Mitt Romney's Verbal Gymnastics on Healthcare Muddle His Campaign

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Brad Bannon is president of Bannon Communications Research, a political polling and consulting firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups, and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns.

The Wall Street Journal editorial page is always right and never correct but even a blind hog finds an acorn every once in awhile. In an editorial on Thursday, the Journal said that Romney was blowing the election because of his inability to deal with the healthcare issue.

Last week, Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's communications chief, contradicted the entire Republican Party when said that the individual insurance mandate wasn't a tax. He contradicted his boss, too, because the former liberal and current conservative now is saying that the individual insurance mandate in Romneycare was a "penalty" and not a "tax." But Romney said the mandate in Obamacare was a "tax" and not a "penalty."

[See a collection of political cartoons on Mitt Romney.]

Are you as confused as I am?

But you certainly can't expect Romney to admit that his plan was a tax because he has stated repeatedly that he didn't raise taxes in Massachusetts. Or did he? Romney's explanation is not credible because Obamacare is the son of Romneycare. But Romney treats his son like a bastard child.

Who does Romney think he is fooling besides himself?

[See a collection of political cartoons on the 2012 campaign.]

We should expect another in the long line of explanations from Romney about why Obamacare really isn't the son of Romneycare. Back in the day when he was a liberal, Romney said he hoped his healthcare reform program would be a model for the nation. He should have been more careful about what he wished for.

In the same vein, Romney will have to explain how the mandate to purchase healthcare in the Affordable Care Act is different from the mandatory purchase requirement in his Bay State plan? If the mandate in Obamacare is an assault on personal freedom, isn't the mandate in Romneycare also an attack personal choice in the same way? Good luck explaining that one, Mitt.

Mitt Romney's verbal gymnastics on healthcare reform are a great illustration of his flexibility on issues. In liberal Massachusetts, Romney was a liberal. Speaking to conservative voters in the GOP presidential primary, he was a conservative. Now that he has to appeal to moderate voters to win in November, he's Mr. Moderate. Romney doesn't have any core convictions. There's no there, there.

I rarely find myself agreeing with Rick Santorum, but the real conservative GOP presidential candidate was correct to say during the nomination battle that Mitt Romney was the worst possible Republican presidential candidate to represent the party in the battle against Romneycare. Excuse me, I meant to say Obamacare.

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2012 presidential election,

Wall Street Journal,

Mitt Romney