BUZZFEED AND IT IS OBVIOUSLY TAKING HIM OUT OF CONTEXT:

      BuzzFeed AND the Blaze are completely wrong. Read the original OP-ED: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20090730/column30_st.art.htm

      The paragraph in question is one where Romney rails on Obama for the old style of lawmaking: “He threw in every special favor imaginable, ground it up and crammed it through a partisan Democratic Congress. Health care is simply too important to the economy, to employment and to America’s families to be larded up and rushed through on an artificial deadline. There’s a better way. And the lessons we learned in Massachusetts could help Washington find it.”

      In the first paragraph, Romney was simply and very apparently talking about the way things were done in Washington. The ‘better way’ is what Massachusetts did and that was working on both side of the isle to pass a health care bill not sticking to one side or the other. All Republicans were fighting that the work together to fix health care but the Democrats decided to use reconciliation, to bully there way through this bill.

      ARE THESE PEOPLE SO BLINDED TO THEIR HATRED OF ROMNEY THAT THEY WOULD FORGET WHAT WAS DONE. READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE AND KNOW THAT THAT WAS NOT WHAT ROMNEY WAS SPEAKING ABOUT AND THAT Andrew Kaczynski FROM BUZZ FEED HAS BEEN DOING THIS TO ALL OF OUR CANDIDATES, JUST TO PUSH OBAMA. CAN THEY NOT SEE THIS.

      Report Post »  
    • Machtyn
      Posted on March 5, 2012 at 10:40am

      @TeaPartyForRomney: “ARE THESE PEOPLE SO BLINDED TO THEIR HATRED OF ROMNEY THAT THEY WOULD FORGET WHAT WAS DONE.”

      Yes, they are so blinded by their hatred of Romney, that they completely fail to read more than two sentences of what he writes or says. They fail to listen to context. Fortunately, it is not working due to great sites like MittRomneyCentral.com, AboutMittRomney.com, and WhyRomney.com.

      Report Post »  
    • MS-GlenNBC
      Posted on March 5, 2012 at 10:16pm

      Jim DeMint ….. Is he a conservative? A Tea Party Guy? Does Glenn have respect for Jim DeMint?

      What does he say about Romney?

      http://cnsnews.com/news/article/sen-jim-demint-romneycare-unjust-law

      Report Post » MS-GlenNBC  
    • MS-GlenNBC
      Posted on March 5, 2012 at 10:19pm

      Mitt Romney Speaks …… “I am big believer in getting money where the money is,” Romney says on the video, “The money is in Washington.”

      http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/exclusive-in-02-romney-touted-d-c-connections-federal-funds/

      TEAPARTYFORROMNEY/OBAMA….. What is out of context here???

      Report Post » MS-GlenNBC  
  • neverending
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:52pm

    Romney/Rubio 2012 and we can get this country back on track. Hopefully Romney will totally clean house on super tuesday and we can start moving ahead for the grand prize. This country cannot take anymore of barry boy.

    Report Post »  
    • SpankDaMonkey
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 11:03pm

      .
      I‘ll vote for the Whiteside of Obama if that’s all we got, but I’ll probably have to lick a dogs butt to get the taste out my mouth………

      SpankDaMonkey 2012 Ya’ll I may be our only hope……….

      Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
    • Brettfan
      Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:02am

      Santorum/Bachmann or Santorum/West for me. Not Romney.

      Report Post »  
    • MS-GlenNBC
      Posted on March 5, 2012 at 11:21pm

      Someone needs to get Romney a necktie….

      This BlueJean wearing Liberal doesn’t even dress like a Businessman let alone look Presidential….

