Should the Republicans call a culture-war truce?

A gay conservative group called GOProud has teamed up with prominent Tea Partiers from groups such as the New American Patriots to urge the Republican Party to avoid tackling social issues during the coming Congress. The collective signed a letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell advocating that the GOP stick to limiting the size of government instead of focusing on "any social issue." Should the GOP call a "culture-war truce" or would that compromise traditional Republican values?

An internal battle is brewing: The idea of a "truce" was first suggested by Indiana governor Mitch Daniels (R), says Steve Benen at Washington Monthly, and "that didn't go over too well with much of the traditional Republican Party base." It's hard to think this will, either. Expect an "intra-right fight" between libertarians and social conservatives.

"More calls for a culture-war truce"

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Listen to the voters: The Tea Party leaders seeking to avoid social issues are "out of touch with their own movement," says Joe Carter at First Things. Polls consistently find that a majority of Tea Partiers oppose abortion and same-sex marriage. If this is the way the Tea Party is heading, "it's time we social conservatives threw this weak tea into the harbor."

"Are Tea Party leaders destroying the movement?"

Truce advocates are right — finances must be the focus: "If the country goes belly up, the social issues become moot," writes Melissa Clouthier at Liberty Pundits. So Americans should unite in trying to limit the size of government. "Smaller government, less taxes, less spending will help achieve the social conservative ends" by eliminating funding for "egregious socially repugnant issues."

"The needless division between social cons and fiscal cons"

The GOP can't do anything on social issues anyway: Pro-life policies are bound up with "constitutional limitations," and proposing a federal ban on gay marriage would sacrifice the party's "new-found advantage among independents," says Allahpundit at Hot Air. So what's left to push politically?

"GOProud, tea partiers urge GOP leadership: avoid social issues"