St. Vincent's No Safe Harbor For Romney
What better place to attack New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's new health care plan than standing in front of a New York hospital?
That, apparently, was the thinking of advisers to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who blasted his Democratic presidential rival Monday morning during a press availability in front of St. Vincent's Hospital.
"If you've seen the reports this morning on the latest version of HillaryCare, you'll see that version 2.0 is not likely to have any more success than 1.0," Romney said. "HillaryCare continues to be bad medicine."
He added: "It's a European-style socialized medicine plan...and that's the wrong direction for America."
But shortly after his comments to reporters, the hospital issued its own statement, taking issue with the venue Romney chose.
"We find it unfortunate that Mr. Romney misappropriated the image and good will of St. Vincent's Hospital to further a political agenda," a hospital spokesman said in a statement.
Oops.
In response, Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said his candidate had done nothing wrong and never intended to link the hospital to the blunt message he was offering.
"It was a public sidewalk, in front of a hospital, and we didn't use hospital property," Madden said. "It's a public place, we had an event open to the press."
Maybe next time Romney will choose for a backdrop a hospital that isn't home to the Rudolph W. Giuliani Trauma Center.
--Michael D. Shear
Posted at 6:01 PM ET on Sep 17, 2007
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Comments
Posted by: jjjmac2003 | September 21, 2007 10:27 AM | Report abuse
What a farce!! Romney has no plan other than getting elected and forcing his "religious" ideas on the rest of us. He is death to women....I would NEVER vote for him....nor should any woman unless she wants to be treated like women are in the middle east or in the mormon polygamous community!! Do any of you want to become possessions??
Posted by: nhgal28 | September 18, 2007 7:56 PM | Report abuse
USA is the only industrialized nation without health insurance for all its people because the political class cares not one iota for poor blacks, whites, hispanics. And blacks keep voting 95% for dems who screw blacks royally and the blacks love it!They would rather build a fence on Mexican border as Saudi Nationals with student visas fly into New York to plan their next attack on USA. Dumb congressional leaders seem to be worthless at present.
Posted by: mascmen7 | September 18, 2007 1:54 PM | Report abuse
Yellow cab and Mr. Cho's Chicken, do not mind the sideline, free publicity.
They also like the fact that Romney's healthcare plan gives people a net increase of $1300 in income according the dean of Columbia Business School. The Republican plan gives back $10B while Hillary Clinton Care takes $100B.
In other news Thomas Paine angered the Royal Victorian Hospital when he publically stood in front of the loyalist hoobnobery.
Posted by: mikeVA1 | September 18, 2007 4:46 AM | Report abuse
"It's a European-style socialized medicine plan...and that's the wrong direction for America." What an idiot! This is what passes for political discourse? A misrepresentation followed by an absurd statement. He's reading right out of the Rove hand book. If I had a nickel for every time I heard Bush say, My opponent blah blah blah that's wrong for America. Following Romney and voting republican is Wrong for America. Look where the last 7 years got us!
Posted by: thebobbob | September 18, 2007 1:10 AM | Report abuse
First of all, Romney standing in front of a Catholic Hospital - public sidewalk or not - implies their endorsement. Second, Romney supported a individual mandate in Massachusetts and helped bring it to fruition while Governor of Massachusetts. Hillary is now Hillary ROMNEY Clinton. Her proposal will be politically linked to his, whether he likes it or not. Third, making statements in front of a place with Rudy's name on the trauma center in Manhattan - where nowhere is far from Ground Zero - may be the stupidest political move in a decade.
Finally, no matter how much money he has spent - he's still fourth nationally. And he got no sustainable bounce after winning the IA straw poll. Winning IA or NH won't be enough with Tsunami Tuesday's 20-state voting blitzkrieg in delegate-rich mod states like California and New York - or even Florida.
Vanity has been the death of many campaigns. This one will be no different.
Posted by: THGElizabeth | September 17, 2007 11:39 PM | Report abuse
I know people in MA that say- hey, now that they're REQUIRED to have healthcare OR ? Be fined ? Those that fit between the 25k to 35k margin ? They are totally screwed now.
It's almost like what Bush did to Houston, they just pay the fine daily to the EPA for not meeting air quality standards (Imagine health care costs THERE for pulmonary - MY GOD). Some Mass/Natives to Romney's state really find this current plan of 'get health coverage or be fined' a real nuissance.
I again want to call these jokers on sitting back while big energy ROBS their citizen's health potential, then - TO THE RESCUE - Hillary with Obama's health plan from last spring - or Romney saying - you get your own damn health insurance or the state will fine you ?
This guy is running for PRESIDENT?
you have GOT to be kidding me.
Posted by: Bushes_worst_nightmare | September 17, 2007 9:35 PM | Report abuse
The comments to this entry are closed.
What a jerk this guy is. But what's truly funny is that his team wasn't even aware that the Rudolph W. Giuliani Trauma Center is located inside St. Vincent's Hospital. What a fool !