Forbes: Is Mitt Romney Committed to Repealing Obamacare?

Lots of food for thought in this Forbes article from yesterday:

Forbes | Is Mitt Romney Committed to Repealing Obamacare?

Every GOP Presidential candidate is on record favoring the repeal of Obamacare. But Philip Klein and Jeff Anderson have their doubts that one candidate in particular—Mitt Romney—is really committed to that goal. And it’s not merely because of Romney’s Massachusetts history of installing what Tim Pawlenty memorably referred to as “Obamneycare."

...as Jeff notes, there are two subtle signs that raise questions about Romney’s commitment to repeal. The first is that, in many settings, Romney did not argue for full repeal, but merely for repealing “the worst aspects of Obamacare.”

 

...But which parts are the worst? And which would he preserve? Romney favors the individual mandate, easily the law’s most controversial measure, and opposes its Medicare cuts, without which the law would have carried even more fiscal risk.

...Philip Klein argues that Romney has rarely, if ever, carved out a stance on an issue that defied conventional wisdom. “Romney, in short, has displayed zero political courage during his career,” Philip writes. “He has held opposite positions on nearly every issue, with one obvious exception. He still hasn’t disavowed the health care law he designed, campaigned for, and signed with a smiling Ted Kennedy at his side.”

[Read the whole article here.]