Talking Points Memo has uncovered a Mitt Romney video from 2010 in which he implicitly refers to the individual mandate as one of the “good” parts of the federal legislation he and his Republican competitors refer to as “Obamacare.” The mandate is purportedly the most abhorrent aspect of the Health Care Affordability law if one is to believe Tea Partiers and the Republican candidates, although I think the truly repugnant part of it for them is that Obama is the one who secured it.
The topic of the mandate was at the heart of the Rick Perry – Romney dispute in the debate of December 10 where Romney proffered his $10,000 bet in support of his view that Perry was mistaken. It will be interesting to see how the Romney campaign wriggles out of this one.
Tom Noonan 