      Report Post » MS-GlenNBC  
  • Toddski1963
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:48pm

    Do

    The best way to win in politics is to choose the right opponent. When your opponent ( Obama) is making a strong effort to get one particular candidate nominated to be his adversary in the general election, it is worth paying attention.
    Clearly, in Michigan – where Democrats could and did vote in the Republican Primary – there was an orchestrated effort by the unions and Democratic leaders to get people to vote for Rick Santorum. Democratic activist Michael Moore openly urged support for Santorum in Michigan. It is beyond dispute that Barack Obama wants Santorum, not Romney, to be his opponent in November.
    It is worth noting that Obama’s people believe – passionately – that Romney would be the toughest one to beat. They feel that he has an appeal to independent voters and women which could rob Obama of his chances for a second term.
    By contrast, they are eager to face Santorum. They believe that his positions on social issues will give them a steady diet of negative sound bites to use against him, distracting voters from the economic issues that could lead to Obama’s defeat.
    They would feature Santorum’s claim that birth control is bad for women and bad for society in that it precipitates out of wedlock births and sexual promiscuity. They can’t wait to pounce on his opposition to amniocentesis on the grounds that it leads to abortion. And they will probably use against him his opposition to the separation of church and state articulated by John F. Ken

    Report Post »  
  • Toddski1963
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:45pm

    The best way to win in politics is to choose the right opponent. When your opponent ( Obama) is making a strong effort to get one particular candidate nominated to be his adversary in the general election, it is worth paying attention.
    Clearly, in Michigan – where Democrats could and did vote in the Republican Primary – there was an orchestrated effort by the unions and Democratic leaders to get people to vote for Rick Santorum. Democratic activist Michael Moore openly urged support for Santorum in Michigan. It is beyond dispute that Barack Obama wants Santorum, not Romney, to be his opponent in November.
    It is worth noting that Obama’s people believe – passionately – that Romney would be the toughest one to beat. They feel that he has an appeal to independent voters and women which could rob Obama of his chances for a second term.
    By contrast, they are eager to face Santorum. They believe that his positions on social issues will give them a steady diet of negative sound bites to use against him, distracting voters from the economic issues that could lead to Obama’s defeat.
    They would feature Santorum’s claim that birth control is bad for women and bad for society in that it precipitates out of wedlock births and sexual promiscuity. They can’t wait to pounce on his opposition to amniocentesis on the grounds that it leads to abortion. And they will probably use against him his opposition to the separation of church and state articulated by John F. Kennedy i

    Report Post »  
  • Mpcoluv
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:11pm

    The fix is in folks!
    The ruling class controls the nominating process of the GOP.
    The ruling class views the real conservatives as a threat to their power base.
    The inside the beltway power brokers have it all arranged for Romney.
    “I don’t care who does the voting as long as I control the nominating….”

    Report Post »  
    • Machtyn
      Posted on March 5, 2012 at 10:44am

      The Ruling Class is bunk.
      The “insiders” dodged Romney for as long as they could. Why turn down a guy who is a master of saving failing companies, saving a nearly dead Olympics, and saving a dying state? This country is dying, Romney is the only one who has the ability to do something about it.

      Ron Paul has some good ideas, but he won’t be able to get anything done. Santorum would be more of the same – spend more, tax less. And Gingrich … who knows what Gingrich would do… I don’t even think he knows.

      Report Post »  
  • woodcellar
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:07pm

    If Romney become Prez Obama care will stay the law of the land. Moderates like him will say oh we can’t get rid of this we can twink it a little and fix it. Watch and see the do it every time. A moderates is just a lib with a mask.

    Report Post »  
  • ncstatemom3
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:56pm

    Just watch how fast Barry throws it up in a debate that Obamacare was modeled after Romneycare and that the two plans are alike. How can Mitt really expect to defend himself on this? Barry has him by the you know whats on this and he knows it. Just wait for the really really fast blinking during a debate and you’ll know Barry is sqeezing really hard when the subject is discussed. It won’t be pretty and Mitt is going to look like a great big fool. It’s coming. If Mitt is what we are forced to have then I will just do the same as I did with McCain. Hold my nose and cast my vote against Obama because it sure won’t be a vote for Mitt. I don’t like this man and I am not at all happy.

    Report Post »  
  • javasport
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:44pm

    Romney‘s mandate was to go after people to pay their bill if they didn’t have insurance. There is no reason for the feds to send $42 billion to hospitals if people were insured. I see nothing wrong with taking that $42 billion and helping to subsidize the insurance premiums of people who need it. That is Romneycare. Obamacare disrupts the entire system and puts everyone on the government program. There is no comparison. Santorum and Newt are slimeballs.

