Santorum: I Never Passed Individual Mandate When I Was Governor — I Wasn’t Governor

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In his speech to supporters in Ohio, Rick Santorum continued to take a hard line against Mitt Romney’s previous passage of the individual health insurance mandate in Massachusetts, and his past advocacy for it at the federal level.

“In this race there is only one candidate who can go up on the most important issue of the day, and make the case. Because I’ve never been for an individual mandate, at a state or federal level. I’ve never passed a statewide government-run health care system when I was governor, because — well, I wasn’t governor — but Governor Romney did.

“And now we find out this week, not only did he pass it in Massachusetts, he advocated for it to be passed in Washington, D.C., in the middle of the debate on health care. It’s one thing to defend a mandated, top-down government-run health care program that you imposed on the people of your state. It’s another thing to recommend and encourage the President of the United States to impose the same thing on the American people.

“And it’s another thing yet, to go out and tell the American public that you didn’t do it. We need a person running against President Obama who is right on the issues, and truthful with the American public.”

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