May 17, 2011 12:46PM 

# Sit Down, Mitt, You’re Not Helping 

By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) 

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An excerpt from my latest Kaiser Health News [column](http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Columns/2011/May/051611cannon.aspx):

> Mitt Romney’s reversals on [abortion](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/10/mitt-romneys-abortion-sta_n_493808.html), [gay marriage](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,236499,00.html), [gun control](http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/01/14/romney_retreats_on_gun_control/), [campaign finance](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/25/AR2007052501971.html) and [immigration](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/04/AR2008020402805.html) leave one with the impression that when Mitt Romney is with you, he’s with you. At least until he leaves the room….
> 
> 
> Romney once [said](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/10/us/politics/10romney.html), “I would be happy to take credit” for ObamaCare. As he should: Romney bears as much responsibility for ObamaCare as any Democrat. Now he wants to repeal it. This absurd attempt to have it both ways is turning Romney into a [laughing stock](http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-medical-mystery-of-mitt-romney/2011/05/12/AF5RLd1G_story.html). The longer he drags it out, the more oxygen he will suck out of the effort to repeal ObamaCare.

Along the way, I explain why every distinction he tries to draw between [RomneyCare](https://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa657.pdf) and [ObamaCare](https://www.cato.org/bad-medicine/) falls flat.

##### Related Tags 

[General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) 

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