    Report Post »  
  • TRONINTHEMORNING
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:39pm

    I think Romney to be weak in confrontation. That is to be of concern. I have seen all of the candidates stammer on things, but Mitt seems to be in need of some conviction as he has flip flopped so many times. He STILL cannot rouse the conservative base. Oh yes, he has the establishment repubs, but they‘re ’rino’s for the most part.

    Report Post »  
    • martinez012577
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:50pm

      He will get crushed by Obama. Again your only chance against Obama is to put someone against them that can attack Obama’s record. You cannot put someone against them that has been on the same side of almost every issue with Obama. The clones cannot attack Obama.

      Ron Paul 2012!!

      Report Post » martinez012577  
    • MS-GlenNBC
      Posted on March 5, 2012 at 10:32pm

      Governor BlueJean…..

      Will someone tell Romney that the President of the United States needs to be wearing a suit and tie…

      Always in Blue Jeans with an open collar. Who does Romney think he is…. Obama?

      Report Post » MS-GlenNBC  
  • disenlightened
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:25pm

    Another phony attack on Romney just before Super Tuesday. I love the smell of desperation in the morning. It smells like victory . . . for Mitt Romney.

    Report Post » disenlightened  
    • soybomb315
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:39pm

      i like how using his own op-ed piece from just 2 years ago is ‘phony’ and ‘desperate’. i wonder what is legit in your eyes. you have a case of romneycosis

      Report Post » soybomb315  
    • DiamondDog
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:44pm

      The Mitt has hit the fan.

      Report Post »  
    • ProbIemSoIver
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:51pm

      It smells like victory for the Possible C.E.O. of the “United States” corporation that the Federal Reserve PRIVATE BANK seized in 1933 under an international lien, due to the default on the Federal Reserve’s loan in 1913. He is just another global elite minion poised to run the company.
      Anyone who takes sides with DemocRATs or RepubliCONs, are so freakin’ politically uneducated, it is pathetic.
      He likes the NDAA and says he would have passed it:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaIJSICjPos&feature

      Report Post » ProbIemSoIver  
  • KidCharlemagne
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:20pm

    In 1994, Rick Santorum was a cheerleader for the individual mandate too:

    ——————–
    “1994 Report: Santorum supported individual mandate
    by Joel Gehrke Commentary Staff Writer

    Rick Santorum supported the idea of “requir[ing] individuals to buy health insurance” when he ran for U.S. Senate in 1994, according to a local feature article comparing the candidates during that election cycle.

    “Santorum and [his opponent] would require individuals to buy health insurance rather than forcing employers to pay for employee benefits,” The Morning Call (Pa.) reported in 1994. The Morning Call noted that Santorum had also called for a MediSave account and had opposed so-called “sin” taxes.

    If true, the distinction between requiring people to buy health insurance and an individual mandate might be lost on the voters who have heard Santorum excoriate Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich for their support of the individual mandate — which, in Gingrich’s case, dates back to the early 90s.”
    http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/1994-report-santorum-supported-individual-mandate/343086

    Report Post »  
    • READRIGHTHERE
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:01pm

      Ouch for Santorum. His only message is that Romney can’t win the debate with Obama due to the similarities in Romneycare and Obamacare, and the biggest issue he touts is the individual mandate, and yet he is on record as advocating it as well. What a miserable lot.

      I don’t know what kind of advice Romney gets, but I think he will need to acknowledge that his “Conservative” solution for Masscare is a mistake for the Federal Government. He was probably under the impression that somehow requiring car insurance equates with requiring Medical insurance. But one is a regulation on the privilege of driving and the other is a regulation on breathing and living, which is a right. Huge difference.

      The real problem is the Federal mandate that hospitals, in order to be licensed, have to treat anyone who enters regardless of their ability to pay. If we are not willing to remove that regulation then we are fools to think that we don’t need some kind of requirement on all potential patients to be insured so as to mitigate the expense of free loaders on the system. Free loaders will kill any entitlement program and that includes hospital care.

