BoatShoes;1081808 wrote:The thing about Romney is that he comes off as so gentlemanly. As far as I can tell, Romney has not flip flopped on Romneycare being a state's rights thing. I looked around and I could only ever find him suggesting it should be a model for other states not that it was a model for federal law. Yet, he doesn't come off as a passionate Tenth Amendment Conservative like say, Rick Perry. It seems to me that there are enough conservatives in the primaries at least that, if Romney exhibited some passion about Romneycare being about State's rights/the 10th Amendment issue then he could make some headwinds with it. I feel like people don't believe him when he says he thinks it should be handled at the State level when, as far as I can tell, he has been consistent on that issue at least.
No, he couldn't.
In 2012, the Republican/Conservative base has zero tolerance for a government mandate of any kind be it on the state or federal level.
The 10th amendment argument falls flat because being supportive of government mandates is not in step with Conservative values.
That is why Romney is boxed in so bad on the issue. Any way he argues it, Republicans don't want to hear it.
The Tea Party had the biggest Congressional victory in 100+ years on the back of outrage over Obamacare. To then nominate someone who ideologically agreed with everything in Obamacare (and implemented it himself when given the chance) cuts off that wave of enthusiasm at the knees.
How do you argue against Obamacare when you are supportive of all the ideas behind it. That is how you get yourself labeled a flip flopper in American politics.