Obama embraces the term “Obamacare”

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney attempted to score points on President Barack Obama Wednesday night by not only slamming Obama’s signature piece of legislation and saying he’d get “rid” of it, but also calling it “Obamacare” rather than healthcare reform.

“Obamacare is on my list.  I apologize, Mr. President.  I use that term with all respect,” Romney said in response to a question from debate host Jim Lehrer on what programs he’d cut as part of his deficit reduction plan.

Obama told Romney he “liked” the name Obamacare and later said he’d “become fond of this term ‘Obamacare.’ ”

He embraced the terms at least three times during the debate, using it nearly every time he talked legislation. This was a clear shift from the administration’s previous strategy of calling the legislation “healthcare reform” or it’s by it’s actual names – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or “the Affordable Care Act” for short.

“And let me tell you exactly what Obamacare did. Number one, if you’ve got health insurance it doesn’t mean a government takeover,” Obama claimed. “You keep your own insurance.  You keep your own doctor. But it does say insurance companies can’t jerk you around.”

Romney criticized Obama and Congressional Democrats (which controlled the House of Representatives at the time Obamacare was passed) for passing the controversial bill “without a single Republican vote.”

“I like the fact that in my state we had Republicans and Democrats come together and work together,” Romney said.

The attack unfortunately gave the President an opportunity to talk about Romney’s own healthcare bill from his time as Governor of Massachusetts, which Obama has said was the basis for the federal legislation.

They’re basically the same plan, Obama told Romney during the debate.

But unlike Obamacare, Romney’s plan – Romneycare – didn’t raise taxes. Romney made that point during the debate, but that key difference seemed to get lost in the shuffle.

Obama later told Romney that it sounded like Romney would have a busy first day if he was planning to accomplish his entire agenda and cut “Obamacare” on “Day One,” “which will not be very popular [with Democrats] as you’re sitting down with them.”

By /// October 3, 2012
Francesca Chambers About Francesca Chambers

Francesca is the Editor of Red Alert Politics - an online publication written by and for young conservatives. Red Alert Politics is a product of Clarity Media Group, the parent company of The Washington Examiner and The Weekly Standard. She is also a contributor to The Washington Examiner.

Francesca is a veteran of several political campaigns and political organizations. She has also worked in new media and communications at The Leadership Institute, at the Republican National Committee and on Capitol Hill. She has been featured as a speaker at Leadership Institute, Cato Institute, Americans for Prosperity's "Defending the American Dream Summit," the State Policy Network's annual conference and CPAC, in addition to appearing as a regular guest on the "Big Picture" with Thom Hartmann on Russia Today.

She has also appeared on ABC's "Nightline", PBS' 'NewsHour', PBS' "To the Contrary", MSNBC, CNN, on TheBlazeTV (aka Glenn Beck TV) and had radio segments on Take Action News with David Shuster, NPR and "The Michael Koolidge Show."

In 2012 she was named to the DC GOP's first ever "35 under 35" list.

Francesca graduated from the University of Kansas with BAs in Political Science and Journalism. At KU she was an editor of the University Daily Kansan and an active member of Student Senate.

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