Steve Kornacki says not necessarily:
A deep-held principle — that a healthcare mandate is a freedom-killing violation of our nation's sacred founding values — has emerged from a fundamentally emotional reaction to a Democratic president. Putting the true believers (i.e., conservatives who hated mandates even before 2009) aside, most of the passionate arguments Republicans have offered against "ObamaCare" represent either a product of this emotional reaction or an effort to cater to it.
How does this help Romney? It means that his cover story on healthcare doesn't necessarily have to be rational for GOP elites to ultimately rally around him and to help sell him to rank-and-file GOP voters.
The Dish 