It’s blogworthy unto itself that MSNBC has pointed out that Obama made an error, but I’ll stick to the main story at hand. According to their report, here are a few things Obama had to say about ObamaCare on a bus-tour stop in Cannon Falls, MN:
“It should not be controversial, but it has become controversial.”
“You’ve got a governor who’s running for president right now who instituted the exact same thing in Massachusetts. This used to be a Republican idea, by the way, this whole idea of the individual mandate, and suddenly, it’s like they got amnesia.”
“It’s like, ‘Oh, this is terrible; this is going to take away freedom for Americans all over the world, all over the country. So that’s a little puzzling.”
Shouldn’t be controversial, eh? Same thing as a state government mandate, huh? A little puzzling?
What’s puzzling to me is that our President, I guess egged on by his you-are-the-Obamessiah supporters, can be so tone-deaf to the real concerns people have about ObamaCare. (He also said on his bus tour, by the way, that he’s ok with the term “ObamaCare(s)” because he really does care, and the “other people” don’t.)
If I were advising the President I would give him a few gentle reminders:
The debate over health reform has been controversial for decades. The need for reform was necessary, but voters opposed his plan – the Affordable Care Act – from the beginning. In fact, the majority of voters have favored repeal consistently, week after week, according to Rasmussen numbers, since the law’s passage. (Except for one week – the week we killed Osama Bin Laden, and I think all things named “Obama” saw an uptick in approval ratings that week).
Also, a mandate from the state of Massachusetts (quality of ideas aside) is subject to a different kind of constitutional and legal scrutiny than a mandate from Congress. Duh! The states have all kinds of powers that the federal government doesn’t have. Get with the program!
And calling the mandate a “Republican idea.” Interesting tactic. Well, regardless of who supported or opposed an individual mandate (statewide or nationwide) in the past, you signed it into law Mr. President. And now you’ve got to take responsibility for that and the “puzzling” loss of freedom that comes with it. Give me a break.