WASHINGTON, D.C. — Speaking atop an office building at 101 Constitution Ave. overlooking the Capitol Building, Mitt Romney slammed the Supreme Court's decision and pledged to repeal the law as soon as he reached the Oval Office.
"As you might imagine I disagree with the Supreme Court's decision and I agree with the dissent," Romney said. "What the Court did not do on its last day in session, I will do on my first day if elected President of the United Staes."
After running through a litany of gripes with the law, he promised he would keep in place a ban on insurance companies refusing to cover patients with pre-existing conditions, and would work to lower the cost of health care and health insurance.
But, he said, the choice facing the American electorate was now clearer than ever.
"If we want to get rid of Obamacare, we have to replace President Obama," he said.
He also echoed a point he made in a Virginia speech Wednesday, saying that while the Court may have deemed the health care reform law Constitutional, it didn't weigh in on the effectiveness of the policy.
"Obamacare was bad policy yesterday, it's bad policy today," he said.
By upholding the law, the Court has allowed Romney to keep one of his most reliable stump speech applause lines, and continue motivating the Republican base with pledges to repeal. In the immediate aftermath of the ruling, the Romney campaign said it raised more than $200,000 online from conservatives who want to see the law dismantled.