A lot of people are asking why Mitt Romney's ducking the subject of Obamacare.

The reason is below.

It pains me greatly to print an Obama-Biden press release.

But they've got Romney dead to rights on the hypocrisy of protesting an innovation for which you once claimed credit.

As a conservative, I can't for the life of me understand how any Republican could ever have supported giving the government the power to force a citizen to buy anything whatsoever from a government-approved seller.

But a lot of Republicans didn't feel that way back when Romney was pushing the individual mandate. The list runs from the Heritage Foundation on down to Newt Gingrich.

All now admit they were wrong. Romney won't, however. But he left a trail or remarks that leave no doubt.

Below is the Dems' release. It could just as easily come from the Ron Paul camp as from the Democrats. Hypocrisy is hypocrisy. Here goes:

ROMNEY PROMOTED THE USE OF TAX PENALTIES TO STOP FREE RIDERS



2010: Romney Said Of The Individual Mandate In Romneycare: "If You Can Afford To Get Insurance, You Ought To Buy Insurance. And If You Don't Buy It You're Going To Get Penalized With A Higher Tax Rate For Not Having Gotten Insurance."

"ROMNEY: Right now people who can afford to buy insurance make the decision I'm not going to buy insurance. I'm going to be a free rider. And if I get sick or get in a serious accident, then government's going to pay for me. That in my view is the big government solution we have right now. The alternative – there are a couple alternatives – one is to say to employers you must give insurance to every one of your employees. I said no I don't want to do that. That's going to kill jobs. And the other alternative is to say to people if you can afford to get insurance, you ought to buy insurance. And if you don't buy it you're going to get penalized with a higher tax rate for not having gotten insurance. Now you tell me which of those is the big government plan and which is the personal responsibility plan. In my opinion saying to people who can afford to buy insurance, buy it, is the personal responsibility plan. And giving people who can afford insurance but instead get free care is the big government plan. We solved our problem in the way that I described in Massachusetts with a bill that's about 70 pages long and we have all our citizens insured. To make markets work people have to pay for stuff by the way. If they get something for free, markets can't work. So the first step in making something market able is by having people have to pay for what they're getting. Otherwise they get it for free and the markets don't operate." [Claremont McKenna College, 4/15/10]



2009: Romney Touted That "Using Tax Penalties, As We Did, Or Tax Credits, As Others Have Proposed, Encourages 'Free Riders' To Take Responsibility For Themselves Rather Than Pass Their Medical Costs On To Others."

In the op-ed titled Mr. President, What's The Rush? during the discussion about federal health care legislation Romney wrote, "Our experience also demonstrates that getting every citizen insured doesn't have to break the bank. First, we established incentives for those who were uninsured to buy insurance. Using tax penalties, as we did, or tax credits, as others have proposed, encourages 'free riders' to take responsibility for themselves rather than pass their medical costs on to others. This doesn't cost the government a single dollar." [Romney Op-Ed, USA Today, 7/30/09]



2007: Romney Said The "Teeth" Oh His "Enforcement Mechanism" Was Due To "Kick In"

In 2008 “When They Get Their Tax Bill Because If They Haven’t Bought Insurance, They’re Charged $100 A Month For Not Having Bought Insurance.”

Romney: “These were people that used to go get free care, now they’re paying something. Now they know that their healthcare makes a difference to their pocketbook. They’re part of the system, that’s part of the revenue that came in – no more free ride. Everybody pays what they can afford. And the final group, which are people earning over three times poverty level, the teeth in our enforcement mechanism don’t kick in until probably next April when they get their tax bill because if they haven’t bought insurance, they’re charged $100 a month for not having bought insurance.” [Governor Romney, Remarks at the Florida Medical Association, 8/24/07]

2006: Romney Said Non-Compliance With The Individual Mandate Would Lead To “Certain Problems” Including: Losing Their Personal Tax Exemption, Withholding Their Tax Refund, Mandating Proof Of Insurance To Get A Driver’s License And Garnishing Wages To Pay For Care Received.