      Report Post »  
    • rightismight
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:32pm

      Your anecdotal non sourced story was debunked long ago. I’m going to be gracious and presume you are just ignorant

      http://www.therightscoop.com/definitive-proof-santorum-did-not-support-the-individual-mandate/

      Report Post »  
    • KidCharlemagne
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 11:25pm

      rightismight
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:32pm

      Your anecdotal non sourced story was debunked long ago. I’m going to be gracious and presume you are just ignorant
      =================================

      You’re just mad ’cause Santorum flip-flops on positions just as often as Romney does:

      “Indeed, Santorum sponsored Gramm’s bill in the House, where it was called the Comprehensive Family Health Access and Savings Act. The act contained two soft mandates, one for employers, and one for individuals.”
      http://www.forbes.com/sites/aroy/2012/02/09/rick-santorums-1994-alternative-to-the-individual-mandate/

      Report Post »  
    • rightismight
      Posted on March 5, 2012 at 10:53am

      What you stated (and linked) in your original post is completely contrary to the follow up link you just provided. Allow me to quote, “the bill did not include an individual mandate the way we have come to understand the term…it did contain a number of important market oriented proposals that would have improved our health care system: and no obvious ones that would have made it worse.” Your original intent was to lead the reader to believe that Santorum‘s view of the individual mandate was no different than Romney’s which through your follow up link you have proven to be patently false.

      Report Post »  
  • sullinsea
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:09pm

    As I think about my last post, it occurs to me perhaps Governor Romney does not view the mandate as violating any individual rights, but only exceeding the delegated powers of the federal government. That would be even more troubling.

    Report Post »  
    • soybomb315
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:15pm

      romney admits in the debates he doesnt have a firm grasp of the constitution. When pressed, he always defers to ron paul. I have seen it happen at least three times in the debates

      Report Post » soybomb315  
    • sullinsea
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:43pm

      If the individual mandate violates an individual right, either in and of itself or because it mandates conduct that conflicts with one’s moral conscience in violation of the First Amendment, how is it not prohibited for a state to do it under the Fourteenth Amendment? Governor Romney’s Tenth Amendment argument only works if the individual mandate violates no individual right under the First Amendment or otherwise.

      Apparently Romneycare impinges on the First Amendment rights of Catholic hospitals even more directly than the HHS regulations, mandating use of emergency contraception in response to rape while making no distinction between contraception (mmorally permissible) and abortifacients (impermissible). Governor Romney appears to have been willing to impose his personal moral views on the hospitals.

      http://ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/problem-romneycare

      Report Post »  
    • sullinsea
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:28pm

      I suppose, though, this is a sword that cuts both ways – in order to undermine Romney’s Tenth Amendment argument the Obama campaign has to admit that Obamacare also violates an individual right.

      Report Post »  
  • PJL
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:04pm

    That is such a stupid argument, if Obama says he modeled O-care after massachusetts plan, all Romney hast say is, it wont work on the federal level. Obama is not going to get too much into O-care is a wart on his nose.

    Report Post » PJL  
    • Jubie
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:20pm

      I agree Obama doesn’t want to talk about this, but this is I think the weakest part about Romney. So in reality it comes up sixes and no one wins.

      The one point I try to bring up is if the Supreme court over turns it, then all of this is a moot point. So for the people who want to fight Obama on this and want to get a candidate that this is a big part of their campaign. What happens when this is off the table? What will you fight him on? The other side of this is that what if the Supreme Court upholds it. The 75% that thinks it is unconstitutional will drop to 50% in a week and by the election it will erode to 35%. And then once again what are you going to fight him on.

      For me if Santorum wants to make this a big part of his campaign and he said he will. We will have another John McCain moment on our hands. For those who don’t remember John thought it was going to be about the wars we were in, but no it became about the economy and he lost. I don’t want another moment like that.

      Report Post »  
  • mikee99
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:03pm

    I read the article. No where does Romney say he advocates for a federal plan like the Mass. one (and I don’t like Romneycare.) This is a baseless attack before Super Tuesday. Romney said he will overturn Obamacare and he will.

    Report Post »  
    • soybomb315
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:17pm

      then why did he write the op-ed piece??? Notice he did not discourage obama from enacting a federal health care bill

      Report Post » soybomb315  
    • Reaganite71
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:59pm

      What part of: “Using tax penalties, as we did” from Romney’s op-ed did you not understand?

