President Obama has one word for Republican critics of his health care law as the battle over his reform shifts to the Supreme Court: Massachusetts. If that’s not enough, he’s got two other words: Mitt Romney.
In an interview with the public radio show “Marketplace” broadcast Thursday, Obama previewed an aggressive defense against Republican critics of the legislation that centered on contrasting his law with that of his likely GOP opponent, Romney, who shepherded a very similar law while governor of Massachusetts.
Asked why the law didn’t have more popular support, Obama quickly pivoted to an attack on Romney.
“Well, I would have loved to have gotten it done quicker, which is part of the reason why we designed a program that actually previously had support of Republicans — including the person who may end up being the Republican standard bearer and is now pretending like he came up with something different,” Obama said.
When it came to a question about continuing opposition to the mandates on the state level, Obama again deflected by pivoting to Romney.
“[I]t will be very hard for any governor to explain why it is that they’re not giving people — and small businesses, not just individuals — an opportunity to get cheaper health insurance, better deal, more protections because of some ideological argument that they’re having with the president,” Obama said. “And when people see that in fact it works, it makes sense — as it’s, by the way, working in Massachusetts — then I think a whole bunch of folks will say, ‘Why aren’t we trying it as well?‘”
Listen to the whole thing: