...can one candidate flip-flop on a subject in 72 hours?
So first, on MTP (Meet The Press) Sunday morning, Willard tells David Gregory this:
"Of course, there are a number of things that I like in healthcare reform that I'm going to put in place. One is to make sure that those with pre-existing conditions can get coverage."
That evidently riled up the anti-Obamacare group to the point that we saw this in the National Review on early Sunday (from a Romney aide):
"in a competitive environment, the marketplace will make available plans that include coverage for what there is demand for. He was not proposing a federal mandate to require insurance plans to offer those particular features."
Then, in a stunning triple-gainer of a flip-flop, a Romney aide once again retracted:
"Governor Romney will ensure that discrimination against individuals with pre-existing conditions who maintain continuous coverage is prohibited"
Now, to his credit, the aide referred a section of a statement the Governor made in June:
"I also want to make sure that people can’t get dropped if they have a preexisting condition. . . . So let’s say someone has been continuously insured and they develop a serious condition and let’s say they lose their job or they change jobs, they move and they go to a new place. I don’t want them to be denied insurance because they’ve got some preexisting condition. So we’re going to have to make sure that the law we replace Obamacare with assures that people who have a preexisting condition, who’ve been insured in the past are able to get insurance in the future so they don’t have to worry about that condition keeping them from getting the kind of health care they deserve."
So while the Governor appears to maintain his point, evidently the campaign didn't know this. At best, it's miscommunication. At worst, it's a terribly run campaign. It gives the appearance of wishy-washiness.
Oh, wait...this is Romney's campaign, however.