Op-Ed

Op-Ed: Romney and the Whale

Mitt's Moby Dick

On April 11, 2006, then-Governor Mitt Romney signed the most sweeping new healthcare bill into law at a festive Faneuil Hall ceremony surrounded by his Democratic colleagues of the moment. From left, Tim Murphy, Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert Travaglini, Senate President, Ted Kennedy, U.S. Senator and Sal Dimassi, House leader who is currently in jail.

by Christy Mihos

Like Captain Ahab, Mitt Romney has his great white whale, and it has all the likelihood of taking him down too. 

Universal healthcare and its author at the federal level, United States Senator Edward Kennedy tried for decades to establish healthcare for all, only to be shot down by the Congress, by a bad plan, and later, terrible execution by the Clinton administration and by a nation adamantly opposed to the concept of mandates. 

This all goes back to 1994, when Mitt took on Senator Kennedy and with the polls even in October, Mitt morphed into a candidate that we, as ardent supporters did not know.  First he let it be known he did not vote for Ronald Reagan, who by the way, carried our state not once but twice.

Then he became Mitt the pro-choice icon of the left, only to trump that with a representation that he would be far better for the gay community than the liberal lion of Massachuestts Ted Kennedy.

Huh?  He said what?  Who is this guy?

After Kennedy took apart his business record the race was over and Kennedy won by almost twenty points. 

But in 2002 Mitt came back for more. 

Fresh off the success of the Olympics in Utah, and with millions in federal dollars to make these games safe and secure after 9/11, Mitt took center stage on Friday night in January 2002 and was catapulted onto the nation’s spotlight.  Who can forget the opening ceremonies with Mitt and President George Bush seated high in the stands talking to participants and the crowd---it was a seminal moment for Mitt!

Governor Romney,
pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-healthcare mandate.Now governor of Massachusetts, still pro-choice and pro-gay rights, Mitt stood down as gay marriage became law in his Massachusetts.  It wasn’t enough.  As our state ranked 48th in job creation a truly bad place to be, Governor Romney, now chairman of the Republican Governors Association began to bring forth his concept of universal healthcare.  And in April of 2006, in a signing ceremony at historic Faneuil Hall, flanked by Senator Kennedy and other prominent Democrats, Mitt slew the great white whale signing a bill into law that hooked a mandate around every ones neck. 

You had to buy healthcare---and if you don’t, you will be fined up to $2,000 each year.  The bill was written by many in the healthcare industry.  They were happy to help out Mitt and haul in higher healthcare premiums for all. 

Romneycare advanced, and now 99% of our citizens have healthcare.  But for we mere mortals, the cost of healthcare has risen by 70% since Mitt slew his great white whale.  Emergency rooms in hospitals still are swamped with people utilizing them as their primary care outlets.  Healthcare is still a budget buster.   But Mitt did what even Ted Kennedy could not.  

And as Captain Ahab had to have his prize, the vision of Ahab riding the whale down into the ocean depths launching spears into its pure white back, while his ship and sailors perished, is a clear picture of Mitt Romney, our former governor, now presidential candidate hurtling down into the depths, on the law he so blindly had to have which now will kill his hopes for the presidency. Should the United States Supreme Court rule the individual mandate unconstitutional it might be a moment that those that Mitt so desperately needs and wants will be somewhat upset with the father of Romneycare and Obamacare.

But for us who supported him through the years, Romneycare was the last insult. 

Christy P. Mihos was an Independent candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in 2006 and ran again as a Republican in the 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial election. He  served as a member of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority from 1999 to 2004.