Against Liberty Before He Was For It?

Worth Clicking: Blasts from the past wound Romney

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December 13, 2010

Against Liberty Before He Was For It?

After a federal judge ruled the individual coverage mandate in the new health care law unconstitutional, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) issued a statement saying it was a victory for freedom.

Said Hatch: "Today is a great day for liberty. Congress must obey the Constitution rather than make it up as we go along. Liberty requires limits on government, and today those limits have been upheld."

But Steve Benen calls him on it: "Look, I get that Hatch is worried about facing a primary challenger in 2012, and on health care policy in general, he's been a pretty shameless hack. But while he's applauding this victory for 'liberty,' I hope it's not rude to point out that Orrin Hatch literally co-sponsored a health care bill with an individual mandate."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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December 13, 2010