President Obama pointed out today that despite the many criticisms of the health care bill by Republicans, it’s a lot like the plan former GOP Gov. Mitt Romney passed in Massachusetts.
This puts a slight damper in Romney’s efforts to distance himself from the bill, which he has called “an unconscionable abuse of power,” as he gears up for a possible presidential run in 2012.
Romney has been making the rounds, calling for the bill’s repeal, and slamming Obama for “succumb[ing] to the lowest denominator of incumbent power: justifying the means by extolling the ends.”
As Greg Sargent pointed out earlier, on Today this morning, Obama set back Romney’s efforts just a bit.
The President first criticized Republicans for their unanimous opposition to the health care bill, calling it “a calculated decision, a political decision.”
He continued:
I think that’s unfortunate because when you actually look at the bill itself, it incorporates all sorts of Republican ideas. I mean a lot of commentators have said, you know, this is sort of similar to the bill that Mitt Romney, the Republican Governor and now presidential candidate, passed in Massachusetts.
Here’s the video. Romney talk starts at about 5:25:
(h/t Greg Sargent)
