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TOLEDO, OH -- Mitt Romney on Wednesday pointed to the health care reform law he enacted as governor of Massachusetts as proof of his empathy and care for the American people.
In an interview with NBC News, Romney referenced an element of his record he almost never invokes on the campaign trail to answer a question about how he can better connect with Americans and prove he understands the lives and trials of middle class Americans.
"I think throughout this campaign as well, we talked about my record in Massachusetts, don't forget -- I got everybody in my state insured," Romney told NBC's Ron Allen in an interview before his rally here tonight. "One hundred percent of the kids in our state had health insurance. I don't think there's anything that shows more empathy and care about the people of this country than that kind of record."
A new CBS/New York Times poll shows Obama leading in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Romney is focused on wooing the swing state of Ohio which has been won by every Republican who ever became president. NBC's Ron Allen reports.
Romney's health care law in Massachusetts has long been a lightning rod issue for conservatives, who unfavorably compare it to President Barack Obama's own federal law and as a damning reflection on Romney's conservative bonafides.
The former Massachusetts governor also touched on another portion of his biography that he seldom discusses to connect with average Americans: his time as a Mormon pastor.
"I think people have the chance, who watched our Republican convention, to see the lives that I've had a chance to touch during my life, to understand that as I served as a pastor of a congregation with people of all different backgrounds and economic circumstances that I care very deeply about the American people, people of different socio-economic circumstances," Romney told Allen.
Taking the stage for the final rally of his two-day Ohio bus tour moments later, Romney also spoke about the importance of compassion in his speech and said his interactions with Americans from all lots in life have shown him the greatness of America -- and that everyone has challenges of their own.
"You look around, you see everybody, they look happy, and you think everybody else is doing just fine, and you're the only one with problems. But the truth is, most people that you see have some real challenges in their life of one kind or another. I understand that," Romney said. "And I've seen that inside the heart of the American people, despite our challenges, is a conviction that this nation is the greatest nation in the history of the earth."
Reuters, Getty Images
In the final push in the 2012 presidential election, candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama make their last appeals to voters.
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I wonder what all of FOX, Rush, Bachmann, Ryan, Gingrich, Santorum, the Tea Party and all the other zealots will have to say about Romney's empathy when they get up off the floor?
I'd say this a Maylox Moment for Republicans.
I'll bet they want to support him and especially the party. But behind closed doors the conversation has to be chilling for the right wingers.
The GOP, Ann Coulter, Rush, Faux News, et .al are really quiet lately...
More like a colonoscopy...
I have to say it is much less stressful to read these posts without the constant imterruptions of some of those morons. I appreciate the company of people who are not bigots and alot of other things I have come across today.
You know its bad when the usual crew of tea baggers won't even come on to defend their nominee.
Oh dear, another day, another flip-flop. I would not be surprised if tomorrow he announced that he is actually gay.
Let's go after the House of Reps now, Dems, and make those scum-sucking Tea Partiers pay for their sins.
Gotta love ya, Baggers.
Constitutional, Health Care legislation is meant to be at the state level. So hats off to the people of Massachusetts and a great achievement for Romney in keeping this legislation at the state level to support the wishes of a highly liberal constituency. Lets castigate Obama for defiantly going against the wishes of the people in forcing this legislation through at the Federal level.
Uh, let's not.
...and why in the world would you EVER think that healthcare legislation should be decided state-to-state. Are you crazy?
HeReigns,
I studied constitutional law in law school, and then I got a Master's Degree in Law from Stanford Law School, with an emphasis on constitutional law. I taught certain topics in the field of constitutional law at Stanford Law School, and was also a teaching fellow in a Department of Philosophy class on constitutional law.
I'd love to hear you cite the specific section(s) of the United States Constitution that support(s) your assertion that "Constitutional, Health Care legislation is meant to be at the state level." Your it's-okay-on-the-state level but unconstitutional-on-the-federal-level enjoys no support from the United States Constitution--none whatsoever.
You may try to resort to some of the stupid arguments by Ron Paul about the 10th Amendment as a bar to federal laws, but the 10th Amendment has only overridden federal legislation twice in the last 70 years or so, and on extremely narrow grounds. You may also recall that the 10th Amendment wasn't any part of the analysis in Roberts' opinion upholding the Affordable Health Care Act. The 10th Amendment wasn't part of the discussion of the constitutionality of the ACA because it's too stupid an argument to make.
Obama didn't "defiantly force this legislation through at the Federal level," He/R; the law was passed because it garnered enough votes in both the House and the Senate to be signed into law. You got a problem with democracy in action? I guess when a law you don't like passes, it's been "forced"by the President.
