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Adieu, Adieu, Remember Me
March 25, 2011 | 38 comments
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DeMint’s Defense of RomneyCare is Ignorant…And Dangerous
March 17, 2011 | 85 comments
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McConnell Pushing Vote to Block the EPA from Regulating Carbon Emissions
March 17, 2011 | 9 comments
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More Barbour on Afghanistan
March 16, 2011 | 8 comments
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House Passes Three Week Spending Bill
March 15, 2011 | 8 comments
The Spectacle Blog
Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, this morning likened the health care program Mitt Romney enacted in Massachusetts to President Obama’s signature health care legislation, and said he was not a fan of either one.
“It’s not that dissimilar to Obamacare,” Ryan said when asked about Romney’s plan at a breakfast sponsored by the Spectator and held at the offices of Americans for Tax Reform. “And you probably know that I’m not a big fan of ObamaCare.”
He went on to criticize a central element of both plans — the requirement that individuals purchase health insurance.
“I just don’t think the mandates work,” Ryan said. “I haven’t studied in depth the status of it, but I think it’s beginning to death spiral, they’re beginning to have to look at rationing decisions. I don’t think this kind of a system works.”
By “death spiral” Ryan is referring to the phenomenon that occurs when government requires insurers to cover those with pre-existing conditions, which discourages healthy people from buying insurance because they know they can always find coverage when they get sick, which in turn drives up the cost of insurance even more, and causes more healthy people to exit the market, and so on. This is what the individual mandate is supposed to prevent, but Ryan, like other health policy analysts is a skeptic that it works in practice.
Ryan went on, “That’s why I’m a believer in a consumer-based patient centered health care reforms, and I don’t think that the Massachusetts plan does it, it goes in the opposite direction.”
The Massachussetts health care plan he signed remains the biggest liability for Romney as he prepares a likely presidential run.
View all comments (35) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Philip Klein
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PhilTheCapitalistPig| 3.2.11 @ 11:20AM
I liked what huckabee said about romney. He said he needs to quit justifying the program. he needs to admit that is has failed miserably, but he also needs to justify Governors taking risk like that. That's what the states are for: Small Experiment labs to test policy. But trying something unproven on a national level is a different thing altogether.
james| 3.2.11 @ 11:39AM
Are ultra conservatives a bunch of nit-wits these days? Can't any of you get past the MSM attack on Romney and look at the details?
Paul Ryan has some explaining to do to the Heritage Foundation.
Examine closely these facts -
Newt Gingrinch responded to the critical view of Romneycare:
• Romney is firmly committed to repeal of Obamacare
• It’s not accurate or fair to compare Obamacare and Romneycare
• Romney vetoed many provisions of the Mass bill and Romney was overridden by Democrats
• The original Romney bill was better and practical than what the liberal Democrats did to it
• The Democrats overrode Romney’s original bill on a whole series of items
• The issue is not as clear cut as Tea Partiers think or the liberal media has made the issue out to be
Conservative Think-tank, the Heritage Foundation responded to Romneycare:
– Heritage On Romney’s Individual Mandate: “Not an unreasonable position, and one that is clearly consistent with conservative values.” [Heritage, 1/28/06]
– Heritage On Romney’s Insurance Exchange: An “innovative mechanism to promote real consumer choice.” [Heritage, 4/20/06]
– Heritage On Romney’s Medicaid Expansion: Reduced “the total cost to taxpayers” by taking people out of the “uncompensated care pool.” [Heritage, 1/28/06]
Other facts on Romneycare
Fact 1: He vetoed eight sections of the health care legislation, including a controversial $295-per-employee assessment on businesses that do not offer health insurance and provisions guaranteeing dental benefits to Medicaid recipients.
Sources:
LeBlanc, Steve (April 13, 2006). "Mass. governor signs health bill, with vetoes". The Beaufort Gazette. Associated Press: p. 4A.
Fact 2: The legislature overrode all eight vetoes.
