He’s stuck, too, with his endorsement of the Paul Ryan plan. Romney spent much of 2011 seeking to evade a commitment to the House budget and its one-sided protection of older Americans at the expense of younger Americans. He used formulas about supporting the spirit behind the budget but preferring his own approach.

In December 2011, however, he was finally cornered: If Congress passed the Ryan budget, would he sign it? He said yes — and now he must carry that answer with him into a general election in which young voters will matter more than they do in a Republican primary.

This is not where Romney wanted to be. Yet it’s where he is. And if he loses, the people who pushed him into defeat will be the first to load all the blame for that defeat onto him alone.

But then, perhaps they’ll have a point because it was up to Romney to say no to them — and at the crucial moments, he flinched.