Posted on 10/11/2011 12:09:46 PM PDT by STARWISE
The Obama administration may have relied much more heavily on Romney’s Massachusetts healthcare legislation as a blueprint for Obamacare than was previously believed.
White House visitor logs obtained by NBC News revealed that three of Romney’s healthcare advisers had up to a dozen meetings with senior administration officials, including one in the Oval Office presided over by President Barack Obama.
“They really wanted to know how we can take that same approach we used in Massachusetts and turn that into a national model,” MIT economist and Romney healthcare adviser Jon Gruber told NBC.
What’s more, the records show Gruber was given a $380,000 contract in 2009 to help draft new legislation based on the Massachusetts healthcare law.
The White House tapped another Romney adviser, John Kingsdale, who in 2006 was put in charge of the state agency tasked with implementing Romney’s healthcare plan. In 2009, Kingsdale attended three White House meetings on healthcare.
A third Romney adviser, John McDonough, attended four White House healthcare meetings. McDonough shared an “innovator in health” award with the Massachusetts governor, after leading a health advocacy group in Massachusetts and working with Romney as a consumer advocate on the legislation.
Though Obama has repeatedly said that he modeled Obamacare on Romney’s healthcare plan, Romney has tried to wash his hands of the association.
“He does me the great favor of saying that I was the inspiration of his plan. If that’s the case, why didn’t you call me?” Romney said in a GOP debate. “Why didn’t you ask what was wrong? Why didn’t you ask if this was an experiment, what worked and what didn’t? … I would have told him, ‘What you’re doing, Mr. President, is going to bankrupt us.’”
Obamacare’s most unpopular feature, the individual mandate that requires all citizens to purchase a healthcare plan, was lifted wholesale from Romney’s healthcare reform package, which he touted as a way of “expanding coverage to all our citizens.”
Gruber’s involvement is the most damning association for Romney, and the GOP candidate has done his best to play down the connection. Gruber, however, has not.
He told NBC that Romney was “the father of health-care reform. I think he is the single person most responsible for health care reform in the United States. … If Mitt Romney had not stood up for this reform in Massachusetts … I don’t think it would have happened nationally. So I think he really is the guy with whom it all starts.”
Compared to Mittens, yes IMO.
Look at Perry’s records. He has actually fought for and passed socially and fiscally conservative bills.
Cain is a nice gu with some good ideas, but he has never done anything politically, and he’s being used by Romney, who is not conservative in any way, shape or form. He’s not conservative fiscally and he’s not conservative socially.
I wouldn’t vote for him, and I’m certainly not alone in that. As for hia VP, I don’t care who it is, because I still wouldn’t vote for him (I voted for VP in the last elction) and I would lose all respect for anybody who claimed to be conservative but would run with Romney, be it Cain or Rubio or some other more conservative (than Romney) candidate.
He wouldn’t win, and that’s why the MSM wants him.
Double dealing, consulting with the other side. How old are you, damn do you tell your doctor if he is not a republican you will go somewhere else. Open a business and hang a sign up, no demorats not allowed, cut the chance of being successful at the start. Maybe the guy on the rescue truck decides to let you bleed out because you are of the wrong party. The free market is the free market, you either believe in it are you do not. You do not convict people in this country because of prior association. These people are private operators, find a legit reason to attack Willard, not because someone that worked for him in the past have stayed at work, they have the right to make a living.
Double dealing, consulting with the other side. How old are you, damn do you tell your doctor if he is not a republican you will go somewhere else. Open a business and hang a sign up, no demorats allowed, cut the chance of being successful at the start. Maybe the guy on the rescue truck decides to let you bleed out because you are of the wrong party. The free market is the free market, you either believe in it are you do not. You do not convict people in this country because of prior association. These people are private operators, find a legit reason to attack Willard, not because someone that worked for him in the past have stayed at work, they have the right to make a living.
Cain isn;t being used by Romeny, and once Cain brings out the big guns against Romeny, you will see that and cannot spin it. I’m appauled at the people that were for Perry and Romeny, making a case they should have even been the front runners as neither were conservative. Cain is, Gingrich is, possibly Santorum and possibly Bachman. Everyone else is a joke or a RINO. PERIOD!
Properly publicized, this could actually sink Myth. Which would be the best news we could get out of this primary season (not including the inevitable departures of RuPaul and Huntsman).
Please feel free to point out where FReepers have been promoting Romney as tough against illegal immigration.
So you are saying that Romney will commit political Perry-kari?
Hogwash. He is convicted. When you’re dealing at these stratospheric political levels, we’re not just talking about the inane puffery and bleeding heart spin about a poor independent contractor being deprived of income. Gimme a break.
We’re talking about the highest office in the land. Romney willingly chose to sign Romney care, from which he’s now trying to conveniently detach to escape that poisonous choice and signature to be more conservatively palatable, and all the while he knows that his advisers did this.
What kind of ethics, double speak and moral leadership do you call that?
“Though Obama has repeatedly said that he modeled Obamacare on Romney’s healthcare plan, Romney has tried to wash his hands of the association.”
Compounding this and many other strikes, this same weasely and wicked action for abortions when he was governor is so repugnant, and I pray in the name of all that’s holy and good that he’s not ultimately our candidate.
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Gov. Romney’s universal health care program for Massachusetts includes taxpayer-funded abortions - Legislation names Planned Parenthood as member of advisory board
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The cornerstone of Gov. Mitt Romney’s new universal health care law for Massachusetts is a program titled “Commonwealth Care”, a plan for thousands of low-income people who could not afford regular health insurance, funded by the taxpayers.