LeBlanc, Steve (April 26, 2006). "Mass. House Overrides Gov. Romney Veto of Health Care Fee". Insurance Journal. Associated Press. http://www.insurancejournal.co....
Fact 3: Romney said of the measure overall, "There really wasn't Republican or Democrat in this. People ask me if this is conservative or liberal, and my answer is yes. It's liberal in the sense that we're getting our citizens health insurance. It's conservative in that we're not getting a government takeover.
Source: Belluck, Pam (April 6, 2006). "On Health Care, Massachusetts Leaders Invoke Action, Not Talk". The New York Times.
Fact 4: Obamacare is government healthcare takeover.
Romney's accomplishments:
* Earned over 260 million in the private sector - 25 years
* Successful Romney companies: Dominos Pizza, Staples, Accuride, Brookstone, Sealy Corp, Sports Authority, and Artisan Entertainment, Monsato Company, Outboard Main Corporation, Burlington Industries, Corning Incorporated
* Romney’s companies have created over 10,000 jobs
* Took 2002 Utah Winter Olympics’ 300 million deficit and turned it into a 100 million dollar surplus - the most successful games on record.
* Took Massachusetts 1.5 BILLION dollar deficit and turned it into a 600 million dollar surplus withOUT raising income and other taxes (he did raise some "fees" on other services - about 2 million worth.)
* Balanced the budget every year he was in office without raising income taxes and adding to state debt.
* 80,000 new jobs created under his watch in MA
Stop attacking Romney. He's the only Republican that can beat Obama.
kingsmill| 3.2.11 @ 11:59AM
Romney was well acquainted with the Democratic power structure in MA.
He needed something that would appeal to a national constituency. His quick fix was "RomneyCare". He tossed it into the legislative hopper on Beacon Hill, knowing that the Leftists and the unions would re-write his bill.
Romney ,the opportunist, did not care. He had abandoned the state and left things to the Dems. He had his talking points for the campaign and he figured before the SH** hit the fan in MA --Mitt would be sitting pretty in the White House.
See the NY Post article concerning Mitt and Bain. This fraud will be basted alive if he becomes the Republican nominee. A speculator raider like Romney is not a productive capitalist. Mitt thrived on the speculative economy.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/b.....bbNn1ZkgaJ
james| 3.2.11 @ 7:48PM
kings,
You've proven you can string many propositions together 0 not a one of them true. You know what that means don't you? Your conclusions are false.
You're not any better than the MSM when it comes to Mitt bashing. You're just a tool.
kingsmill| 3.2.11 @ 8:33PM
Your Mitt cheer leading is pathetic. The personal attacks are to be expected. Mitt has deep pockets and can motivate the trolls.
james| 3.2.11 @ 8:41PM
King:
This is about our country's future. And, honestly, I cannot find ANY good arguments against Romney.
All of the other Republicans have a chance to win the nomination but they will lose the general election.
When are people like you going to wake up?
kingsmill| 3.2.11 @ 8:53PM
I live in Massachusetts and experienced your "messiah".
He had zero impact on the corrupt Democratic/union hegemony. He is not a leader.
His biggest victory was RomneyCare, which he allowed the Dems to re-write.
And not to be forgotten was his disingenuous and ineffectual response to the "gay marriage".
Mitt is an opportunist and a punter.
james| 3.2.11 @ 11:14PM
Kings:
Claiming that you live in MA doesn't help your criticisms of Romney. You don't have to live in MA to know how well Romney did as Governor.
ROmney was not supposed to have an impact on the Democractic/union hedgemony.
He didn't "allow" Dems to rewrite anything - they OVERRODE him. (Do you know anything about government?)
And there is no other course of action that Romney had concerning MA's gay marriage law. What did Iowa's Republican Governor do?
