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Barack Obama’s Broken Health Care Promises

… AND WHY MITT ROMNEY COULDN’T EXPLOIT THEM There’s something missing from the vast majority of “post mortem” discussions that have sought to explain GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s surprising loss to Barack Obama last month. Do you know what it is?  Here’s a hint … While the mainstream media…

… AND WHY MITT ROMNEY COULDN’T EXPLOIT THEM

There’s something missing from the vast majority of “post mortem” discussions that have sought to explain GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s surprising loss to Barack Obama last month.

Do you know what it is?  Here’s a hint …

While the mainstream media has predictably focused on the GOP’s regional and demographic challenges, Romney’s inability to effectively take the health care fight to Obama represents a critical missed opportunity – and one of the main reasons he’s spending these long December nights crying on a golden pillow as opposed to interviewing cabinet nominees (you know … chosen from binders full of women).

Anyway, while percentages have varied (as high as 63 percent, as low as 50 percent according to Rasmussen), a majority of Americans have opposed Obama’s socialized medicine plan from the moment it become law in March 2010.  They oppose it intensely, too – with 80 percent of them registering “strong” opposition to the law.

Meanwhile the percentage of those who support Obamacare is much lower (as high as 44 percent, as low as 32 percent).

Mitt Romney: Missed Opportunity on health care.

Obviously Romney promised that he would “act to repeal Obamacare” (well, aside from the parts of the legislation he said he liked).  He had no choice but to pay lip service to the pro-repeal movement.

But he could never pursue the issue because Obama basically used Romney’s plan as the blueprint for his own proposal.  And Romney could never attack the most insidious components of Obamacare because he was already on the record supporting them.

As a result, Romney was unable to substantively engage on the mother of all campaign issues … just as we predicted.

Make no mistake: Obama was exceedingly vulnerable on his socialized medicine law – with respect to its impositions on both our liberties and our wallets.  In fact Obama’s failed health care promises represented a golden opportunity for Romney to exploit – yet he never did.

“In an Obama administration, we’ll lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year,” Obama said in June 2008 during a campaign stop in West Virginia. “We won’t do all this twenty years from now, or ten years from now.  We’ll do it by the end of my first term as President of the United States.”

Really? Wow …

So … has that happened?

Of course not.  According to the latest data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average family with an employer-provided plan has seen its premiums rise by $2,400 under Obama.  Additional premium increases are projected for 2013 – all while massive tax hikes associated with Obamacare’s entitlement expansion are set to kick in.

Why didn’t Romney pounce on this bread-and-butter pocketbook issue?

Again … he couldn’t.  Which begs the question: Why did “Republicans” nominate this guy in the first place?

The mainstream media narrative on the 2012 election is that Mitt Romney lost because he was preaching “hard ass” ideology to a diminishing (white) choir.  The reality?

He lost because he was simply unable to deliver what should have been a knockout punch.

***

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12 comments

johnb December 6, 2012 at 9:51 am

I agree

Reply
Guero December 7, 2012 at 12:25 pm

Half of those opposed to the AHCA believe it did not go far enough.

Reply
Smirks December 6, 2012 at 10:13 am

“In an Obama administration, we’ll lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year,” Obama said in June 2008

You do realize the original plan was drastically changed, right? Obama didn’t originally campaign on enacting a replica of RomneyCare. They even stripped out the public option. Also, a large portion of the bill doesn’t take place until 2014.

Most of the hate for ObamaCare is ginned up from stressing the mandate. When you poll on individual portions of the law, such as banning preexisting conditions, it is much different.

Also, don’t mistake ObamaCare’s approval rating for 50% of America wanting to repeal the law in its entirety.

washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/07/01/poll-most-americans-want-to-keep-obamacare-in-some-form/

Only 31% of those polled by Gallup wanted a full repeal. 21% wanted parts of it repealed, 13% wanted to keep it in place, and 25% wanted government to have a bigger role. In fact, going straight to Gallup, we find out a bit more information.

gallup.com/poll/155447/Americans-Issue-Split-Decision-Healthcare-Ruling.aspx

SCOTUS’ ruling that ACA and the mandate is constitutional was split 46/46 overall, with a slight lead in independents agreeing (45%) versus disagreeing (42%).

The importance of health care reform as an issue wasn’t the sole issue for most voters. 21% said that their candidate must share their views, 59% said it is just one of several issues that are important, and 12% said it is a major issue.

So no, Romney’s position on health care reform didn’t cause him to lose.

Which begs the question: Why did “Republicans” nominate this guy in the first place?

Partially the same reason why McCain won in 2008. The majority of people voting in the Republican primaries want a moderate. The other reason being that Bachmann, Gingrich, Cain, and Santorum were even worse.

Reply
? December 6, 2012 at 10:23 am

Glen Greenwald, one of the few principled Lefties remaining-has a great write up on the corruption already starting to take hold in Obamacare:

guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/05/obamacare-fowler-lobbyist-industry1

Reply
Wigs December 6, 2012 at 10:58 am

The approach Romney should have taken against Obama’s health care plan was that the fundamental difference between the two plans is that of state government versus federal government; the age old basic fundamental difference between Republicans and Democrats.

Reply
Robert December 6, 2012 at 12:08 pm

I don’t like the law….BECAUSE IT DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH!!!

National Health Plan is the answer. Not for free. Through payroll deduction just like Medicare.

Reply
Smirks December 6, 2012 at 3:51 pm

I agree.

Reply
james the foot soldier December 6, 2012 at 2:53 pm

As if Ron Paul would have fared better – NOT.

Face it, Romney was the most desirable of all the wing nuts on those debate stages.

Gingrich – South Carolina proves yet again to the rest of the nation what a bunch of mouth breathing inbreds populate this state.
Ron (chamberlin) Paul? – never elected to even a statewide office.
Gary Johnson – at least elected to a statewide office (and did a heckuva job).

Sorry, if you can’t move the needle past 3% your destined to speak only in front of college audiences the rest of your political “career”.

That said, given the mind-boggling black turnout on steroids part II…

it
just
wouldn’t
have
mattered

Tip your cap to the black community for re-electing a president solely on the basis of his skin pigmentation while said community continues a more rapid decline as a result of his policies.

Anyone who thinks they will get off their happy asses for Hillary in 2016 is engaged in wishful demographic thinking.

Reply
Grim Reaper December 6, 2012 at 3:27 pm

Psst! The GOP is dying a slow death. Conservatism, religious fools verses moderates are its cancer. So go get a six pack and enjoy Honey Boo Boo…I’ve got this!

Reply
Smirks December 6, 2012 at 3:54 pm

Tip your cap to the black community for re-electing a president solely on the basis of his skin pigmentation

Oh, please. If you’re going to blame an entire race, at least be more fucking honest about it. Did the black community vote overwhelmingly Republican when Clinton was running? Gore? Kerry? Obama might have put a surge in the black vote in 2008, and likely got a boosted number of them out in 2012, but if Obama were a Republican candidate he likely would have seen very little of that vote stay with him.

Besides, it isn’t like the GOP is popular with the Hispanic or Asian vote, either.

Reply
Guero December 7, 2012 at 12:29 pm

This vote was more of an indictment against stupid bubbas than anything else. The batshit crazy teapotters energized the black, Asian, Hispano, young, name your category, to come out to vote.

Thanks, mouthbreathers….you can go back to your alternative universe in Faux Faux Land now. We’ll call when we need y’all.

Reply
Pancho Villa December 7, 2012 at 3:52 pm

Orale cholo, Bush’s spanish was hurting my ears.

Reply

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