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Tory Dunnan
Washington, DC

Eric Fehrnstrom
Romney Senior Advisor

Mitt Romney
(R) Presidential Candidate

Ben LaBolt
Obama 2012 Press Secretary

Tory Dunnan
Washington, DC

--LEAD IN --

Tory, Mitt Romney is taking some heat over his campaign's mixed message on whether the individual mandate portion of the president's health care law is a tax or a penalty.
Tory Dunnan is Washington to tell us how Romney is trying to clarify his message.

--REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS --

IT'S BEEN A WEEK OF BACK AND FORTHS.
LAST WEEK THE SUPREME COURT RULED IN FAVOR OF THE HEALTHCARE PLAN.
IT CALLED THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE A TAX AND VOTERS ARE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES STAND ON THE ISSUE.
ON MONDAY, A SENIOR ROMNEY ADVISER SAID ON MSNBC THE CANDIDATE CONSIDERED THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE A PENALTY.
The Governor believes what we put in place in Massachusetts was a penalty and he disagrees with the court's ruling.
ON WEDNESDAY, MITT ROMNEY CALLED IT A TAX.
The Supreme Court is the final word right. The highest court in the land? They said it's a tax, didn't they. So it's a tax of course if that's what they say it is"
THEN THURSDAY, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORAL BOARD WROTE ABOUT THE CONFUSION.
IT WROTE:
"If Mitt Romney loses his run for the White House, a turning point will have been his decision Monday to absolve President Obama of raising taxes on the middle class... the campaign looks confused in addition to being politically dumb."
HERE'S HOW PRESIDENT OBAMA'S CAMPAIGN PRESS SECRETARY WEIGHED IN.
We're the ones that have been consistent here. We believe it's a penalty.
ROMNEY IS WALKING A FINE LINE HERE WITH CONSERVATIVES, VOTERS ARE CONCERNED HIS POSITION ON HEALTH CARE MAY BE TOO SIMILAR TO PRESIDENT OBAMA'S.
BUT THAT ISN'T TAKING A TOLL ON ROMNEY'S FUNDRAISING CAPABILITIES. HE PULLED IN 100 MILLION DOLLARS LAST MONTH -- A BIG CHUNK COMING THE SAME DAY AS THE SUPREME COURT HEALTH CARE RULING.
IN WASHINGTON, I'M TORY DUNNAN. BACK TO YOU.

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