Priorities USA Action, a super PAC supporting President Obama, released a much-discussed ad that implies Bain Capital is to blame for the death of the wife of a laid-off steelworker. I think the ad goes too far, given that Joe Soptic’s wife died five years after Bain closed his plant and that she had - though later lost - her own health insurance — for a time — after he lost his job. It’s true that uninsured people are less likely to survive cancer. But the circumstances of her illness are so unclear, even in Mr. Soptic’s telling, that there is no way to determine whether she would have died if he hadn’t been fired.
The ad doesn’t say outright that Mitt Romney is to blame for this woman’s death. It’s meant to dramatize that decisions like the one Bain made to lay off Soptic have long-term consequences. But on Wednesday, the Romney camp responded to the ad in a way that makes this whole dust-up important: “If people had been in Massachusetts, under Governor Romney’s health-care plan, they would have had health care,” spokeswoman Andrea Saul said on Fox News.
Conservatives are apoplectic. They think this has given the Obama team a big opening to remake its case about Obamacare - and they’re right. The Romney campaign seems to be claiming that government-established universal health care is the answer to what to do about people who lack insurance. That is Obama’s argument for Obamacare. The Romney team will argue that it favors only state-based insurance mandates to achieve universal coverage. That’s true. But this debate is occurring in the context of a presidential race, and something approaching universal health care is the law of the land. As president, however, Romney would take it away from people like the Soptics without specifying what he would replace it with.
Even if this ad makes unsupportable charges, and even if you think there’s nothing objectionable about Bain’s conduct, the ad dramatizes a larger story. There is a straightforward difference of opinion between the presidential candidates over the degree to which the federal government should intervene to protect people like Ms. Soptic. Obama believes in aggressive federal action to cushion the blow of market outcomes like the one that hit the Soptics with such force. Romney - even though his campaign has said universal health care is the right answer in cases like Ms. Soptic’s — is promising to roll back government protections for such families. Whatever you think of the ad, that’s the more important argument to be having.
Comments (21)
Add commentThe Mittster Wants to Have it BOTH WAYS
Its appropriate the Super Pac point out exactly what actions Mittster took as the Bain Guy and as Gov. of MA. That would be his record. Considering the mis leading ads Romneys campaign and PACs have already aired in the primary as well as afterwards, , This ad seems actually ,true , its one mans story. Unlike the Romney ads that have the sound track edited by the likes of the FOX News super heros.
Like the Mittsters spokeswoman Andrea said about the ad in question." Had these guys been in Mass. this would not be an issue since they would have been covered by Romneycare."
Negative ads work, which is why both parties sling mud.
IMO Republicans will have the hardest time appearing at all sincere about caring for people. They are shamelessly fronted by the modern reincarnation of Joe MCarthy(MB). And Joe McCarthy is not loved by liberals, independents, or even by some conservatives.
I have no sympathy for Mr. Soptic. When you want to put
blame on someone else for something that happened 5 years after of the original, alleged cause; basically is what you are saying is you are lazy and stupid for not getting health care sooner. So sorry, move on, next!
Incoherent musings from the Washington Post...
...again, for the millionth time, state sponsored health care is far different from Federally-sponsored health care. Personally, I think Romney care is a failure, which is bad enough at the state level, but apply it to the entire nation and you have a formula for a real financial catastrophe.
The Dems have "grown a pair",
a pair of flat out lying what, eyolf?
Chicago politics
Major Garrett reported on the Chris Matthews show that
there are ads "in the can" that try to connect someone's
suicide with Bain/Romney. The ads are done unknown
when and if they are aired.
These are done by the same super pac and Mr.
Burton. Who by the way reminds me of someone local.
Tomorrow at 8 am,
Mitt will announce his running mate. Who will it be? I guess not Ryan or Pawlenty. Probably Portman.
What could be worse than Biden?
Pelosie for sure and Reid also. No wonder Barry chose Slow Joe.
My money is on Paul Ryan
and I would, incidentally, contribute to the pair of Romney/Ryan. I would help anyone that will unseat Obama. Even Bill Clinton, and that's how poorly I view Obama.
Gee Fair...VP clone for Mitt Romney is...
Good, Ryan is picked.
So when they lose, that little twerp will be out of the House.
Guess Portman likes his current job.
Can't wait for the VP debates...
...Ryan will destroy Biden.
Ryan must have been
promised shares in Bain Vulture Capital!
Ryan will appear snarky and snotty at the VP debate and end up skewered. Bring it on!
Well, after listening to his speech, it is obvious he isn't a Sarah Palin.
Good likeness there, Dutch.
Florida just went to President Obama! In fact, Ryan's district went to Obama in 2008.
Thank Goodness Eddie Munster Fans Will Survive & Prosper Now
Ad buys for hundreds of millions of US dollars ,if nothing else will bring much needed stimulus for the US economy.
Like the Nobel Prize winning Economists keep saying ,you dont cut your way out of an economic downturn. For all those folks who are absolutely convinced the countries debt is a world ending crisis, maybe if you spent more time looking at real balanced solutions instead of buying the old standby GOP solution of " Tax cuts for all" the country may actually become a better place. Dont forget how the Party of NO ,helped make MN a better place to live. They " balanced" their budget on the back of County property taxes. Meanwhile the former MN Senate majority leader shut the state down for a month last summer. Amys last meeting with the Gov included one last " new abortion restriction plan".
Get out and Vote in Nov. ,while you still can.
Please captron, there is a stimulus in the short term...
Ad firms employ people (hush, I said it, people)...
Not sure if they are outsourced...
Voting is a limited right...
In the future if a favorite TEA Party Amendment is passed which kicks the can down the road to future legislative rules...
Snow and other Costco shoppers
will be able to vote Dutch. What more could you ask for?
Eyolf
In response to your last comment:
Even a dumb Democrat should worry about promising something that will bankrupt this nation to a bunch of people that will then have to turn on him when it happens.
Can you picture 150 million entitlement recipients not getting their food and other necessities next month? Sadly, the old folks will suffer. What do you think the core youth and their parents will do in the big cities? Some of those people will have enough gas or will steal it to get to the Deerwood area. Tell me again how you will welcome them into your home and share your food and family, happily. I suppose you can give them directions to snow, Joe R. and southie's house too.I await your reply.
Southie obviously hasn't watched Ryan in action...
...sure, he can't come up with brilliant commentary like: “Look, ...[McCain’s] last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle the No. 1 job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S, jobs.”, but Ryan's never snarky or snotty. I think the word Southie is looking for is "knowledgeable." I can understand why it escaped her, since it is used so seldomly to describe politicians from her circle.