Like many of President Obama's critics, Mitt Romney has invested quite a bit of energy lately going after the administration on contraception coverage. The attacks have been a little awkward for the former governor because, not too long ago, Romney and Obama were largely in agreement on the issue.
This inconvenient detail has not gone unnoticed, and on Fox News yesterday, Neil Cavuto broached the subject. Romney replied, "Actually the legislation in our state that related to providing contraception and sterilization, those kinds of things in insurance, occurred before I was governor. And my effort as governor was to try and remove those things. I was unsuccessful in removing them -- my legislature was 85 percent Democrat -- but the White House can't point to my record because this occurred before I became governor and my effort was to get it out of the legislation going forward."
He repeated the line last night, telling Fox News' Sean Hannity, "When I came into office and we were working on healthcare I fought to remove those mandates from coverages."
That's not what happened.
It's true that some of this policy pre-dates Romney's one term in office. In 2002, then-Gov. Jane Swift (R) signed a measure requiring insurers to cover the cost of contraceptives. Insurance purchased by churches or church-controlled organizations were exempt.
Four years later, then-Gov. Romney signed a statewide health care reform package into law that solidified the contraception mandate. While he now claims to have "fought to remove" the mandates, these efforts appear to exist only in Romney's imagination.
The Democratic National Committee hosted a conference call yesterday with former Massachusetts Secretary for Human Services Phil Johnston and John McDonough, Harvard professor of public health, both of whom are experts on Romney's state-based health care law, and both of whom explained yesterday that the presidential candidate's rhetoric is at odds with reality.
Here's what Johnson told reporters:
"Mitt Romney never expressed any concern about the mandate -- never mentioned that it would infringe upon religious freedoms. During the four years that Governor Romney served, he was totally silent about that issue. Most notably, his signature issue as Governor, which all of us supported and which we now affectionately refer to as 'Romneycare' left the contraception mandate in place.
"So when he says he opposes the contraception mandate and will repeal it, which apparently he's been saying the past day or two since this issue has become very public, he's really not being truthful. He had four years to repeal it or to speak out against it in our state and he didn't do that. And even more tellingly, his own healthcare plan which he signed into law embraced contraception mandates."
And here was McDonough's take:
"[Romney] did not, in fact, propose eliminating broader mandated benefits protections for Massachusetts consumers. More importantly, the law that he signed a year later in April 2006 also created the Commonwealth Care program as well as other new insurance programs and that included coverage for all of the existing mandated benefits at the time, including contraception coverage.
"The record does match a lot of the claims that are being made on it. There was a pretty consistent level of support for contraceptive coverage and mandated benefits throughout the Romney era when he was governor. I have absolutely zero recollection of any reference at any point, as a candidate or as governor, where he attacked or tried to undermine contraceptive coverage."
Romney rolled out a new spin yesterday on Fox News, but there's ample evidence the new line just isn't true.
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"... exists largely in his imagination" describes nearly everything Mitt Romney has said on the campaign trail. If we wait long enough - as in later today - he'll totally contradict what he said this morning. The man has no integrity, no principles, no sense of reality. Republicans are choosing between a freak, a toady, an idiot and a liar. And he is supposedly the "normal" candidate among the four still standing. Sheesh!
Love…..the new crave's
CHILDISH VIEWS…
Hate, lies and deceit are the tools of greed and envy. Envy most often comes from greed for money, power and possessions. Greed is a mental disease that can rarely be cured. The greedy mind is twisted and uses it's tools relentlessly and without discrimination to get what it wants. The mind sinks to dehumanizing ways. At CPAC yesterday, a man implied that Rachel Maddow should never have been born. Why I wondered, would one human say such a hateful thing? The answer is easy. Rachel represents truth, tolerance and honor…the partners of LOVE. In the greedy diseased mind, LOVE is the enemy of greed. This is everyone's struggle: to succumb to the tools and path of greed for instant gratification of wealth, possession and power that only destroys in the end. Or to rise and partner with LOVE that will lead you down a joyous path of truth, equanimity and lasting peace. You must decide your own path.
He obviously forgot the script that says that Gays are not born gay, but are turned into gays during their lives. Probably by the Girl Scouts - those radical lesbian feminists.
The script also says that Rachel could be cured of teh gay if she would only submit to the correct god and correct jebus and spend time in the clinic of Michele Bachman's husband.
Romney rolled out a new spin yesterday on Fox News, but there's ample evidence the new line just isn't true.
So, what's new?
Yep. Romney is one lie after the next. Every day brings a new one.
By the way, Jane Swift is a Republican.
.....and a Roman Catholic (according to to wiki)
I swear, this guy might be the anti-christ. Hew spews lies and false promises everytime he changes locations in order to please those that he is speaking to at the time. If this guy get elected, it will set this country so far back that it will make G.W look like a good President. President Obama needs 4 more years, I mean it took Bush 7+ years to mess it up, give Presdient Obama atleast that many years to fix it, it's only fair. But as you know, the Republicans don't know anything about fair.
Mittens is not the anti-christ! He is just a Mormon seeking to gain the proper acceptance of the masses that Joseph Smith and Brigham Young are prophets of a higher order than Jesus of Nazareth.
OF COURSE he lied about it.
this is WILLARD, we're talking about.
you are the one with the weekly Willard lies....so, you should know better than to be remotely shocked.
Don't call him Willard! He says his first name is Mitt. And Mitt never lies.