You're yet another example of a nitwit Republican trying to be clever in drawing distinctions that constitutional law doesn't. Conservatives repeatedly and ignorantly invoke the Constitution to support their shallow, dogmatic political views. Go to law school or actually study the Constitution and the judicial interpretations of the various parts of the Constitution before making outlandish claims in derogation of what the Constitution actually says and means.
MichaelM. ....."I studied constitutional law in law school, and then I got a Master's Degree in Law from Stanford Law School, with an emphasis on constitutional law."
Congratulations on your degrees. Sounds like you mirrored Obama's schooling and education. And based on your posted rhetorical comments, sounds like you both failed at the same subject: common sense.
No matter what laws and constitutional legislation you want to assert to support your arguments with, you cannot explain away the 4 years if ineffective, lying and non-leader habits of Obama. He is a danger to our country, and this is one time when everybody should throw out their party affiliation and vote for the good of America. Romney might not be the best answer, but voting to re-elect Obama is the worst and stupidest thing any caring American can do.
Where are the teabaggers? Koch brothers must have pulled the paid bloggers. Stick a fork in Romney- he's all done.
I have a feeling that you're spot on about the funding drying up. The Koch-heads are businessmen, after all, and the Tea Party has a TERRIBLE return-on-investment of late.
ah- a mormon voting Bible thumper! Dude, Jesus was the first Liberal. Save yourself now before it's too late. Don't turn your back on Jesus!
And they complained that Kerry was a flip-flopper! If this boring jerk is proud of what he did in Massachusetts, why did he spend the entire primary campaign calling for the repeal of the national healthcare law, which was modeled after his insurance program? Did he go so far as to say he's changed his mind after deeply thinking the problem of increasing medical expenses and come to an epiphany? No, and you won't hear him support Obamacare during the debates. This was just a momentary attempt to portray himself as a caring guy, a plea to consider him as something other than a wooden, self-promoting, ambitious liar, an undertaking he always seems to fail.
Let's face it--Romney is nothing more than an ambitious guy without principles. He follows polls and adjusts his principles accordingly, kind of the opposite of what most Americans consider to be a leader. Except for W, Romney and Ryan are the most revolting, disingenuous candidates for national office I can recall in my 66 years. I can't wait to see Obama mop the floor with this hapless idiot who has a penchant for uttering "inelegant" statements.
what is so bizzare, if you actually read the health care bill, states do decide. A state can even form a completely different plan. The only thing required is everybody buys in, that way they don't get free ER care. You keep your plan. This was mitts crowning achievement, it was a completely republican idea. Unlike the dumb ideas, like invading Iraq, this is actually a workable plan. Repubs could have cleaned up this year, they are too stupid to even embrace their own idea.
So now romney approves of the health care reform law that obama passed because obama mirrored it after romney's legislation, interesting.
Romney had empathy for 2% of the population that lives in Massachusetts but not for the rest of the U.S? 2% is a lot less than 47%. It just gets worse.
Flip flopping like a fish out of water. He got everyone insured, but he told the Republicans he will repeal Obama care. Once he has to deal with the Tea party Republicans in congress, do you think he's going to be able to stand up to them? No way, he will give in to any irrational crazy ideal they can come up with.
Can't wait to see Joe Scarborough's reaction in the morning and Rush Limbaugh's reaction in the afternoon.
Great Mr. Nice guy. So you wanna take every little scrap from us and give it to the rich but you did somthing good in the past but now it's fu America
Paliban
what is so bizzare, if you actually read the health care bill, states do decide. A state can even form a completely different plan. The only thing required is everybody buys in, that way they don't get free ER care. You keep your plan. This was mitts crowning achievement, it was a completely republican idea. Unlike the dumb ideas, like invading Iraq, this is actually a workable plan. Repubs could have cleaned up this year, they are too stupid to even embrace their own idea.
There has never been such a thing as free ER health care. I have used the ER twice in my life. The first time was when an undiagnosed ulcer (it was probably constantly undiagnosed due to the fact i could not afford health care and doctors probably didnt want to do tests, although i cant prove this) burst and i had to have emergency surgery, for that visit i got slammed with a 90k medical bill. After that i could not get insurance at all, so when i came down with appendicitis i had to go to ER once again, and this time i got slammed with a 25k medical bill. So i know from intimate experience that ER visits are not free. Hospitals have to provide medical car for the uninsured, but they do not have to provide it for free.
