As written it had potential, except for the mandate piece which alone should be enough, and is enough, for Conservatives to reject it, even if Reagan had written it himself. The boys and girls at Heritage should have known better, but even Hammerin’ Hank wiffed a ball or two.
But beyond that, anyone with their foot in reality knew that to even try and offer it up as actual real world legislation was to open the door to abuse and to give hold for socialized medicine
To be honest, for me, it was not really the legislation, (which was bad enough) that got me as much as the bad judgment on Romney's part to even try it in the current political environment.
Since when are conservatives against mandating personal responsibility?
Are you opposed to mandatory auto insurance? Are you opposed to cumpulsory schooling?
Seems to me you are more of a libertarian and not a conservative. The two are not equivalent.