Mitt Romney says he agrees with the dissenting opinion stating it's NOT a tax
Mitt Romney steered his campaign message back in line with other top Republicans on Wednesday, insisting that the health care law's individual mandate that requires most Americans to buy health insurance was "a tax."
"The majority of the court said it is a tax, and therefore it is a tax," Romney said in an interview with CBS Wednesday, citing the Supreme Court's health law ruling last week that the individual mandate fell under the federal government's authority to levy taxes and was therefore constitutional.
"They have spoken. There's no way around that. You can try and say you wish they had decided a different way, but they didn't."
Romney's comments came days after senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom rejected the notion that the individual mandate imposed a "tax," saying instead that it was a "penalty."
"The governor believes that what we put in place in Massachusetts was a penalty, and he disagrees with the court's ruling that the mandate was a tax," Fehrnstrom said in an interview on MSNBC's Daily Rundown Monday.
Romney, who contradicted Fehrnstrom's comments today, picked up a line of attack that many of his fellow Republicans had already launched at the president after the Supreme Court's ruling.
"The American people know President Obama has broken the pledge he made," Romney told CBS. "He said he wouldn't raise taxes on middle-Americans. Not only did he raise the $500 billion that was already in the bill, it's now clear that his mandate, as described by the Supreme Court, is a tax."
President Obama has called the price his health care law imposes on Americans who do not buy health insurance a "penalty."
"It was set up as a penalty for people who choose not to buy insurance, even though they can afford it, and for that 1 percent, we call it fair," White House chief of staff Jack Lew told ABC's George Stephanopoulos last Sunday.
Lew echoed similar comments Obama made in 2009 after Stephanopoulos asked the president if the mandate was a tax increase." I absolutely reject that notion," Obama said during the 2009 interview.
As governor of Massachusetts, Romney championed a health care law that imposed a mandate similar to that in Obama's health care law. Romney has insisted that the mandate he supported in Massachusetts was good for the state, but would not be good for the country.
That man gives me whiplash!
and people want him to run our country?!
how can he think something is good for our state (i live in MA)...but not good for the country?
Romney is an idiot. and how he's trying to spin this is hilarious seeing how Obamacare is based directly off of Romneycare.
when it's tax time our health insurance company sends out a tax form (i forgot the name) that says how long we've had insurance throughout that tax year. if you didn't have insurance for any amount of time you get back less taxes. that can be seen as a tax or a penalty...it's really just how you want to look at it.
And Americans who purchase their healthcare will not see a rise in their taxes due to the Affordable Health Care Act.
Romney's got a big problem because he is actually for the Affordable Healthcare Act and he keeps forgetting that the vocal Minority in his party insist that he shouldn't be.
I would really like to hear from the Romney- republican Camp here on CM and get their take on it.
Quoting Ms.KitKat:That man gives me whiplash!
and people want him to run our country?!
It's a tax PENTALTY. Do people really not understand that or what. There is a clear difference between tax and tax penalty.
Quoting ReginaStar:It's a tax PENTALTY. Do people really not understand that or what. There is a clear difference between tax and tax penalty.
Still, he is going to agree with those that dissent with the Supreme Court.
No he can't. If he only takes one side someone might disagree with him.
Thank God......it's Friday!!!
That's because he is a Pisces Sun, one of the twin signs of the zodiac. His rising sign is Gemini which is the other twin sign in the zodiac. His moon is a Scorpio. FYI.
Quoting Friday:
No he can't. If he only takes one side someone might disagree with him.
Holy Cannibalism, Bat Man: Liberals Are Eating Liberals
Would you go topless if you could?
- sweet-a-kins
on Jul. 5, 2012 at 8:55 AM