Podhoretz says Romney's problem is that he cannot explain away Romneycare's striking resemblance to Obamacare. Both have as the centerpiece forcing everybody to buy health insurance. That forcing really ticks off Republicans who worry Mitt is a RINO, a Republican In Name Only.
I suspect Mitt's real problem is that he is a manager. Managing, unlike governing, isn't much guided by ideology. Managers don't have a problem changing their mind about what approach to use, depending on what seems practical.
Voters try to determine how politicians will govern in the future based on how they governed in the past. Past inconsistency means we have little confidence in our prediction about their future actions.
Politicians who have changed their minds about things are called "flip-floppers." I've never heard a manager described that way.
