-Opposition to gay rights,
environmentalism and student loans alienated young voters. Romney seemed uninteresting in improving the education system.
-The auto bailouts were popular, especially in the Great Lakes region, in part because the media underreported its costs (and Obama's understating of the costs).
-Hispanics, as a group, wanted
mass amnesty for illegal immigrants while most Republicans wanted none. Retrospectively, it was a
mistake for the Republicans to oppose the Dream Act (and, more obviously at the time, to not oppose Arizona's enforcement approach). Romney was for legalization for military
service only rather than also attending college (a position perhaps not moderate enough) and didn't even emphasize that approach very much.
-Romney and the party came off as both
extremist and disingenuous about tax cuts and spending cuts.
-Romney didn't have
consistent positions on foreign policy.
-He didn't have consistent
positions on health care.
