ROMNEY INSPIRED OBAMA HEALTHCARE REFORM: Questions For GOP?

Recent reevaluations suggest that Mitt Romney hasn't been entirely truthful with voters. The former Governor of Massachusetts became a national leader, by reforming the healthcare system in his state. In the eyes of some, his healthcare reforms were the most successful policy update in generations. He mandated that every person in Massachusetts should have insurance; If they chose not to purchase insurance they would be subject to fines. This policy is called the dreaded healthcare mandate. Mr. Romney has at times, decried his own policy and suggested that the President should have consulted him on the "mistakes" that were made in the Massachusetts Reform. He has tried to suggest that the President's healthcare reform, which sports a similar mandate, is unconstitutional. He has also vowed to repeal "ObamaCare". However, a newly recovered OP-Ed in the USA Today, shows that in 2009, Mitt Romney implored the President to add a federally enforced healthcare mandate to his reforms (President Obama ran in opposition to the mandate). Romney suggested creating tax-consequences for those who refuse to purchase insurance. The glaring hypocrisy creates an intellectual pretzel that will be very difficult for Romney to relieve himself from. Given that Mitt Romney is largely known for his famous flip flops, this revelation will add to the perception that he lacks principle. But it should be noted that most Republicans were once advocates of forcing ALL Americans to purchase private insurance. However, when the idea became the stated policy of President Barack Obama, Republicans began repudiating the policy. Newt Gingrich, a 20 year advocate of Federal Insurance mandates began calling the policy socialism and the President a Radical Communist, for proposing the former GOP policy. The mandate was actually proposed by the GOP on three different occasions: twice in 1993, & 2007. In each case the bills were heavily co-sponsored by the GOP, who embraced the idea when it was conceptualized by the Heritage Foundation, which markets itself as "Ronald Reagans Favorite Think Tank".

The GOP should be asked to account for its blatant hypocrisy. The healthcare mandate is the source of President Obama's reform. By imposing the requirement on all americans, Obama creates the financial framework that makes it possible for insurance companies to cover Americans with Pre-existing conditions (such as children born with defects). It also provides subsidies that extend healthcare to 30 million more americans. The GOP proposed Obama's healthcare reform, in one way or another, for over 20 years. They did not indicate then, that it was socialistic, or contrary to the constitution. And the media should demand that republicans explain this recent epiphany. Mitt Romney is gaining a reputation for being unprincipled, but if he or the GOP are willing to oppose good ideas, simply for the sake of gaining power or criticizing the President, their actions are beyond cynical. We have reached an unfortunate place in our politics, in which parties have become obsessed with power. The only consistent principle seems to be opposing their opponents. And in the war between the political factions, the American people are becoming causalities.