COMMENTARY | Just before Super Tuesday, presidential hopeful Rick Santorum told Ohioans that his chief rival, Mitt Romney, was the Republican Party's "weakest candidate" to oppose President Barack Obama in November, offering himself as a more optimal choice. Citing Romney's association with Massachusetts health care, the supposed blueprint for the much-maligned national health care system ("Obamacare"), Santorum said it would hurt Romney's chances of winning.
But Santorum could be wrong...
"He would be the weakest candidate we could possibly put forward on the most important issue of today," the former Pennsylvania senator asserted, according to CNN, the "important issue" being health care.
Santorum supported his comments with a 2009 USA Today op-ed piece written by Romney himself, where he called on Obama to get ideas on how to better construct the national health care legislation. He said that the former Massachusetts governor was going to have a difficult time avoiding and/or defending against questions about the plans' similarities if he won the Republican nomination.
But therein might lay the strength in Romney's position. Instead of avoiding or defending, perhaps embracing the issue and simply pointing out the differences in the two health care plans could prove beneficial to his campaign. Instead of taking the stance that the health care system in Massachusetts and the national system proposed by the Affordable Health Care Act of 2010 are so different, Romney could point out what should be dispensed with nationally and what, if anything, could be enhanced or replaced.
Because: Not everyone is opposed to the Health Care provisions. In fact, a Pew Research poll released in November revealed that 38 percent of Americans wanted the legislation repealed, while 31 percent want it expanded. Another 22 percent believed it should be left as is.
Although Romney would be certain to take some hits from the party die-hards (especially Tea Party movement members), a stance that merely defends the Massachusetts plan and points out the weaknesses of "Obamacare" would more likely find traction among independent voters and conservative Democrats, appealing to far more Americans than the avid repeal message being sent by Santorum. He is also less likely to alienate most Republicans in this fashion, many of whom will vote for him simply because he is the GOP candidate.
"Weakest" candidate because of health care? Hardly. Santorum should worry that more Republicans, regardless of their personal positions, don't see it as an electable strength.
