“It’s almost like an Etch-A-Sketch”

Mitt Romney has had a reputation for years that he’ll say and stand for anything to get elected. As if Romney’s record of flip-flops didn’t prove that point enough, his top advisor confirmed yesterday that Romney has no core and will in fact say anything to get elected.

Romney’s top advisor said yesterday that Romney would “hit a reset button” for the general election and that “it’s almost like an Etch-A-Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again.” But Romney, who repeatedly calls himself a “severe conservative,” may not be able to shake his commitment to conservative voters. Romney:

  • Said he would “get rid of” Planned Parenthood, which provides lifesaving health care like mammograms and cervical cancer screenings for millions of women.
  • Recently embraced the Blunt Amendment, which would take women’s health decisions out of women’s hands and give it to their bosses.
  • Promised to veto the DREAM Act, denying young immigrants who came here as minors and who know no other home a chance to earn a path to citizenship by going to college or serving in the military.

Romney’s willingness to say and stand for anything to get elected is nothing new. He has flip-flopped on issue after issue to try to win over Republican voters:

  • Once he said that “abortion should be safe and legal in this country,” but now he says he’s pro-life.
  • Once he said that undocumented immigrants “should be able to sign up for permanent residency or citizenship” but now he says he would veto the DREAM Act.
  • He’s also flip-flopped on contraception, health reform, climate change, Afghanistan, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, China trade enforcement, and just about everything else.
  • He even faked a Southern accent while campaigning in Mississippi and Alabama.

With Romney’s repeated flip-flops on almost every single issue, it’s no wonder why voters don’t trust him. 

Romney’s Budget Plan Is Just Like Ryan’s: Bad For Seniors And The Middle Class

Mitt Romney’s budget plan is just like the one Congressman Paul Ryan released the Republican budget plan this week: they’re both bad for seniors and the middle class. Both Romney’s and Ryan’s budget plans turn Medicare into a voucher program, increase health care costs to seniors by
thousands of dollars, and give massive tax cuts to the wealthiest.

  •  Please see this campaign memo titled “Let Seniors Go Bankrupt: Republican Plans for Medicare and Social Security.”
Romney has said he is on he same page as Ryan even “applauding” this week’s budget – so America’s seniors need to take note of what this budget means for them.

 

The Romney and Ryan budgets would turn Medicare into a voucher program. What does this mean for seniors and middle class families?
  • Over time, traditional Medicare would wither on the vine, risking the guaranteed coverage seniors have earned and paid for.
  • Seniors would be forced into private plans and pay more for their health care.
  • At the end of the day, Ryan’s plan – which Romney has called “bold and right” – would end Medicare as we know it for millions of seniors.

— Romney likes to say that his Social Security plans wouldn’t change anything for current or soon-to-be retirees. But Romney never menti

ons what would happen for everybody else. In fact, a plan like Romney’s for Social Security could actually cut benefits by $2,400 a year for workers in their forties and by $4,700 for those in their twenties.

Neither the Romney nor Ryan budget plans ask millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share.

  • President Obama has proposed the Buffett Rule, which asks the wealthiest to pay their fair share and not pay a lower tax rate than middle-class families – but both Romney and Ryan oppose it.
  • Paul Ryan’s plan would use deep budget cuts to help pay for $150,000 in tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, while Romney’s plan would provide even deeper tax cuts for the wealthy, adding trillions to the deficit.

— While Mitt Romney and the Republicans want to end Medicare as we know it and devastate Social Security, President Obama is doing the opposite.

  • Vice President Biden will be in Florida tomorrow talking about President Obama’s commitment to preserving and protecting our sacred compact with America’s seniors and middle-class families.
  • The President believes that anyone who works hard and plays by the rules should be able to retire with dignity and security.

The President’s All-Of-The-Above Energy Strategy Helps Families Save at the Gas Pump

 

  • President Obama knows that rising gas prices are hitting families hard. As long as America has been dependent on foreign oil, consumers have been subjected to unpredictable price swings at the pump.
  • The President knows we can’t just drill our way to lower gas prices and we won’t solve this problem overnight. That’s why he’s focused on an all-of-the-above strategy to develop all of America’s natural resources – including domestic oil, gas, wind, solar and biofuels – and encouraging fuel efficiency so that we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil over time.
  • Oil and gas development has increased every year of the Obama administration and domestic oil production is now at an eight-year high – and our dependence on foreign oil is now at a 16-year low. Last year, we cut net oil and petroleum imports by 1 million barrels a day. President Obama has also:
    • Expanded domestic oil production by offering millions of acres of land for lease and improving safety measures to prevent future spills.
    • Proposed opening up more than 75 percent of undiscovered offshore oil and gas resources for development in the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic.
    • Taken an important step forward in allowing safe exploration of one of the Arctic Seas, which could yield up to 15 billion barrels of oil.
    • Promoting the safe, responsible development of America’s near 100-year supply of natural gas that will help create more than 600,000 jobs.  In 2009, America regained its position as the world’s leading producer of natural gas.
  • President Obama has also made record gains in clean energy development, including:
    • Nearly doubling renewable wind, solar and geothermal energy since 2008.
    • Agreeing with automakers to nearly double fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks. That will help to save families more than $8,000 per vehicle at the pump and decrease our oil consumption by an estimated 2.2 million barrels a day.
    • Boosting our use of cleaner fuels, including increasing the level of ethanol that can be blended into gasoline and implementing a new Renewable Fuel Standard that will save nearly 14 billion gallons of fuel in 2022.
    • Positioning America to be the world’s leading manufacturer of the high-tech batteries that will drive the next generation of clean energy vehicles.
  • While President Obama is helping families save money at the pump, Mitt Romney did the opposite.
    • As governor, Romney increased a tax on gas by 400 percent.
    • Romney opposed increasing fuel-efficiency standards that are helping families save at the pump.
    • Romney wants to repeal Wall Street reforms that are preventing corporations from manipulating the energy market like Enron did.

President Obama’s Health Reforms Are Helping Millions Save Money And Live Healthier

March 23 was the second anniversary of President Obama’s landmark health reforms, which are already helping millions of Americans save money and live healthier lives.

  • Please see these new videos highlighting health reform’s benefits for families across the country.

Medicare is now stronger for seniors, and women can now get life-saving mammograms at no extra cost. Children won’t lose their coverage just because they were born with pre-existing conditions like asthma – and American families are seeing how reform is saving lives and saving money.

Since we passed reform almost two years ago, Americans have seen its positive impact:

  • 180 million Americans are now protected against the worst insurance abuses, like denying health care to the sick, excessive premium increases, lifetime caps on the amount of care a patient can receive, and soon will be protected against gender discrimination.
  • 86 million Americans received free preventive care. That means they got live-saving cancer screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies, and soon women can have their contraception covered without paying a co-pay or deductible. They’re living healthier lives while saving money at the same time.
  • An additional 2.5 million young adults now have insurance. That’s because President Obama’s health reform made sure they could stay on parents’ plans as they enter the workforce, until they turn 26.
  • 47 million Americans now benefit from a stronger Medicare program. The solvency of the program has been extended by eight years, and new prescription drug discounts have saved 3.6 million people with Medicare an average of $600.

That’s just the beginning. As the law continues to phase in over the coming months, so will more of its benefits. New reforms will lower costs and raise the quality of care. Seniors will see their Medicare coverage continue to improve, and see the doughnut hole completely close.

And in two years, every single American, regardless of their circumstances – whether they want to change jobs, start a business or retire early, or even if they lose their job – will have access to affordable, quality health insurance. Presidents have been trying to make that happen for 70 years. President Obama got it done.

 

 

 

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