GOP pushes social issues at conservative showcase
Split on abortion, gay marriage exposes party rift.
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OXON HILL, MD. — of the GOP’s most prominent conservatives insisted Friday that Republicans should emphasize hot-button social issues such as abortion and gay marriage in this year’s midterm elections, exposing an ideological divide within a party trying to capture the Senate and then the White House.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist pastor, set the tone early in the second day of the Conservative Political Action Conference.
“If this nation forgets our God, then God will have every right to forget us,” Huckabee said to cheers. “It’s time for government to scale back, not for people of faith to scale back.”
The day also featured Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who, like Huckabee, have run presidential campaigns fueled in part by support from religious voters.
Santorum insisted that Republicans not abandon conservative values. “We’re told we have to put aside what we believe is in the best interests of the country so a Republican candidate can win,” Santorum said. But victory on those terms would be “a devastating loss for America,” he said.
But Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, one of the fifinal speakers of the day, represents a new generation of libertarian- minded Republicans less likely to oppose gay marriage or embrace laws allowing the government to affect people’s private lives.
“There’s a great battle going on. It’s for the heart
and soul of America,” Paul told the crowd, focusing on civil liberties instead of social issues.
“You may think I’m talking about electing Republicans. I’m not,” he said. “I’m talking about
electing lovers of liberty.” The ideological tug-ofwar played out a few miles from Washington at the nation’s largest annual gathering of conservative activists, where most of the prospective 2016 Republican presidential fifield will have taken the stage by today’s end of the three-day gathering.
It was an early presidential audition for a party optimistic about its chances in the November congressional elections and eager to snap its two-election mini-losing streak in presidential contests.
The political debate over abortion shows no signs of being resolved, more than 40 years after
the Supreme Court legalized the procedure in the case of Roe v. Wade. Young people today are somewhat more conservative on
the issue than middle-aged Americans, but the nation is split on the deeply personal issue.
The politics of gay marriage are different. A growing number of high-profile Republicans — including Ohio Sen. Rob Portman
and former Vice President Dick Cheney — have announced personal support for same-sex unions, despite a national party platform that does not. And a series of recent court rulings have found state laws that outlaw the practice may be unconstitutional.
Perry avoided social issues in his remarks, instead criticizing Democratic governors for leading states with higher taxes, more regulations and fewer jobs. He also suggested that Washington politicians in both parties have seized too much power and it’s time to elect “the right kind of leaders.”
Still, the day’s speaking program was dominated by social conservatives, such as former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed, who offffffffffffered little tolerance for Republicans who “lack the courage to stand and fifight” against gay marriage and abortion rights.
Outside the main ballroom, a younger generation of Republicans said the GOP should focus on the economy and avoid the culture wars of the past.