One of the stated benefits covered in Commonwealth Care is “abortions.” And Planned Parenthood is written into the law, as part of the “payment policy advisory board.”
April 12, 2006. Gov. Mitt Romney signs Massachusetts Universal Health Care law, as Sen. Ted Kennedy, standing behind him, gives his approval and support.
http://massresistance.org/docs/marriage/romney/health_ins/
The evil Kennedy Karma lives yet among us, continually working to demolish morals, the sanctity of life and our conservative values and way of life. So, just where IS the steely conservative resolve and consistent principled conservatism there? And not his words .. his actions.
Perry is part of the problem with the GOP. Look elsewhere for real conservatism and non establishment republicans.
his actions have already done that, but this new revelation that his advisors met with the Obama administration at length for advice on Obamacare, then having Romney denying any involvement that his advisors had and then this comes out makes Mitt a phoney and a liar!
RINO ROMNEY IS T O A S T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope this puts Mitt out of the running for good.
“All conservatives need to unite and stand behind one candidate and I believe that candidate is Herman Cain!”
Others are not sold on Herman Cain. Therein lies the unity problem. There are four candidates I could vote for, but I am not sold on any of them. In fact, I have deep reservations about each.
Bs, they are private operators, you are making a mountain out of a mole hill. All you are dealing in is allegations, where is the beef. Dang.
Tom Daschle was most instrumental in the establishment of what today is known as Obamacare IIRC.
We must be careful NOT to believe everything going on right now as there are some desperate people out there in campaigning land. This could be some more lies to further slime Romney, but then who cares really. I don’t. He’s a RINO of the first order I don’t even want to see as POTUS.
I might go along with a scenario that because Romney was first with establishing the plan, that his people were consulted, or absorbed into the Obama system due their early experience, but I still believe Tom Daschle was the critical element in establishing the details of the plan.
As far as I knew to now Tom Daschle was supposed to head up the program for Obama, but due a scandal he could not be confirmed by Congress to the position he was destined to head up by Obama, and as far as I know he is working in the background, very quietly, and totally out of sight.
For what it’s worth.
Coulter is a conservative in name only.
Pray for America
I think Rush has a good take ... BHO White House purposely leaked this and the Beltway invested establishment Pubbies are pushing Mitt, and both sides are devious and cunning and gunning for their personal outcomes.
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“Okay, so obviously now somebody is leaking this; and it’s curious to me because I’m convinced the White House wants to run against Romney for this very reason. They hope to be able to discredit and destroy Romney by simply tying him to Obamacare, but leaking this story is gonna give some problems to Romney. Now, let’s put this in perspective. If you want the straight scoop, here you go, and listen up: Romney is gonna get this nomination if nothing changes as of today.
This chaos in the streets is distracting from the Republican nomination battle. That’s another thing I think that’s by design here. All this chaos, all these phony protests is taking the focus away from the Republican nomination fight.
Now, what’s happening, I think... Romney’s out there talking up Herman Cain. Romney’s up there saying, “Look, if you can’t vote for me, vote for Herman Cain,” and he’s doing that to defeat Perry. No question about it. Romney has decided he’d have an easier time against Cain. I’m convinced that he believes that.
I don’t necessarily agree with that, but that’s not the point. The establishment now is firmly behind Romney, and every other conservative that’s in this race is under attack.
Perry, Cain, Bachmann, you name it. The establishment is now... They’re trying to get this wrapped up next week. They want to move the primaries up, they want this done and over. The Republican establishment is trying to take full advantage of the chaos of these protests to just nail this down and end it.
Now, obviously this is the White House leaking to Isikoff, who’s no longer at Newsweek; he is at NBC. Now, it’s obvious that the regime wants to run against Romney, and I mentioned this last week. They think Romney would be the easiest candidate of these three to beat because he’s least conservative.
Don’t doubt me on this. There’s no question they want to run against Romney.
However, leaking this right now, to come out so close to this debate tonight is a rather curious thing, because, again, just to make this point again, folks, I think what’s happening, the Republican establishment is trying to get this wrapped up for Romney now. They are doing everything they can to smear, marginalize, take out people like Santorum, Bachmann, Herman Cain, you name it, any other conservative that is competing for the nomination.
Romney, for his part, is now pushing Herman Cain. “If you can’t vote for me, vote for Herman Cain. I like Herman Cain,” and the reason he’s doing this is to get rid of Perry. He wants Perry out of the equation. Because he’s decided he’ll have a much easier time against Herman Cain ‘cause Herman Cain doesn’t have any money.
Herman Cain has the least amount of money, although it’s changing a little bit but he still doesn’t have the money that Perry has and he’s nowhere near the money that Romney has. So what is happening here, Romney wants to swamp Cain or Perry wherever with money and organization in the early states: New Hampshire, Florida, and Nevada, and that is where he expects to be crowned the inevitable Republican nominee by the lib media.
Our guys are still out, the Republican establishment is still totally interested and focused on what the mainstream media says about them. It’s one of the big problems that we face. The Republican establishment still craves the approval, the relationship that they have with the mainstream media.
The Republican leadership in the House and Senate both still use the mainstream media as their primary means of disseminating information. They think that the mainstream media is still the power broker, still the power maker, and they’re gonna go through them.
Romney is also signaling that he will consider Cain for vice president. So he’s building Herman Cain up because he figures he can take Cain out. If Cain can supplant Romney and become number two, then Romney figures it’s over.
Cain doesn’t have much of an organization, he doesn’t have nearly as much money, he could get this thing wrapped up next week, figuratively speaking, which is the objective. That’s what’s taking place. Just my humble opinion.
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