Romney on Obama's Push For Health Reform: Slow Down

Newsweek ^ | 7/21/2009 | Katie Connelly

[GVnana]

Romney on Obama's Push For Health Reform: Slow Down
Katie Connolly

In the last two weeks, political commentators have expressed doubts over President Obama's time frame for healthcare reform. Meanwhile, even some Democrat lawmakers appear to be getting cold feet. In response, Obama is relentlessly pitching his plan. He has spoken about healthcare on eight out of the last nine days, and he's scheduled to hold a town hall meeting on the topic this Thursday. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is one of the few politicians in the country with first hand experience of steering major health care reform through the legislative process. The reforms he enacted in Massachusetts have been critizied for being costly, but they've also managed to extend coverage to a significant number of uninsured people. By 2007, the proportion of uninsured people in Massachusetts was the lowest in the country.

I spoke to Romney about his experience with healthcare reform this morning. His cautionary words for Obama? Slow down. Here are some excerpts from our conversation:

What do you think needs to happen over the next couple of weeks if President Obama's deadline for healthcare reform is to be met?

I think the President ought to hit the reset button. I think it is critical that he have the participation, involvement, and support of people on both sides of the aisle, as well as people in various sectors of the health economy. If we are going to have a dramatic shift in the nature of so large a part of our economy then it needs to be something that has been thoroughly vetted and has received great support. Out of a desire to move very quickly, while his support is highest, he has skipped the critical steps ...

[GVnana]

"Nobody has given me a call, except Republicans. I’ve received no calls from Democrats saying what do you think about it? What would you do differently if you were to do it today? There’s a whole series of things I’d do differently. And yet, there seems to be such a rush to act.

There is no need for the government to become an insurance company."

[exist]

Romney should admit Romneycare failed.

[pissant]

Or for any version of RomneyCare to raise its ugly head.

[SoConPubbie]

Romney is the last person we should be listening too.

He is almost as much a socialist on this issue as Zero.

[dynachrome]

Romney is against Romneycare ping.

[PhiKapMom]

Exactly! I almost lost it when they said MA was going to jettison illegal immigrants from their bill which means Romney approved of illegal immigrants being included and yet some on here thought he would make a good President?

[Major Matt Mason]

I prefer "stop!" over "slow down".

[Oldexpat]

I will never vote for Romney. He is a Rino in Rat headgear.

[Star Traveler]

Don’t be fooled by Romney...

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I like to post this as much as possible for any Romney-bots who happen to be reading... LOL...

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Unlike Romney’s “National Council for a New America,” Free Republic is a conservative site!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2243314/posts
by Jim Robinson

If there is anyone here who doesn’t understand why we cannot support a slick socialist politician like Mitt Romney, God help you, but you’re on the wrong website. We went through this with the abortionist, gay rights activist, illegal alien supporting, gun grabbing Rudy Giuliani until someone created another website call WAnkers for Rudy and they all flew the coop. Hopefully, before too much FReeper blood is shed, someone will create a WAnkers for Romney site and we can be left to fight the good fight as we see fit!

FR is not for everyone!

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Any other questions, Romney-bots?... :-)

[Star Traveler]

And more for those idiot Romney-bots... LOL...

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Mitt Romney is a flip-flopping socialist bum!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2294955/posts
vanity | July 17, 2009 | Jim Robinson
Posted on July 17, 2009 1:37:43 PM CDT by Jim Robinson

Don’t trust him. He’s a RINO. Worse than a RINO. He’s the enemy within.

You never know where he honestly stands on any issue. What he promises today, he flips on tomorrow. It all depends on which way the political winds are blowing and which office he’s running for. He’s a liar.

He’s a big government socialist. His RomneyCare state run health care system is a big government boondoggle. It’s tyranny. Government provided, er, forced health care is tyranny not freedom or free markets. Do not believe the socialist propaganda supporting such nonsense.

Socialized medicine is simply another step to socialized government. Government solutions at the point of a gun are the opposite of what we need. This is socialism! Fascism! Mitt Romney is proud of his big government socialist creation and thinks it would be great for all of America. He wants to force you to accept what the state says is right for you. Your taxes will go up as government costs soar and the quality of the care you receive declines. High costs, long waits, rationing, poor or no service, big government force in other areas is where it leads.

“Hello, we’re from the government and we’re here to help you.” Believe that and you are a sucker!

Say NO to socialism! NO to RINOism! NO to Mitt Romney!!

Rebellion is brewing!!

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Warning to Romney-bots...

[madison10]

madison10 to Romney: Don’t even THINK about running for POTUS...you are too RINO-ish.

[freekitty]

How about DOA, Mitt?

[Graybeard58]

and yet some on here thought he would make a good President

They're rarer than hen's teeth around here anymore, I think JimRob scared them all off.

[LibLieSlayer]

Having romney talk about socialist health care is like having hitler talk about genocide.

LLS

[PhiKapMom]

Works for me!

[PowerPro]

Money quote from Newsweek article:

What lessons can be gleaned from your experience in Massachusetts?

“After we crafted the architecture of our plan, the first person I went to was Ted Kennedy. He and I met numerous times and what we fashioned was not perfect in either one of our eyes, but we worked together, because only together could we know that we would have the support of all the parties necessary to make it work.

The states are laboratories of democracy.”

//

This is Exhibit A as to why I could never in good conscience support Romney.

[GVnana]

I don't think I'd agree that's the money quote. But I am interested in hearing from knowledgeable people who have direct experience with the MA plan.

A single payer system would be, in my humble opinion, catastrophic for the US. That seems to be the only plan the Dems are entertaining. No surprise there, since they love those personal power monopolies.

The only experience I have with the MA plan: my daughter attended college in MA and had to pay some 30-odd bucks a month for health coverage. (Of course she resented it. Most 20 somethings don't see a need for that kind of thing.)

Personally, I think illegals SHOULD BE required to maintain coverage, since they are the source of huge costs to the rest of us. I suppose if we follow that logic, we'd require all visitors to the US to have coverage.

[rabscuttle385]

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[mountainbunny]

Romney is against Romneycare ping.

Shhhhhhhh. According to Mitt Romney and his flying monkeys many dedicated followers it's not wrong to hypocritically support some socialist programs while rejecting others as long as you call them something else.

[Do the math]

Slow down? HELL NO, STOP IT NOW!