Your name calling of Romney is childish and juvenile - just the kind of criticism I would suspect from a person like you who is a tool.
kingsmill| 3.2.11 @ 9:11PM
The argument against Mitt Romney is his lack of leadership of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
He set the stage for Deval Patrick and the continued dominance of the Democrats. His leadership was nil. He allowed the MA State Republican party to flounder.
Your empty hero worship does not turn an Emperor with no clothes into a Ronald Reagan.
james| 3.2.11 @ 11:18PM
Kings:
You have presented no arguments, no evidence, and no cogent claims against Romney.
All you have done is repeat MSM attacks on Romney - just school yard name calling. My suspicion is - it's all you got.
You speak in vague generalities that aren't tired to any acts in reality.
You overstate my facts about Romney and in so doing create a strawman for your to easily knock down. You're in bad shape Kings.
The Democrats dominated MA politics and government for decades, long before Romney arrived - how do you explain that?
And, who helped Elect Scott Brown? Romney.
Which "Republican" in MA supports Romney? Brown.
Kings, perhaps you're just a bold-face liar and are playing the crazy man. Who knows...
james| 3.2.11 @ 8:44PM
By the way, these facts refute the "NYpost" hit piece.
* Successful Romney companies: Dominos Pizza, Staples, Accuride, Brookstone, Sealy Corp, Sports Authority, and Artisan Entertainment, Monsato Company, Outboard Main Corporation, Burlington Industries, Corning Incorporated
* Romney’s companies have created over 10,000 jobs
Why didn't the NYpost article include any of THOSE companies?
Because the writer (and you) created as an unfair, biased, and deceptive hit-piece.
Wake up Kings - you're being used as a tool.
kingsmill| 3.2.11 @ 8:48PM
Your master is an empty suit. Luckily his RomneyCare disaster has made him a pariah among rank and file Republicans. Of course, RINOs love him. They will not have the final say.
james| 3.2.11 @ 11:34PM
King:
The empty suit claim is a repeat of a baseless claim. The Romneycare "disaster" is a Huckabean criticism which his followers echo.
The claim that Romney is a "RINO" is a fraud. Romney is a fiscal conservative through and through and his voting record can be checked on social issues:
* Opposes Roe v. Wade.
* Believes that abortion should be banned in all cases except rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
* Vetoed an emergency contraception bill in July 2005.
* However: Has kept campaign promise not to tamper with state abortion laws.
* Vetoed emergency contraception for rape victims
* Vetoed stem cell research bill
Now, it can't be argued that Romney is a Constitution Party wack-job, but it can't be cogently argued that he is a RINO.
Try again King.
Jasper| 3.2.11 @ 12:50PM
Paul Ryan doesn't have any explaining to do--he's not running for POTUS, mythbot.
You've been told before RomneyCare has doomed Romney's chances for the presidency. Listen up.
james| 3.2.11 @ 7:47PM
Jasper:
Oh.. I have been "told" have I? What a laughable comment. Yes alot of republicans are saying a lot of stupid things these days.
We have been "told" by many ultra conservatives that Mitt can't win because of Romneycare but he still does well in the polls - and he hasn't even declared his candidacy yet.
There is NO other candidate that can beat Obama in a national election. So, if you want to keep Obama in the White House another 4 years, just keep attacking Romney. Otherwise, wise up and stop being an ignoramus.
Dan Jones| 3.2.11 @ 1:29PM
Romneycare is such a liability to Romney as he prepares for a presidential run not because it has failed, or even because he will not disown it, but in my mind because it reveals a cloaked statist tendency -- that the government is responsible for people's welfare -- that will affect his judgment and decisions in other, yet to be seen issues.
Mike| 3.3.11 @ 10:00AM
Dan:
The conflict in your premises is that the government is NOT responsible for the people's welfare and "is" responsible for the people's welfare.
The truth is that in some respects, we agree that he government should, by law, be responsible for some of the "welfare" of people.
The larger issue is whether Romneycare's original bill is "CONSISTENT" with conservative PRINCIPLES.
