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Mandate Mitt on HillaryCare

His remarks are here. It should be noted that one point I neglected to mention in my article on Rudy's strengths against Hillary Clinton, is that Romney's universal healthcare plan in Massachusetts is another thing that would make Romney less suited to challenge her. The most pernicious element of Clinton's healthcare plan is the individual mandate, and yet that was an aspect of the Massachusetts healthcare plan that Romney defended. For example, he wrote in an April 2006 WSJ op-ed:

Some of my libertarian friends balk at what looks like an individual mandate. But remember, someone has to pay for the health care that must, by law, be provided: Either the individual pays or the taxpayers pay. A free ride on government is not libertarian.

At the time, Romney did not seem to get that forcing individuals to purchase health insurance by itself violates every conservative principle about the proper function of government. I'm happy that his plan as a presidential candidate did not include an individual mandate at the federal level, but in my view he has already ceded too much ground to Hillary on this issue.

UPDATE: Here's the video of Romney's remarks.

UPDATE II: A rival campaign passes on this very different Romney video from the signing of the Massachusetts healthcare plan in which Romeny praises Ted Kennedy as his "collaborator and friend" whose work on the plan was "absolutely essential." He applauds Kennedy, and shakes hands with him. Keep in mind that this happened not a long time ago, but last year.

topics:
Health Care, Hillary Clinton, Law

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