LAS VEGAS — President Obama frequently showers sardonic praise on Mitt Romney for the health care law he signed in Massachusetts, calling it a model for the national plan. On Saturday, Mr. Romney offered a new retort, saying: “If that’s the case, why didn’t you call me?”
In an appearance at a gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Mr. Romney did not mention health care in his speech, but the topic was the first question posed by the audience. Mr. Romney delivered his standard response, saying that if he were elected president, he would work to repeal the health care law and grant waivers allowing states to opt-out of the law.
But a few moments later, Mr. Romney returned to the subject of health care when asked whether he had the strength to aggressively challenge Mr. Obama.
“He does me the great favor of saying that I was the inspiration of his plan. If that’s the case, why didn’t you call me?” Mr. Romney said. “Why didn’t you ask what was wrong? Why didn’t you ask if this was an experiment, what worked and what didn’t?”
To applause, he added: “I would have told him, ‘What you’re doing, Mr. President, is going to bankrupt us.”