{mosads}”The core of the Affordable Care Act — or ObamaCare — and what we did in Massachusetts are identical,” MIT economist Jonathan Gruber says in the video, before bemoaning that “all of a sudden Mitt Romney started attacking basically what he had done.”
And John McDonough, a top health adviser with former Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), adds that Romney once promoted his law as “a national model.”
“And now,” McDonough adds, “he is saying he wants to tear down the very model he was promoting.”
Romney now says his law was a state solution to a state problem, and that he’s against a federal insurance mandate.
“President Obama was wrong to impose a one-size-fits-all plan for the nation on healthcare,” Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said. “Obamacare is bad policy and it’s bad law. What is important is that states should be free to pursue their own solutions, and we look forward to celebrating the day Obamacare is overturned and that power is returned to the states.”
Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Democratic Party will serve cake and punch Thursday afternoon in Boston to mark the occasion. Chairman John Walsh said, “Mitt Romney should be proud of what he and Ted Kennedy started six years ago today.”
Democrats began the attacks Wednesday when Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a co-chairman of President Obama’s national reelection committee, hosted a birthday celebration at Faneuil Hall, where Romney signed the legislation into law in 2006.
“I think he has a lot to be proud of. He contributed ideas — the individual mandate was one of them,” Patrick said. “Why not be proud?”