Wait a minute. So what you're saying is that when confronted by a set of inconvenient facts, Mitt Romney simply lies?
Shocker.
Mitt Romney is a businessman who is not really wanting to represent the people of the United States he simply wants to buy the United States by following the same principles he has practiced in business. Ask him how many peoples' toes he has had to step on or how many poor people he had to sweep under the rug for the better good, in order to become God of the United States or God of the world.
Exactly, Shumuwada, and how in the world does his background
give any indication he "knows how to create jobs?" As a "business
man," he was not in the business of hiring people, only firing them;
and he didn't deal with people, he dealt with money. I'm beginning to
think that might be the reason he seems so uncomfortable with "the people."
I once thought he might be a decent guy, but it's easy to see, now, he's a
phony and a liar. He's going to have to have some very fancy footwork to
move himself back towards the center in the General cause he's so far to
the right, now, he's hanging over the edge.
So true. Mitt Romney did not create companies or jobs. He partnered in the leveraged buyout of companies, for capital gains. Romney worked with many, many companies, and each company required different messaging from Bain Capital. Bain tells people (corporations) what they need to hear so that Bain can quickly (and discreetly) sell them to a buyer, and reap a superior investment return. Romney's job required that he keep changing his message in order to succeed.
"...these efforts appear to exist only in Romney's imagination."
Just like everything else!! Jobs, Vulture capitalism, corporation are people, my friend, et.al!!! What a joke.....
I think all these contraceptive arguments is a way to try and divert our attention or it is a way to try and end Obamacare. I think if we look closer we may find who is behind all of this controversy. Who has the most to gain if Obamacare was repealed. The health insurance companies and the healthcare providers. I personally would feel better if I was being treated by a Doctor who loved his work and not his paycheck. We need the new healthcare reform that President Obama endorsed. The Catholic Church again is siding against children. Because it is children who will be hurt in the long run if the new healthcare reform is repealed.
The whole tealiban party has become the party of flip-flopping and hate. They vote against their own bills if Obama or a dem likes them. doh! They even go on about how those ideas if passed into laws are going to destroy the country. I almost believe them seeing the damage they have already done.
Now they are all for religious freedom and the catholic church demanding the law be changed because of their religious beliefs. What's next? Sharia law? Gotta love those christians. All about religious freedom. So full of love and morals and just plain full of it.
For what it's worth, Gov. Jane Swift was a Republican, not a Democrat. It may be worth noting only because it makes what she did even less remarkable with regards to Romney. Plus, as a Bay State Democrat, I refuse to claim Jane Swift as one of ours.
Romney Lying is not exactly a new or novel concept.
It must be Friday today and we will be treated to another episode of The Prevarications of Mittens this afternoon. Looking forward to it Steve.
You guys better quit disproving Mitts fantasies or he will sick his magic dragon on you.
Why are there still republican voters?
There are still lots of republican voters because they are inbred. That's why their common sense and reason are almost non-existent making them foxbots.
By the way, I love how they placed that play icon over his big mouth!
It's not 'spin' when he's lying.
The story has started to grow, but Romney's hoping he can still stop it from attaching to the public's awareness.
Gee, if only he hadn't scrubbed all the hard drives, he might have been able to show his efforts to eliminate the contraceptive mandate.
Can the Obama campaign hire their own Joe Wilson to follow Romney's campaign and shout "You lie!" at every lie in every speech from here till the election? That would be greatly amusing, if nothing else.
Better send in a squad. I do not think one person should be so overworked.
Oh, mitty. When are you gonna learn you can't lie in 2012? There's just too much documented that people can find online!
Like all of his counterparts he believes the addage that if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth. Guess where Murdoch dug that one up?
You're right, but after all these people who've been caught red-handed in a lie, as a business man, he should be learning to at least check whether he can be caught in a lie instead of pulling lies out of his butt.
Jane Swift - Republican, was the replacement Gov. when Paul Cellucci-R left office to become Ambassador to Canada. There was quite a long line of Republican governors in Mass beginning in 1991 with two term Gov. William Weld, 1998 half a term Paul Cellucci, Jane Swift, his Lt. served out the end of his term. Romney was elected in 2002 and the curse was broken in 2006 when Dem. Deval Patrick was elected.
Why does Mitt remind me of a movie?
"What's your name ?
What do you want it to be?"
Does seem like...I got it! The bad guy in Blazing Saddles! Headly Lamar?
Mitty can lie all he wants now because even lies have an effect on the peoples watching FauxSpews.
Wait until he faces The President (assuming he gets the nomination) in the debates. POTUS wil have the facts and crucify him.
I can't wait to see what kind of reception he gets at CPAC.
Mr 1% is the perfectly lubricated weather vane turning in the face of shifting of the winds fo change.
Mitt is Mr 1% because that is all he is. He is a Ferrengi and his morals are based on the rules of aquistion.
Lets see ... hmmm Romney; Millionaire vulture capitalist with off shore accounts, one term govenor. Job for the last 8 years? Flip flopping his way to a presidental nomination. Santorum; Right wing religious fanatic who lost his last position in a landslide. Paul; Supposed Libertarian with a racist history who wants to return to the gold standard. Gin-grick; Yes, that's how it pronounced by the rest of the family. Well, lets see ... too many to mention but egotistcal hedonist seems to cover most of it. Nice selection, huh. Is there another Bush they can call? Even though he says no, no ,no, right now, just wait for the convention.
Governor of Mass who worked pretty damn well with the Dems.