Former Democratic Vermont governor Howard Dean told liberal activists at the Take Back the American Dream Conference on Tuesday that he hopes the individual mandate gets thrown out by the Supreme Court, the Washington Examiner reported.

Dean, who supports implementing a single-payer system, told audience members that some things the Affordable Care Act should be preserved because it would lead to a more unified system over time. But, he said, Obama did a “bad bad thing” by pursuing the mandate, which some progressives have criticized as a half-hearted measure.

“I don’t give a damn about the individual mandate,” he said, “I think it was a foolish thing to do anyway, but then I hope it does get thrown out.”

Minn. Rep. Keith Ellison continued on the subject, saying if ACA were overturned, it would create the opportunity for the left to push for a single-payer system.

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