Afternoon Must-Read: Andrew Kaczynski (2012): Mitt Romney’s Long, Careful Health Care Evolution

…in real time…. January 30[, 2009] speech… [called for] market dynamics, free choice, and personal responsibility, a phrase typically used to refer to the individual mandate…. [On] February 27, Romney said: ‘We need to advance a conservative plan… based on free choice, personal responsibility, and private medicine… like what I proposed in Massachusetts… the plan is a good model.’… In May, Romney wrote an op-ed… largely based off his Massachusetts plan, including an individual mandate…. On June 1… Romney thanked Heritage for helping craft health care reform in Massachusetts…. On June 14 Romney… said the President could learn from RomneyCare, saying: ‘I understand the President considers his plan in respects following the model of Massachusetts. Let’s learn from our experience.’… [On] June 24 Romney said… of the President reviving the exchanges put in place in RomneyCare, ‘we put together an exchange, and the president’s copying that idea. I’m glad to hear that.’…

[On] June 29… Romney touted both his plan and the Wyden-Bennet…. Both plans include a individual mandate. On July 30, Romney… [said] the President could learn a thing or two from… Massachusetts, including using the individual mandate…. On July 31, Romney… spoke specifically about ending the practice of free riding….

On September 19 Romney… spoke positively about his health care reform bill in Massachusetts… didn’t talk about the individual mandate or keeping reforms at the state level…. ‘We can get everyone insured, without breaking the bank and without a government option—there is no government insurance in my Massachusetts reform. The right answer for health care is not more government, it’s less government.’… In December, Romney defended his plan from attacks from Tim Pawlenty…. Romney said ‘What’s primarily wrong with the president’s plan is that he wants to get the federal government into the health insurance business. It’s going to require massive subsidies, a trillion dollars of costs down the road. That is not the right way to go. Instead, let states solve this problem…’ On January 8, 2010 Romney… mentioned his support for a federalist approach…. On February 18 Romney remarked at CPAC that health care reform should be accomplished at the state level….

After health care reform was signed into law on March 23, Romney seemed to briefly re-embrace the [individual] mandate…. In an April 4th interview… Romney… commented the ‘best features’ of the President’s plan were those similar to RomneyCare, including the ‘individual responsibility for getting insurance’…. Kavon Nikrad, frustrated by his failure to get an answer from Romney’s staff on the question of what ‘repeal’ actually meant, cornered Romney at a book signing in mid-April…. “asked Gov. Romney if… ‘the ‘worst aspects’ of Obamacare… include the repeal of the individual mandate and pre-existing exclusion?’ The Governor’s answer: ‘No.’… Romney went on to explain that he does not wish to repeal these aspects”….

Eric Fehrnstrom emailed Ben Smith… ‘Mitt Romney has been very clear in all his public statements that he is opposed to a national individual mandate. He believes those decisions should be left to the states,’ and then later emailed that the mandate ‘should be repealed.’ That email seemed to represent a final decision to stop the political bleading and cauterize the wound. For the last 23 months, Romney has been consistent: He has embraced repeal of the mandated, and stopped making references to the similarities between his plan and President Obama…