Andrew Sullivan does a series of Von Hoffman Awards, for predictions that were catastrophically wide of the mark.
From the Globe’s archives, 4/26/2006: Mitt Romney defended the new MA health care law to skeptical conservatives:
“The key factor that some of my libertarian friends forget is that today, everybody who doesn’t have insurance is getting free coverage from government,” Romney said, citing the number of uninsured people who receive free treatment at hospital emergency rooms. “And the question is, do we want people to pay what they can afford, or do we want people to be able to ride free on everybody else? And when that’s recognized as the choice, most conservatives come my way.”
And it’s good to remember this photo:
Um, that’s one Ted Kennedy behind Our Guv. To the left and right next to him are Massachusetts liberal Democrats Senate President Robert Travaglini and Speaker of the House (now convicted prisoner) Sal DiMasi.
As Maria sings in The Sound of Music, “Somewhere in my youth, or childhood/I must have done something good.”
Discuss
14 Comments . Leave a comment below.I wish Obama would work with the other side, and have Boehner and McConnell behind him at a bill signing. Instead, the best Obama can do is sign bills sponsored by Scott Brown. Perhaps work is a four letter word for this POTUS, and plays way too much golf.
Eh?
… ”most important job” to do.
and take responsibility… NO EXCUSES…
If I were Romney I would stand in front of America and say “if I am elected President I will never blame the prior administration for anything!” People don’t like excuses. I thought he showed leadership way back when he said “I own this economy” but I guess his idea of owning something is to constantly blame the “economy he inherited”. Which is Obama, do you own it? Does the buck stop here?
Your a reasonable Republican and have called me a reasonable Democrat on occasion but you must admit that all the GOP Congress has done is obstruct, obstruct, and obstruct. A fiscal conservative like yourself should be appalled they played chicken with our credit rating and rejected an incredibly generous and historic compromise for entitlement reform. You must concede that Romneycare is a good idea, so good it can serve as a national model. You must concede that the GOP has been as bad-if not worse-than the Democrats when it comes to confirming judicial nominees, important government posts, and ambassadorial positions for purely partisan reasons as opposed to up or down votes based on qualification to serve. You must admit they have significantly abused the filibuster-the very filibuster they tried to get rid of when they were in power.
The President has admitted his failures and gave himself a B- as opposed to George W “I cant remember a mistake I made” Bush. If this Congress would admit the buck stopped here it could work with the President on historic wide changing legislation instead of wasting two years positioning their party for the White House on the back of the American economic recovery. Unlike my i
Unlike my idol Harry Truman they have put party before country every time.
Often I wonder: do these people even recognize how the Republican party has changed in the last several years? There used to be Republicans that I could support, including George Romney who, unlike his son, was a man of principle. I shudder when I hear the word “conservative” applied to Republicans today. They are right-wing radicals. To call them “conservative” is to insult traditional conservatives, who had something valuable to contribute, who had SOME respect for the rule of law, SOME concern about the environment, SOME concern for human rights (not just corporate rights and billionaire’s rights), SOME concern for fair play.
Show me examples of the Republicans in the house and Senate trying to work with the President over the last 4 years as opposed to just working towards obstruction. Please show me.
I would also add that John Boehner and and Mitch McConnell probably would have been welcome at the signing of the Affordable Care Act, the Lilly Leadbetter Act, the SCHIP reauthorization, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; if they didn’t show, that is on them, not the President.
I voted for the guy in that picture.
A shame he isn’t a candidate now.
Yes, when Mitt was in Mass, he claimed different politics. Now, instead of Massachusetts Mitt, we have Red-State Romney. Mitt Romney is an opportunist. He handles politics in the same opportunistic way that he did business. He will say and do whatever is needed in order to advance his personal ambitions. Same as Scott Brown.
Five pages of Obama broken promise.
Considering this President has been called a socialist in spite of passing Romneycare/Dolecare/Heritage Foundation free market reform care on a national basis, has been called weak on national security in spite of taking out public enemy #1 and responsibly ending both wars, could he have even been able to muster the support to back any of these promises without being even further eviscerated by the professional right? All of these promises Obama ‘broke’ were dead on arrival in Congress, due to spineless Dems and obstructionist Republicans. I stopped going to anti-war rallies when I realized they were organized by professional protestors whose sole occupation is occupying this or protesting that. I feel your entire Congressional caucus is like that forcing men I might have voted for like Chris Shays and Charlie Bass to the far right to even stand a shot.
My favorite House Republican Steve LaTourette quit rather than face a primary challenge. Hard fiscal and social conservative who supported the auto bailouts, supported Simpson-Bowles, supported public transit funding, some public sector unions, and was a hawk on China’s human rights and trade record, and enough of a budget hawk to recognize Norquist causes more deficits than he solves.
The same source has TEN PAGES of promises kept, plus others ruled as stalled, in the works, or compromise. Often, though, what Politifact rules as promises broken, should be more accurately ruled as “Congress didn’t go along.”
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