The Heritage Foundation already gave Romney the stamp of approval on this. They showed that Romney's use of the mandate was consistent with conservative principles.
The confusion concerning these points comes from Obama and the MSM. They want to "create" in the people's mind that Romneycare and Obamacare are identitcal and therefore, Obamacare is "just as legimate" or "consistent" with Romneycare.
Obamacare is "government run" healthcare, Romney care is "government mandated insurance to solve a unique problem."
The second is the only kind of program consistent with conservative principles.
Noelle| 3.2.11 @ 1:57PM
Ryan is quoted as saying he has not studied the MA health care reform. Maybe he should take some time to get educated about it before he shares what he thinks. I have nothing against him, but I'm tired of politicians offering such superficial analysis before spouting talking points.
Romney's health care reform is not perfect, but it was the result of bipartisan agreement, and it passed with almost universal support in Massachusetts. It is not government health care. It is a way to make sure that each person is responsible for their own health care costs and remove that burden from tax payers. It utilizes private health insurance companies. Romney vetoed several elements of the plan, but his veto was over-ridden by the overwhelmingly liberal legislature. Among those elements was allowing people to provide a bond proving that they could pay for their own health care without needing insurance.
Like I said, it's not perfect, but it was designed to serve the unique needs and unique situation of Massachusetts. Romney has stated definitively that he is opposed to the federal health care reform pushed by Obama and the liberals.
Health care should not even be that much of an issue in the GOP primary. With a Republican House and Senate, any Republican president would repeal Obama's health care reform, and rightly so.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 3.2.11 @ 3:01PM
Providing health care to people may not be the sin everyone thinks. There are many who need it and Romney lead the way. Yes, it is not perfect but it has become overloaded with bureaucratic bloat.
If that's his only sin I doubt if much can be made of it.
The real sinners will be the global warming enthusiasts.
Also, the amnesty fanatics.
Either of those plagues and you're toast.
Mike| 3.2.11 @ 11:36PM
Kingsmill is another Romney basher who has no clue about Mass Health Care.
I own a mid-sized business in MA. When Romney was Gov, My taxes went down and my employees premiums went down as well. Romney didn't stay long enough to tweak out any unforeseen problems. He vetoed the goodies that the MA legislature added LATER under Governor Patrick. The supposed problems with Romney's health care program in MA are attributable to the changes made by the new governor - who has bloated it, over-regulated it and applied it to illegals.
The cost of Romney care is less than 1.3% of the States budget. Patrick has chosen not to make Healthcare a Priority. If he would, the 1.3%, would be even less. Ma fiscal problems are a result of Patrick. He spends money like a kid in a candy store.
In addition, Romney has stated that Individual states should determine health care issues in their states. This should not be mandated by Washington. A study was done recently shows that MA RESIDENTS still like the system.
It seems MA HEALTH CARE’s biggest critics, DON'T LIVE IN MA!
Boston12GS| 3.3.11 @ 8:08AM
I live in Massachusetts (Maynard). For two healthy adults, my health insurance costs $1,000 per month, so $12,000 a year, plus a $4,000 annual deductible, plus various co-pays for doctor visits and any needed meds, plus $150 co-pay if emergency room needed.. So, I get to pay $16,000++ a year for "health insurance" before that insurance pays A DIME for my health care.
I don't know about you folks, but $16,000 represents a lot more of MY budget than 1.3%.
If paying $16,000 a year per married couple for "health insurance" before any coverage kicks in sounds like a good idea to you, I guess Romney is your guy.
Boston12GS| 3.3.11 @ 8:36AM
Another view of the success of RomneyCare, from today's Boston Herald (http://tinyurl.com/4ao29q9):
"He’s a 56-year-old Plymouth father of four whose eldest son is an airborne ranger in Iraq. He’s run a heating and ventilating business for 30 years, but this recession has cost him plenty. He’s lost a condominium to foreclosure (the bank refused to renegotiate his rate), and now he worries about his family’s current home and his family’s insurance. Though everybody’s healthy, his Blue Cross premium doubled from December 2007 ($1,200 a month) to a staggering $2,400 a month today — with a $5,000 deductible. He heard about Killingsworth yesterday."
