Romney, Obama take aim at swing voters on health care

Associated Press

BOSTON

With swing voters in his sights, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is tacking toward the center on health care and defense spending now that the sprint to Nov. 6 is under way.

Romney said in an interview that aired Sunday that he’d retain some popular parts of the 2010 health care law he has pledged to repeal, saying the features he would keep are common-sense measures in what he calls an otherwise costly, inefficient plan.

The former Massachusetts governor also faulted congressional Republicans for going along with the White House on a budget deal that has set up automatic spending cuts that include huge reductions in defense spending — a deal his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, helped steer.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama focused Floridians’ attention on the Republican ticket’s stand on Medicare, an issue that’s been more favorable to Democrats.

Romney’s campaign dismissed the idea that the comments were a lurch toward the middle now that the Republican convention, the last partisan event of the campaign, has passed, even as Romney was visiting the most competitive states on the election map.

The GOP nominee, who attended church in Boston before debate practice sessions Sunday, didn’t offer specifics for how he’d deal with the affordability of insurance, but suggested competition would help bring down costs.

Obama, campaigning for a second day in Florida, tried to move past a weak jobs report Friday and highlight the impact of Romney’s proposals on older workers and those nearing retirement.

The president promoted a study showing that future retirees under Romney’s plan would pay tens of thousands of dollars more for health care over their retirement period.

Obama told about 3,000 supporters in Melbourne, Fla., that if Romney had his way, Americans will pay more so insurers could make more.

In Ohio, Vice President Joe Biden mocked Republicans for saying they want to protect Medicare and claiming that under Romney’s leadership, benefits would be slashed.