Battle of New Hampshire: Palin, Giuliani rip Romney

Nothing excites the party in power more than when its rivals are fighting among themselves.

So it was no surprise that the Democratic National Committee pounced upon word that Sarah Palin would be taking her Travels With Sarah tour to New Hampshire on the very day Mitt Romney formally announced his 2012 bid. Even better -- from the DNC’s perspective -- was that Palin bashed Romney and his healthcare plan immediately before Romney stepped out before a New Hampshire crowd to deliver the speech launching his campaign.

“In my opinion, any mandate coming from government is not a good thing, obviously, and I am not the only to say so, but obviously there will be more explanation coming from Gov. Romney for his support of government mandates,” said Palin while touring historic sites in Boston. She was expected to host a clambake in New Hampshire for some prominent Republicans later in the day.

To memorialize Palin’s New Hampshire incursion, the DNC put together a quick video (with fairly low production values) that shows Romney being run over by Palin’s “One Nation” bus.

While governor of Massachusetts, Romney helped enact a law that helped expand healthcare coverage across the state but also contained a requirement that residents purchase insurance. He defended the plan again Thursday, saying it was a state-based solution for a state problem, while pledging to repeal the quite-similar Democratic healthcare plan if he is elected president.

Romney’s efforts got no help, though, from Rudy Giuliani, who is also in New Hampshire. Sounding like a potential candidate, the former New York mayor took a shot at his potential rival.

“The reality is that Obamacare and Romneycare are almost exactly the same,” he said. “It’s not very helpful trying to distinguish them. I would think the best way to handle it is to say, it was a terrible mistake and if I could do it over again, I wouldn’t do it.”

james.oliphant@latimes.com

Here’s the DNC video. Blink and you’ll miss it.