Are you working families of 5 healthy people prepared to pay ~$34,000 a year for "health insurance" before you get any coverage?
Glad Romney's so proud of his health care reform in MA.
Boston12GS| 3.3.11 @ 8:41AM
In case the point has been missed, OF COURSE RomneyCare has had a relatively small impact on the COMMONWEALTH'S health care costs, the vast majority of the increased cost is being carried directly by the individuals buying this so-called health care coverage.
Thanks, Mitt!
Mike| 3.3.11 @ 9:04AM
Have you filtered out Romney's original bill as opposed to the bloated plan the Dems have put in place since then?
You're struglling to make a distinction between the parts that Romney is responsible for and the parts of the law that the Dems are responsible for.
Have you done that?
Boston12GS| 3.3.11 @ 12:43PM
The individual mandate was in the bill he signed, as was the right to coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions. Those are the two core elements that give the government the power to blow the entire system away in terms of cost, while ensuring that ALL that cost is carried by the working citizens instead of on the state budget.
I saw what would happen if RomneyCare was passed, the Boston Herald wrote about it almost every day up until the signing. But we're supposed to believe that Romney is faultless because he didn't know the legislation he signed could and would be turned to such evil and destructive ends?
Yet the great strengths he is supposed to bring to the Presidency are financial and political expertise? And he couldn't see through the baseness of the MA legislature, with it's never ending history of corruption, waste, hackery, and fraud?
Thanks, but not thanks. If he can't see through the in-bred punks of the MA legislature, I certainly don't want him representing me against evil-doers who've managed to take control of whole countries.
Boston12GS| 3.3.11 @ 8:10AM
Also, I'm really enjoying all those Romney interviews where he completely disavows himself from the MA healthcare plan that was so drastically changed against his will by the Legislature.
Oh, wait, he hasn't given any interviews saying that? Hmmmmm . . . .
Mike| 3.3.11 @ 10:10AM
Boston:
To minimize Romney's vetoes against the Dems changes is to misrepresent the facts. A veto isn't a pretended gesture. Romney exercised the authority of the highest officer in the land to cutoff those provisions from becoming law - the Dems overrode him.
Another point is that you continue to lambast "Mitt's program" but you're wrong in attributing Mitt to the problem.
The higher costs and problems of Romneycare are DIRECTLY attributable to the Dems and Deval Patrick.
Obama and now Patrick are using Romney to cover their ass-ets.
Worse, conservatives are becoming the unwitting stars in the great defense of Obama and Patrick by attacking Romney.
Boston12GS| 3.3.11 @ 12:27PM
When Romney signed the MA health care legislation into law, was the individual mandate in the bill? Was the community rating in the bill (insurance must be provided regardless of pre-existing conditions)?
Those are the very heart of what makes RomneyCare (and Obama Care) the hated disasters they are. All the rest is nothing but window dressing.
If the final bill is something that Romney feels he has no responsibility for, why does he keep talking about how proud he is of his health care reform in MA? What EXACTLY is it he's proud of, if not the final result? Covering more people--at the expense of the rest of us working middle-class citizens seeing our insurance costs doubling and tripling? Great job, Mitt! Thanks!
Mike| 3.3.11 @ 2:10PM
Boston:
The Heritage Foundation HELPED Romney originate the "state mandate." Get it?
The mandate IS consistent with conservative principles.
Your he-said/she-said criticisms are meaningless.
You're listening to what the pundits are saying, not what Romney himself is saying. You're just a pinhead for the MSM - taking your cues from them and making fallacious inferences based on your personal biases against Romney.
Further, your claims about rates, doubling or tripling is rhetoric.