      Report Post » Reaganite71  
    • soybomb315
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:16pm

      The correct op-ed piece would say “this is none of the federal government’s business”. Isnt that what romney keeps repeating in all his campaign speeches???

      The ignorance of you romney folks has really shocked me

      Report Post » soybomb315  
    • Jubie
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:26pm

      SOYBOMB315

      I am interested in what you think about what I stated above about what will happen when the supreme court rules.

      Report Post »  
    • soybomb315
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:38pm

      Jubie
      i tend to agree with you but you honestly you may be a step or two ahead of me. I still cannot bring myself to believe the supreme court will decide this BEFORE the election…No doubt obamacare/romneycare is a no-win situation for romney

      You are correct that we always pick the wrong candidates for the wrong reason. In ‘08 we thought national security was the issue of the day – it turned out to be the economy (and so Romney would have made a better candidate). In ‘12 we think economy will be the biggest issue – we shall see.

      Report Post » soybomb315  
    • Jubie
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 11:13pm

      they are going to hear arguments on Obama care this month with a decision in June or July. see link below.

      http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/15/us/supreme-court-to-hear-case-challenging-health-law.html?pagewanted=all

      Report Post »  
    • Jubie
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 11:27pm

      thanks for reading what I posted.

      my fear is that if the Supreme court upholds it and the candidate will have to be very disciplined and not talk about Obama care again and stay on message about the economy. right now Santorum isn‘t showing this discipline and I don’t know if he will have it in the general.

      Report Post »  
  • TJexcite
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:52pm

    It all boils down to where the orders come from. The White House or the State Capital. If the state orders it, you leave to a state that does not. But if it comes from the White House it is tyranny.

    Report Post » TJexcite  
  • biblestudyspacecom
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:52pm

    Romney is going to get slammed in the general because, millions of Christians will stay at home. Thousands of Christian Pastors and Leaders will not push the people to vote. But Fox News will still promote Romney, because Karl Rove runs the show. With money from the Bush Regime and the demons of Hell

    Report Post » biblestudyspacecom  
    • disenlightened
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:32pm

      Millions of Christians are not going to stay home. They’ll do the right thing because as Christians they always do. On November 6th they’ll get duded up in their Sunday best and head off to the polls to run Barack Obama out of the White House.

      Report Post » disenlightened  
    • neverending
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:50pm

      True honest to goodness Christians would not do that!!!

      Report Post »  
    • slr4528
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 11:00pm

      If Christians stay home then it is there fault when Obama wins and tramples our freedom of Religion.

      Report Post »  
  • sooner12
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:46pm

    Why must we, as Republicans, face this in our decision making process. Just when I feel I have my decision locked down we have to deal with this. Why can’t it be cut and dried. But NOOOOOOOOOO we get this revelation. After Tuesday this needs to be settled. No going back!!!!! Obama has to be defeated at all costs.The survival of our country, as we know it, is at stake. If Obama is re-elected there is no turning back for the next 100 years. And he is just bucking for martyrdom. Nothing would suit him more. But this must not happen. He must be defeated at the ballot box. If he is re-elected then this country and its entitlement attitude is too far gone. We have let too many people escape taxation. Every person in this country should have a stake in it. When you have 48% of the country not paying any taxes and they get to vote then we have lost the good fight. Reform is needed now.

    Report Post »  
  • sullinsea
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:43pm

    Seems to me that the “Tenth Amendmet Guy” is falling into the same trap as the old “states’ rights” southern racists. The Tenth Amendment has to be read in the modified historical context of the Fourteenth.

    I believe this is a trap being set for Romney in the general election. The notion that a state can legitimately enact Obamacare or a variation thereof does not pass close scrutiny. This will undermine Romney’s ability to carry out the single most important mission of the next administration – the complete and total repeal of Obamacare followed by legitimate market-based health care reform.

    Report Post »  
    • AOL_REFUGEE
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:56pm

      If ‘the mandate’ is found to be unconstitutional, then it should also be unconstitution for any individual state, specifically Mass-hysteria-chusetts. Hence, Romney promoted and passed an unconstitutional concept, which I find bothersome, to say the least.

      Report Post » AOL_REFUGEE  
    • disenlightened
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:34pm

      @ AOL_REFUGEE
      Your logic is flawed.

