Jon Huntsman Jr.

[Analytics]

So far he's not trying to distance himself, he's saying what I said. Healthcare should not be handled on a federal level....

Romney says that now, but it's the opposite of what he argued four years ago. His Republican enemies in the primaries are the ones who will use this flip-flop against him--it has nothing to do with Democrats.

Do you really think Republicans are going to nominate somebody who was in favor of Obamacare four years ago, and who is still in favor of the principle of Obamacare, as long as its implemented on the state level?

[Analytics]

Evangelicals for Mitt had a good article on how Romney can address the inevitable RomneyCare/ObamaCare canard:

Four Hugely Important Differences Between RomneyCare and ObamaCare

As for flip-flopping, I would have my staff troll for the other candidates flip flops. *Everybody* with any public record has flip flops. Romneys hark back to his run against Kennedy in Mass. for Senate.

It's quite ironic. If Romney would have won the Republican nomination last time around, in all likelihood he'd be the president now. If he would have won, we would now have universal health insurance like we do now, but with two big differences:

1- it would have have passed with bipartisan support.

2- it would be called Romneycare rather than Obamacare.

Otherwise, it would be pretty-much identical to what we have now.

[Stargazer]

To the extent that Romney tries to distant himself from Obamacare, he'll get nailed for flip-flopping. Republicans aren't going to vote for him.

For all that, the interesting thing is that Obama himself flipflopped on the one key item of the law that the Florida judge used to throw the law out: the mandate to buy insurance. During the Primary campaign, Hillary was championing the mandate to buy insurance and Obama was on the other side of it, in other words he was against it at that time.

As to flipflopping in general, I think this is a useless kind of thing to make a big deal out of. The problem is, if a politician isn't allowed to change his or her mind upon better information or experience, then they become at war with their own selves, and this does not bode well for public policy. Flipflops in the direction of better positions, better policies and better laws should always be applauded. The only real question is WHY the position change. If it is for valid reasons, then that is the important thing, not that they changed their minds.

I can't number the things I have changed my mind about over the years -- I would hate to have to stubbornly maintain attitudes/positions/convictions for decades, in the face of contrary evidence, just so I wouldn't be accused of flip-flopping.

[Analytics]

For all that, the interesting thing is that Obama himself flipflopped on the one key item of the law that the Florida judge used to throw the law out: the mandate to buy insurance. During the Primary campaign, Hillary was championing the mandate to buy insurance and Obama was on the other side of it, in other words he was against it at that time.

Obama always expressed a willingness to compromise. He wasn't the architect of this plan--his enemies simply attached his name to it in order to tarnish it.

I agree with your general point--people should be allowed to change their minds about things as they grow in knowledge and wisdom; as Emerson said, a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.

It

[Calm]

how often to get screenings, such as mammograms

Off topic, but IIRC the change in screenings according to my OBGYN BIL is due to a massive long term study on self-exams and mammograms that showed yearly exams etc. weren't more effective than [can't remember the exact spacing but I think it was either every three years or every five]. My BIL stated yearly mammograms were a waste of the patient's money. I am too lazy at this point to look it up and am in no way saying that this is the case for every change in screening practices, but just wanted to mention that in this particular case the recommended change isn't necessarily a bad thing.

okay, I apparently wasn't as lazy as I thought, did find this article: http://www.theatlant...uidelines/7791/

there is also a 12 year Chinese study dealing with self exams