Tell us Boston, how is Romney's experience with the good and bad of ROmney care a "disqualifier" for the Presidency?
None of the other candidates have any answers on how to "solve" health care reform problems. The libertarian "bury your head in the sand" tactic won't fly.
Huck, Barbour, Palin, Daniels, Pawlenty - even Ron Paul, none of them have solutions for healthcare reform.
It as if "complaining" about health care reform is a value that you cherish.
It's absurd.
Boston12GS| 3.3.11 @ 12:29PM
You make it sounds as if the RomneyCare was passed by overriding Mitt's veto. That is a LIE. Romney signed the legislation into law himself--I personally read the Boston Herald the day he did it.
If he didn't have faith in the legislation, he should have refused to sign it, let the legislature pass it over his veto (as they certainly would have), and his hands would have been clean.
The moment he picked up that pen and signed that legislation, he became one of its proud parents. And he continues to be a proud parent to this day, given how resistant he is to acknowledging RomneyCare for the disaster it is.
Boston12GS| 3.3.11 @ 12:30PM
Did you know that when Romney's official portrait was commissioned, he personally requested that it include a visual of the RomneyCare bill?
That's how much he recognizes it was the wrong thing to do.
Mike| 3.4.11 @ 10:05AM
Boston:
Your argument attributing Romney to all of the bad of Romneycare is fallacious.
In the process, legislatures have the final say and the Democratically controlled MA legislature DID have the final say by OVERRIDING Romney's eight (count them 8) vetos. Do you now need a civics lesson?
How do you attribute the portion of Romneycare to Romney that he vetoed?
Perhaps you haven't studied the process to know this. I'll teach you.
After the houses finish with the bill, they send the "enrolled" bill to the Governor.
The Governor then signs or vetoes the bill. Now EVERY MA resident KNOWS that Romney had the LINE-ITEM veto and he used it.
So, the portions that were most eggregious, he vetoed with his line-item authority. The rest were signed into law.
The DEMOCRATICALLY CONTROLLED MA legislature then took the vetoes and OVERRODE THEM. Then those provisions DIRECTLY became law without Romney's signature.
Get it Boston?
You see how facts turn "lies" into truths?
In the AMERICAN process, the legislature has the final say and it did in this case.
After ROmney left, Deval Patrick and the MA legislature added more glut to "Romneycare."
have you accounted for those provisions Boston? No, you haven't.
So, you see Boston, you're making a fallacious argument and in short, you're wrong.
Boston12GS| 3.6.11 @ 1:29AM
Mike, you REFUSE to answer the key question--was the individual mandate part of the health care law that Romney signed?
YES IT WAS. That provision was NOT added by the MA legislature after he signed.
If you are in favor of the individual mandate of ObamaCare, vote for Romney. If not, don't.
THAT'S democracy. The facts hurt, don't they, Mark?
Andrew
Boston12GS| 3.6.11 @ 1:29AM
Mike, you REFUSE to answer the key question--was the individual mandate part of the health care law that Romney signed?
YES IT WAS. That provision was NOT added by the MA legislature after he signed.
If you are in favor of the individual mandate of ObamaCare, vote for Romney. If not, don't.
THAT'S democracy. The facts hurt, don't they, Mark?
Andrew
Boston12GS| 3.6.11 @ 1:26AM
Romney signed the MA RomneyCare bill in its final form. He personally defends that signing at every opportunity.
Sorry, that's the fact. Jack. He OWNS it.
And every time Romney is brought up on this site or any other site as a candidate for President I am going to make certain that the other site participants know exactly what he has done to middle-class small business owners in MA regarding healthcare.
Maybe everybody will LOVE what he accomplished here in MA, as Mitt apparently does. Then it's all good, right?
Maybe, however, people will object to a self-employed family of 5 paying $40k to $50k a year in health insurance costs in order to make sure every meth head in the Commonealth has the same health care as they do.