The Occasional Observer

As time passes, I become more convinced that Mitt's potential as a candidate is being realized. One of his strongest qualities as a political leader, that I cited as a reason for supporting him, was his ability to defang political attacks through articulate reasoning, personal charisma, and astute political strategy. The anti-Bush, if you will.

The release of Mitt's health care plan appears to confirm the third point above: his political strategy here appears flawless. As Jennifer Rubin notes, Mitt has basically co-opted Rudy's market-based tax-incentive laden health care plan, and stepped back from his own mandatory personal insurance plan that he saw to fruition in Massachussets.

Rudy backers will undoubtedly claim this as a victory, but Mitt has them fooled. Since the beginning of this campaign, he has defended his "Romney-care" plan not as a silver bullet, but merely as a big step forward over the status quo in MA. At the same time, he consistently pointed out that it might not be the way to go at the national level. By letting Rudy move first and issue his plan, Mitt was able to follow suit and prevent Rudy from getting to the right of him on this issue, one that is sure to be a big one as this cycle heats up.

Rudy will say, "thanks for copying me! I am the real leader and Mitt's a follower." Mitt will counter with, "the best leader is the person who has actually been able to shepherd health care legislation to become law. I've done it. Rudy hasn't. I got the best market based reform passed in MA I could. And now I'm going to the same at the federal level. Only difference is, we can get a better reform done at the federal level."

Rudy's been outflanked.

Next up, Hillary. Mitt's got her dead to rights. Successfully reformed and improved the health care system? Mitt 1, Hill 0. Passed a reform that balanced the needs of the poor, the needs of employers, the needs of practitioners, with a bias towards market forces (as opposed to bureaucrats) pricing services? Mitt 2, Hill 0.

So on health care, Mitt seems to have out-triangulated Rudy and Hill. Or one could say, from a political strategy standpoint, he's more Clintonesque than than the Clinton running for office.