      Report Post » disenlightened  
    • notetaking
      Posted on March 5, 2012 at 1:45am

      @Disenlightened…

      No it’s not. Take off those rose-colored glasses you got on there, and you’ll see the truth in his statement. Unconstitutional is unconstitutional. See? :)

      Report Post »  
  • REVerse
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:41pm

    I’m starting to become a Ron Paul man…

    Report Post » REVerse  
    • soybomb315
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:55pm

      i believe that if given enough time, nearly all republicans would come around to ron paul. this article is another example. every single candidate lets you down on core issues.

      In the end – all these guys want is power. All ron paul wants to change peoples hearts and in doing so, the direction of this country.

      Report Post » soybomb315  
    • oldguy49
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:59pm

      i have not been one until i looked up all the canadate ‘s stand on issues and voting record….i now believe that if we don’t get a very serious person that is a really belives in the constituiton we are sunk”””””””ron paul 2012

      Report Post »  
  • huntee
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:40pm

    I agree, this a problem but can be resolved, Obama has many broken promises and crap policies to defend, In my opinion people are giving Obama way too much credit!
    Obamas negatives minus Romneys negatives = Romney wins, the media are focusing on GOP negatives and giving the President a pass!

    Report Post »  
  • progressiveslayer
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:32pm

    Mitt and Barry love that government health care don’t they? It’s unconstitutional and SCOTUS will rule that way,save Mitt‘s bacon and more importantly the republic’s.

    Report Post » progressiveslayer  
    • CatB
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:44pm

      I pray so … otherwise we are screwed ….

      Report Post »  
  • sullinsea
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:30pm

    It seems to me that Romney may be the “Tenth Amendment guy” who completely forgot the Fourteenth Amendment. The Fourteenth Amendment delegates to the federal government authority to enforce those unalienable God-given rights of U.S. citizens incorporated into it through its due process clause. Thus far the SCOTUS has held that all of the rights articulated in the Bill of Rights are incorporated other than those acknowledged in the Third and Seventh Amendments. Originally, it was assumed the people would keep the states in line with their own constitutions and delegating enforcement authority to the federal government was too scary. Immediately following the Civil War it became obvious this wasn’t the case when a racial majority refused to acknowledge the unalienable God-given rights of a racial minority. The people passed the Fourteenth Amendment to address the problem of rogue democracy in the southern states, figuring state control of the federal government through Congress would provide an adequate check and balance.

    If a federal mandate violates the Constitution, how are the individual victims of that violation not also victims when a state engages in the same conduct, and how does the Fourteenth Amendment not render a state mandate unconstitutional? Same with the First Amendment freedom of conscience. How can a state dictate conduct contrary to a long held faith-based moral rule if the federal government cannot?

    Report Post »  
    • ScratInTheHat
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:52pm

      You’re assuming that he really wants to get rid of Obamacare. He may just do what he did as Governor and throw up his hands when he sees a way to claim he can’t change it.

      Report Post » ScratInTheHat  
    • soybomb315
      Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:57pm

      you are correct – i was just thinking the exact same thing. If a federal mandate is unconstitutional, then it is unconstitutional at the state level (because of the 14th ammendment). I dont why nobody has brought this up before…ok i know why, but maybe someone like ron paul should bring it up

      Report Post » soybomb315  
  • NOBALONEY
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:30pm

    States he’s against individual mandate, but goes on say all must have insurance, and will offer tax breaks and other incentives.
    GOP establishment only wants power and control. Obamacare-Romneycare will be the power and control over the people. 2010 is long ago.

    Report Post » NOBALONEY  
  • ScratInTheHat
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:26pm

    People are getting stupid again! Stop suffering from the Dory Effect! Romney is going to get slammed in the general. On issues he has backed many of the things he is supposed to be against now. Obama is going to neuter Romney with his own past positions!

    Report Post » ScratInTheHat  
  • TRONINTHEMORNING
    Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:25pm

    That dead cat, healthcare, is tied to Romney’s leg. It sure smells bad. That is my main concern of Mitt vs. Barry. Not sure why Romney supporters don’t see the obvious there. It’s astounding.

    Report Post »  
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