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The Spectacle Blog
Avik Roy has posted what may be the most comprehensive account of the individual mandate mania that once swept the right (or at least the subset of the right made up of health care policy wonks). Roy also points out that a lot of serious conservatives were actually anti-mandate way back in the 1990s, when Newt Gingrich felt they were necessary to combat Hillarycare.
I do have two quibbles, however. Roy writes: “Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, who were both House backbenchers in 1993, were also in favor of an individual mandate in those days.” Gingrich was minority whip, the second-ranking Republican in the House, in 1993. He was no backbencher. Second, I find the evidence Santorum supported an individual mandate inconclusive. There are at least two local newspaper accounts that I am aware of, both dating back to his 1994 Senate race, that say he supported a mandate of some kind. One says he supported an individual mandate specifically. No Santorum campaign then or now has, to my knowledge, disputed this. Yet the papers don’t provide any direct quotes either, which makes me wonder if they were describing his position correctly.
UPDATE: Roy updates the record on Santorum’s alternative to the individual mandate. Santorum denied on CNN supporting such a mandate during his 1994 Senate campaign.
View all comments (16) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
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Oldefarte| 2.9.12 @ 12:48PM
Whether the individual mandate specifically or the UNIVERSAL GOVERNMENTAL HEALTHCARE in general, the whole nine yards of same are nothing but unadulterated WELFARE. Mandated Medicare is bad enough, but at least it requires working lifetime payment of precoverage [until 65 years of age], whereas this WELFARECARE does not [and is just one more welfare cog in the government's wheel of demanding total dependency from the government]. When will this nanny-state cease? When will the taxpayer-voters realize the modus operendi of these socialist Democrats granting welfare in return for votes??????????
EBL | 2.9.12 @ 1:15PM
http://evilbloggerlady.blogspo.....nd_09.html Separated at Birth: Mitt Romney and...?
Bill| 2.9.12 @ 1:22PM
The core issue is the individual mandate. Romney supports individual mandate and Romneycare in MA includes that provision. Obama just coped Romneycare. Romney is going down withe his Romneycare, and Obama will be deposed in the 2012 election.
Garfield| 2.9.12 @ 1:28PM
What Gingrich and Santorum may have entertained in theory, doesn't make them culpable to what Romney did in fact...
Simon Templar| 2.9.12 @ 1:56PM
The core issue is actually the goverment taking over 1/6 of the economy. The Left does not really care about the mandate, it cares about creating another means by which to gain control of your life and your assets. We already have socialized medicine via medicaid and medicare. This was always a transition program for them on the way to establishing universal coverage and the nationalization of this industry.
Marx and many socialist have written at length about universal health care coverage as a ruse and vehicle to place government at the center of a command economy. It starts there, then it moves to complete control of banking and finance industries and then production.
The mandate aspect certainly is a very important abridgement of our constitution and should be discussed and challenged but focus should not be on this alone.
Otherwise, you may find that they will eventually cave on the mandate, you look like you won the debate, and they go right ahead instituting and constructing the rest of the Obamacare legislation.
The idea is to deconstruct the medicaid and medicare programs and create a univeral health care industry that has the Fed involved in every aspect of it all financed by your taxes and an endless stream of tax funded resources.
Bill| 2.9.12 @ 2:40PM
Romney's problems:
1. Romneycare
2. abortion
3. gay marriage
4. gun control
5. climate change
can't get worse.
PCP Smoker| 2.9.12 @ 7:47PM
It does get worse Bill, here is Romney on Santorum: “Senator Santorum and Speaker Gingrich, they are the very Republicans who acted like Democrats, and when Republicans act like Democrats, they lose,” Romney said in Atlanta."
The guy who ran to the left of Ted Kennedy and lost by over 15 points. The guy who decided against running for reelection as governor, he's the one calling out conservatives for acting democrat.
PCP Smoker| 2.9.12 @ 3:00PM
Wow. You are earning some respect. It must be a relief not being on Romney's nuts all the time.
Bill| 2.9.12 @ 3:30PM
Romney is going down, with his "individual mandate buddy" obama.
W| 2.9.12 @ 5:40PM
The issue of mandating everyone to purchase health insurance raises an interesting proble.
The government requires hospitals to treat all who come to the emergency room. I know patients who use doctors and hospitals, have no insurance, and their bills get reduced or written off because they are uninsured. So the doctors and hospitals make this up by setting their fees which are paid by insurance companies who pass it on to us as premius. So the bottom line is we pay for the uninsured. Everyone knows this.
Those who truly cannot afford it qualify for Medicaid. Those who are disabled qualify for Social Securiy/Medicare. Those hurt in auto accidents will have auto insurance. Those hurt at work have workers compensation.
Who are these uninsured that we pay for? It seems because of these unisured who refuse to get insurance, and the government requiring hospitals to treat them regardless of insurance, we have this "problem" that got us Obamacare and more government control.
Why not simply have a state clinic, similar to the VA hospitals, to treat the uninsured? If it is good enough for our brave vets why not for the uninsured?
Dai Alanye | 2.9.12 @ 5:48PM
It is logical to support a mandate... until you've had time to think of the implications or they are pointed out to you. At that point you ought know enough to drop the principle. Some politicians have wised up, while others continue to present as a feature what is in fact a bug.
You know who you are, Mitt.
Clint| 2.9.12 @ 6:28PM
" As a Senator, Rick Santorum supported the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit known as Medicare Part D. He voted for the plan and ran television commercials noting that support."
" Santorum collected fat board payments fom Universal, the King of Prussia mental-health and community hospital chain which makes most of its money from taxpayers via Medicare and Medicaid, even as he claims to oppose more taxpayer subsidies for healthcare."
The Tea Party Rebellion Heads To A Brokered Convention.
PCP Smoker| 2.9.12 @ 7:57PM
Clint, did you vote for Bush in 00 or 04? If you didn't, then you can criticize, but if you did, then YOU voted and approved of Medicare Part D, NCLB, TARP, GM/Chrysler bailouts, and increases in Medicare and Medicaid. Unless you are politically pure, you have no room to criticize anyone.
Clint| 2.10.12 @ 6:34AM
Do Your Homework.
Bush TARP & Gm/ Chrysler Bailouts Happened In 2008,Long After 2004 Vote.
No More GOP "Lesser Evil " Votes For The RINO-CINO Ruling Elites' GOP.
The Tea Party Rebellion Has Had Enough.
Had Enough, PCP Sucker ?
DeaN| 2.9.12 @ 11:03PM
Russ Feingold lost his senate seat almost purely on his vote for Obamacare. Scott Brown won almost entirely on his opposition to it.
How in hell can we nominate Mitt Romney,who not only supported govt.run healthcare BUT WORSE,won't admit the error?
People hate obamacare,even Democrats. We can't nominate Mitt. I don't care about his other past positions,this makes him a no go.
Simon Templar| 2.10.12 @ 12:25PM
Hey, NEWS BREAK.....NEWS FLASH form Ann Coulter...
The right wing has taken over the Reublican Party and there are no 'Rockefellar' republicans anymore!
Romney is the MOST conservative!
The reason we do not like him is because we are shallow and looking for someone that is hip and exciting!
Wow! My eyes are open now!
(sarcasm)