Mitt Romney: RomneyCare Was ‘A State Solution To A State Problem,’ Not A ‘Power Grab’

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney‘s future as a potential GOP nominee may hinge on how he handles comparisons between his “Romneycare” in Massachusetts and the “Obamacare” plan reviled by Republicans. In a speech Thursday, Romney tried to draw distinctions. “Our plan was a state solution to a state problem,” he said. Obama’s program “is a power grab by the federal government to put in place a one-size-fits-all plan across the nation.”

What Romney did not do in his speech–designed to address the issue before a formal campaign announcement–was to back away from the plan he passed as governor:

“A lot of pundits around the nation are saying that I should just stand up and say this whole thing was a mistake, that it was just a bone-headed idea and I should just admit it,” Romney told a room of college Republicans. “There’s only one problem with that: It wouldn’t be honest. I, in fact, did what I believe was right for the people of my state.”

The speech–and the GOP field–was discussed this morning on NBC’s TODAY. Watch it here, from NBC News:

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