His stark statements caught many political observers — including some of his most influential backers in Michigan — by surprise.

“It’s a complete 180. … People are dismayed by his betrayal,” said Oakland County executive L. Brooks Patterson, a veteran Republican elected official from the Detroit suburbs who was a prominent Romney supporter in the primaries. “I just can’t believe that these words tumbled out of his mouth, given his background, given everything he said during the campaign.”…

Patterson said that, as a candidate, Romney never suggested bankruptcy as a viable option for automakers. Leaders of the Big Three fear that such a move would scare away car buyers and kill a company entirely.