Romney: "And that is look, now that we have these products available for you, we want everybody to get insurance and you have a responsibility to get insurance and we're going to mandate that you have insurance. Now how do we mandate it? Well, I won`t spend a lot of time on this other than to indicate that we`re going to insist that everybody be covered one way or the other, and that those who don`t comply have certain problems. They're going to lose their personal tax exemption. We will withhold any of their tax refund. We'll keep it in an account at the state level, which we`ll be able to tap to pay the hospital if they go there for free care. The legislature has also put in place consideration of not providing Driver`s Licenses to people unless they can show their health insurance coverage, and so forth. We also, I just note there, we also, if people go and get free care and don't pay for it, We garnish wages if we have to, to make sure that we get paid. People are either going to buy insurance or pay for their own care. They're not going to say that 'I got care and you, Mr. Taxpayer or you Mrs. Premium Payer, you got to pay for me.'" [Romney Address, Heritage Foundation, 1/26/06]



2006: Romney Said He Expected Those Who Could Afford Insurance To Get It Or Else "We're Going To Withhold Their Tax Refund Or Put In Place Other Penalties To Assure That Everybody Comes In The System."

Romney: "For those that have higher incomes, we expect them to have health insurance. And if they don't we're going to withhold their tax refund or put in place other penalties to assure that everybody comes in the system." [Fox News with Brit Hume, 4/5/06]



2005: Romney Was Asked If The "Individual Mandate" Which Could Lead To "Garnishing Of Wages And Tax Penalties" Was Part Of His Plan, To Which He Replied, "Absolutely."

Romney was interviewed by Hugh Hewitt who said "Of course, the Globe ran with the harshest part. The individual mandate, which could lead to garnishing of wages even, and tax penalties. Is that part of your plan?" Romney replied, "Absolutely, which is if somebody shows up at the hospital, and they can afford to pay, and they haven't bought insurance, they can't just say look. I don't want to pay for this bill. I'm going to walk away." [Romney Interview with Hugh Hewitt, 6/23/05; Transcript Via Radio Blogger, 6/23/05]



2008: Romney Said He Didn't Back Off The Individual Mandate Nationally Saying "I Like Mandates."

MR. GIBSON: (Off mike) -- Governor Romney -- (off mike) -- mandate and that’s an obstacle, although you’ve backed away from mandates on a national basis.

MR. ROMNEY: No, no, I like mandates. Do the mandates work? Mandates --

MR. THOMPSON: I beg your pardon? (Laughter.)

MR. ROMNEY: Let me --

MR. THOMPSON: I didn’t know you were going to admit that.

MR. ROMNEY: Let me -- oh, absolutely. MR. THOMPSON: You like mandates. MR.

ROMNEY: Let me tell you what kind of mandates I like, Fred, which is this -- MR.

THOMPSON: And what did you come up with? (Laughter.)

MR. GIBSON: Governor, you imposed tax -- tax penalties in Massachusetts -- (inaudible) -

MR. ROMNEY: Yeah, we said, look, if people can afford to buy it, either buy the insurance or pay your own way. Don't be free riders and pass on the cost of your health care to everybody else. [ABC Debate, New Hampshire Debate, 1/5/08]



• Romney Agreed He Imposed Tax Penalties In Massachusetts Saying "Yeah, We Said, Look, If People Can Afford To Buy It, Either Buy The Insurance Or Pay Your Own Way. Don't Be Free Riders And Pass On The Cost Of Your Health Care To Everybody Else." MR. GIBSON: "Governor, you imposed tax -- tax penalties in Massachusetts -- (inaudible) –"

MR. ROMNEY: “Yeah, we said, look, if people can afford to buy it, either buy the insurance or pay your own way. Don’t be free riders and pass on the cost of your health care to everybody else.” [ABC Debate, New Hampshire Debate, 1/5/08]