His effort to make a distinction between Romneycare and Obamacare was not persuasive: If anything, he convincingly made the opposite case, that Romneycare and Obamacare are based on the same fundamental concept. If there are no important differences between the Massachusetts health-care system and that of other states, why shouldn’t he believe that Romneycare should be the model for every other state? We may not be able to say “yes” to all requests, since we’re just figuring out whether this is a good idea, but everyone will be considered.
– So did Mitt Romney help his cause with the right with his health care speech today? The early reaction isn't pretty for him on that front: Avik Roy, National Review: "His effort to make a distinction between Romneycare and Obamacare was not persuasive: If anything, he convincingly made the opposite case, that Romneycare and Obamacare are based on the same fundamental concept." Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post: "The consensus: If possible, Romney made things worse. If anything, Romney proved to be a far more articulate spokesman for the individual mandate than Obama. And if conservative pundits hated it this much, can you imagine what Tea Partyers will think?" Ezra Klein, Washington Post: The speech was "as thoroughgoing a defense of the individual mandate as I’ve heard in months. The White House would’ve been wise to take notes." Potential rival Rick Santorum, at Time: "Both Romneycare and Obamacare infringe upon individual freedom and exponentially increase the government's healthcare cost burden. Romneycare has, in fact, not made healthcare better or saved costs in Massachusetts. It's done just the opposite."