Mitt ... Mitt ... Mitt, you poor soul! Did everybody hear Joe Scarborough calling Romney a good businessman, but a really "bad politician, one of the worst" today on his show?
I have to say that if Obama came out and said he was a Muslim, after all, I'd still vote for Obama. Romney is a DISASTER!!!
Obama 2012/Romney 1040
Oops ... I misquoted Scarborough. He said Romney is a "horrible" politician. My bad.
Winner-Take-All DeMOCKrazy
The Tax Code looks like Swiss cheese
(and smells like Limburger) it’s so
riddled with gimmies for the wealthy,
so they and corporations can freeload
off wage earners. Rand-eyed
Romneyites pay lower tax rates
than workers and some, like
Exxon, get a free ride! Who
gets the bill for the US armada
off the Gulf of Hormuz? Not
the oil tankers they’re protecting.
How do Capitocrats get to use our highways,
airways, education and defense
for free?
By hiring loophole-engineering lobbyists.
Whose your lobbyist?
Im not a poem expert, but that does not appear to rhyme very well.:P
That's right Romney, keep being a blatant flip flopper. Every time you flip flop you set off another political nuke further ruining your chances of winning and damaging your republican party which is a party of selfish bullies and nothing more.
Paliban
what is so bizzare, if you actually read the health care bill, states do decide. A state can even form a completely different plan. The only thing required is everybody buys in, that way they don't get free ER care. You keep your plan. This was mitts crowning achievement, it was a completely republican idea. Unlike the dumb ideas, like invading Iraq, this is actually a workable plan. Repubs could have cleaned up this year, they are too stupid to even embrace their own idea.
There has never been such a thing as free ER health care. I have used the ER twice in my life. The first time was when an undiagnosed ulcer (it was probably constantly undiagnosed due to the fact i could not afford health care and doctors probably didnt want to do tests, although i cant prove this) burst and i had to have emergency surgery, for that visit i got slammed with a 90k medical bill. After that i could not get insurance at all, so when i came down with appendicitis i had to go to ER once again, and this time i got slammed with a 25k medical bill. So i know from intimate experience that ER visits are not free. Hospitals have to provide medical car for the uninsured, but they do not have to provide it for free.
The Romney campaign is in free fall.
If Ann hated 2008, she's about to REALLY hate 2012.
I am so confused... he says that his health care plan shows he is empathetic and understands poor and middle class. The afforadable heatlh care act (Obamacare) was modeled after his plan. According to his party platform and running position he wants to repeal the affordable health care act. So guess that means he is empathetic to the people who do not have health plans but is heartless enough to not care and take away their opportunity for health care.
How can anyone vote for this person... even if your a conservative. He is like a box of chocolates.... never know what you are going to get inside!
By tomorrow his campaign will issue a press release saying he didn't really mean that. That's his method of operations in this campaign. First he says something to appease the independents, then he back tracks because the right has a hissy fit. Romney spins so much that if we put a windmill on his back he could solve our energy problem.
Ron-4374770 By tomorrow his campaign will issue a press release saying he didn't really mean that.
Gee, today SOS Clinton was allowed to tell the American Public that it was, in fact, a terrorist attack. Seems Obama can't bring himself to speak the truth, so he uses another mouthpiece so he doesn't have to face the nation with another personal lie that he can be called on the carpet for. But she wasn't allowed to say what they were going to do about it, except to conduct a thorough investigation. lmfao So far, the FBI agents who went to Libya to do the investigation haven't been authorized by the state department to do any investigation.
Reason: something they find might have a negative affect on Obamanation's re-election campaign. When the hell is our president going to do something presidential for America instead of wallowing in his spit and kissing his own arse?
THE CHAIR IS STILL EMPTY! We must fire Obama....or, he can just resign now and save everybody a lot of time and money.
What is it with Mitt? He's all over the place!! The guy does NOT dance very well either...
Mitt's not the only one in free fall... The GOP is skydiving without a chute!!!
He can't sing worth a damn either. I bled from my ears when he sang "America the Beautiful." It was gawd-awful.
OK Mittens, which is it? You either take credit for RomneyCare or you don't. Yet another case of his Flip/ flop/flip/flop/flip/flop/flop/flip/flop/flip/flop/flip. This guy is going to spend every waking hour between now and November trying to explain his multiple positions on the same issues.
All politicians are rear-end kissers when it comes to getting votes but Romney is at the top of the all-time list of the worst.
Boy, he must be losing. Now he's embracing Obamacare. If it get's him an extra vote, he'll say he really likes welfare too.