apsies

To recap:

1. Romney dodged explaining his health care plan by saying it was too “lengthy” to describe, which just isn’t true.
2. Romney, despite refusing to detail his plan, said it covered pre-existing conditions just like Obamacare even though he has previously taken the opposite position and even though his own campaign did not stand by his claim.
3. Romney says his plan wouldn’t kick young people of their family plans because he says young people are already able to get coverage through their parents. But Obamacare is what makes that possible, and if his plan is to continue that policy, he’s endorsing a key element of Obamacare.

President Obama rebutted Romney’s first and second points during the debate, with particular emphasis on Romney’s recurring pattern of refusing to say how he’d achieve his promises. And he did make it clear that the way to achieve the promises made by Romney would be to keep Obamacare in place. But he didn’t go for Romney’s jugular and point out that Mitt Romney was essentially endorsing Obamacare in substance, if not name.

In the end, Romney’s answer sounded good, but a key part of the reason that it sounded good is that he claimed President Obama’s positions as his own—and didn’t get called out for it. That might have been enough to give him a “win” last night, but last night was just one night. And as long as President Obama and his campaign are ready and willing to fight back and point out the gap between what Romney said last night and what he’s said throughout the campaign, I don’t think it’s a victory that can be sustained.