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Republicans Seek Cohesion As Party Splits Three Ways

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 8, 2008

The race for the Republican nomination is redefining what it means to be politically conservative.

Even with Mitt Romney's decision Thursday to stop campaigning, the party's base is split three ways, with a fourth sliver pried off by Ron Paul, who wants to save us from our own big government.

John McCain now is almost certain to grab the nomination, but whether the whole party lines up behind him will depend on the willingness of conservatives to readjust.

Romney supporters emphasize fattening the economy. McCain backers stress defeating our enemies. Mike Huckabee followers hope to save the national soul.

Those three major desires of the conservative alliance, so smoothly packaged by Ronald Reagan and loosely held together by President Bush, have in recent months begun pulling apart.

Mike Huckabee is exploiting one gap by championing social values while criticizing corporate greed. Romney's withdrawal forces his supporters to choose between McCain, more flexible than they are on social issues, or Huckabee, more unpredictable on economic policy.

Some conservative commentators, unhappy with McCain, have urged their audience to stay home. But handing Democrats so easy a victory, and one not representative of the real preference of the majority, would be a mistake for both the party and the country.

Romney made that point in saying, "I disagree with Sen. McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq ..."

Democrats appear more united on their policy goals, such as pulling out of Iraq, but divided on questions of personality, gender, race and experience. By November, McCain may have an easier time than his Democratic rival in uniting a party that Bush's low popularity has shifted more toward the center.

National-defense conservatives have long rallied around McCain, a veteran who urges keeping the military strong.

Economic conservatives and big business were drawn to Romney, himself a successful, flexible businessman and believer in tax cuts. Romney's message was hurt by having to campaign in the midst of an economic slowdown widely blamed on President Bush.

Social conservatives have flocked to Huckabee, who shares their religious values. He is causing excitement, but he cannot attract enough Romney supporters to catch McCain. The longer he stays in the race, the more he will diminish the influence of evangelical Christians on the party's priorities.

McCain won't unify the party by pretending to be all things to all factions, but he can win support from social conservatives and economic conservatives by stressing traditional Reagan themes of less government, lower taxes and more freedom.

For the Reagan majority, the economy was always more than big business. That's how the party won support from rank-and-file workers who have since begun to identify with Democrats.

McCain doesn't mind locking horns with corporate America. His concern for global warming bothers big oil and his maverick opposition to business welfare irks free-spending lobbyists. Some conservatives call his independence heresy, but moderate Republicans cheer.

McCain's refusal to play favorites is in fact a conservative virtue. So is objecting to big budget deficits that will hurt future taxpayers. Living just for the next election cycle is no conservative virtue.

As for the Huckabee church-goers interested in defending their own moral standards, McCain can argue in defense of freedom. It is a conservative value that federal action should not preempt tough decisions best made at the family or state level.

In the past six weeks, McCain has proved himself the most electable Republican, capable of drawing, as he put it, "enlightened members of the other party."

But even with a virtual lock on the nomination, he must still make sure that he energizes his own party faithful to help elect him.

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