You have to admire Paul for not doing what a few of the other candidates have resorted to in trying to knock down Romney for their own benefit. In an exclusive interview outside a Manchester polling place, Ron Paul lashed out at fellow Republicans for making unfair and ignorant attacks on Mitt Romneyâs business record. âI think theyâre wrong. I think theyâre totally misunderstanding the way the market works,â Paul told me. âThey are either just demogoging or they donât have the vaguest idea how the market works.â Paul also came to Romneyâs defense for saying âI like to be able to fire people.â The actual quote was "I like to be able to fire people WHO PROVIDE SERVICES TO ME". http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politic...aul-defends-romney-lashes-out-at-his-critics/
"Lots of people canât fire their insurance companies Governor Romney is getting a lot of heat for a line that appears to have been ...taken out of context. Iâd like to talk about it in context. [My emphasis] I think thatâs much more illuminating: âI want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep people healthy. It also means if you donât like what they do, you can fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me. If someone doesnât give me the good service I need, Iâm going to go get somebody else to provide that service to me.â Gov. Romney is not saying that he enjoys telling people that they no longer have a job. Heâs saying that, when it comes to health insurance, if a company is doing a bad job, he would enjoy telling them to take a hike. Who wouldnât? First of all, letâs unpack the idea that if individuals have their own insurance, the âinsurance company will have an incentive to keep [them] healthyâ. Thatâs totally backwards. The idea that people might fire their insurance companies is exactly why they donât have an incentive to keep you healthy. Insurance companies preferentially cover healthy people, and they want those who are ill to leave, or, better yet, not enroll in the first place. Captive populations, like those in the VA, or maybe plans with long-term contracts through big employers might have the right incentive, but the types of plans Gov. Romney seems to have in mind donât do the very thing he is saying they do. Insurance companies have a vested interest in keeping you healthy when you canât or wonât leave. But thatâs the least of his problems. The real issue, unfortunately, is that very, very few people have the luxury that Gov. Romney is endorsing. Letâs say that you are self-employed, and lucky enough to have found a company to provide you with health insurance. Then, letâs say you develop cancer. You suddenly find out that your insurance company stinks. So you fire them, right? Of course not. Youâre screwed. Now you have a pre-existing condition. Thereâs not an insurance company out there that wants to cover you. So you donât fire them. You scream, and curse, and cry, but youâre stuck. Only healthy people have the luxury of picking and choosing. Letâs also not forget that most people donât find out that theyâre not getting âgood serviceâ until theyâre sick. Healthy people donât make much use of their insurance, so they donât know how bad it is. They only find out after theyâre ill, and then itâs too late. Itâs only fun to fire the insurance company if youâre sure you can go to another company to get what you need. Almost no one can. Of course, you could be so assured if guaranteed issue was the law. It would be even better if there were community ratings, so you knew the next insurance company couldnât gouge you for being sick. Thatâs the case in Massachussetts, under the law Governor Romney signed, so itâs possible heâs just thinking back to that. Itâs also true under the ACA. But if that gets repealed, as Governor Romney suggests, then very few Americans, excepting those that live in states like Massachusetts, will get to enjoy the firing he proclaims to enjoy." Aaron Carroll, www.theincidentaleconomist.com
Of course it was out of context, but that did not stop Rush this morning from pounding Mittens about the head and face with it. Mittens has got to be smarter. As so does Paul, for that matter. Politics is a game of chess, or of football. Let's just use football. Tebow beat the Steelers because he lined in a formation that screamed, run, but, he threw. Politics is like that. If Mittens does not learn what to say and when he is dead meat. Same with Ron Paul.
Looks like Paul's willingness to be a Romney ally and constant flag bearer for free markets is giving him a huge edge over those who chose to criticize Mitt on the topic.
I know I do. I don't agree with all of his agenda/ideas. But, for me at least, he is far and away the best candidate.