Romney Takes On Romneycare

Mitt Romney (AP)

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is addressing what some call his biggest problem in a potential 2012 presidential bid: Romneycare.

Appearing at a Lincoln Day dinner in the early voting state of New Hampshire Saturday, the possible Republican hopeful addressed the seeming discrepancy between the law he oversaw as governor requiring Massachusetts residents to carry health insurance and his vow to repeal the national health care law were he elected president.

"Our approach was a state plan intended to address problems that were in many ways unique to Massachusetts," Romney said.

"Our experiment wasn't perfect-some things worked, some didn't, and some things I'd change. One thing I would never do is to usurp the constitutional power of states with a one-size-fits-all federal takeover," he added.

"I would repeal Obamacare, if I were ever in a position to do so. My experience has taught me that states are where health care programs for the uninsured should be crafted, just as the Constitution provides. Obamacare is bad law, bad policy, and it is bad for America's families."

Fortunately for Romney, many voters buy the explanation.

"I don't fault him at all," said Cheryl Duddy Schonfeld of Dedham, Mass. "I think he had to do it-when you're a governor of Massachusetts and you're a Republican, you have to give in a little and go with what the people want."

Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial candidate John Stephen agrees.

"He can absolutely get past this," Stephen said in an interview with Politico. "When you're a governor, you need to do what's best for your state. And what Governor Romney said was he believed in state flexibility [and] 10th Amendment principles. I think that's a great start. He will just have to continue to expand on that."