Maybe it's time

There's an article on time.com about whether Romney's conservative strategy is actually working.

"Second, Romney will spend much of the next week trying to drum up old conservative distrust of McCain, who leaves Florida with considerable momentum and already-high poll numbers in many of the states that vote on February 5. Though McCain has been hammered by some conservative voices, such as the radio host Rush Limbaugh, he has so far escaped the full ideological revolt that greeted him in 2000, when he lost the nomination to George W. Bush.

This final Romney gambit is likely to determine more than just the fate of one, well-heeled candidate. It could set the course for the Republican Party. In the old days, those who supported tax cuts for the wealthy worked closely with those who wanted to amend the constitution to ban gay marriage. Those who wanted to grow the size of the military made common cause with those who saw global warming as an environmentalist scare-tactic meant to interfere with free markets. Those who wanted to overturn Roe v. Wade also wanted to overturn campaign finance reform.

McCain, Huckabee and a nation of disconcerted Republican voters now threaten to reformulate that coalition. Romney is certainly not a lifelong member of the old conservative movement. But as it stands, he may be the only thing left to hold it together."

The quoted section above lays out the the differences that had been readily apparent in the Republican party- a moderate to libertarian business side and the southern strategy of using religion and morality; an uneasy grouping that has worked for the better part of 30+ years. What has changed to allow this fracture to be on the verge of splitting? I would like to say the last 8 years of Republican leadership and spending, spending, spending. . .but that would be too easy. While that does play a part in this rift, for me, it's the takeover of issues by the religious conservatives at the expense of the small government, lower taxes, stay-out-of-my-business side of the party, coupled with a culture that, like it or not, does not necessarily want a preacher as president (course, they don't want a lecturer either). At some point, small government/libertarian/free trade Republican voters have to get fed up with the current structure of the Republican party- I know I am.

I do not know if I want this grand alliance to continue- I think it's doing more harm than good. Why should environmental policies be dominated by the left, why can't Republicans make a business case for recycling or doing other cost-saving measures that also fulfill people's desire to reduce greenhouse gases- if it saves people money and provides some benefit to the Earth or at least people's consciences, then why not? There has to be an acceptance by Republicans, especially those in D.C., that there is a way to make headway on this topic, not only that money can be made, but that there can be and is a market for new products in this area.

McCain and Huckabee represent the two sides of this fracture- Huckabee, touting a religious populist message coupled with increasing government on what's good for you and McCain a deficit hawk first, but who doesn't hold "conservative" views on issues like immigration and campaign finance reform. Romney is attempting to portray Huckabee as someone who can't win, and aligns himself with the religiosity of Huckabee, but then tries to assuage the business Republicans by pointing out he's a businessman, he'll keep taxes low, all the while touting his get tough on illegal immigrants for the order-first Republicans. Can you be all things to all people? That certainly is Romney's task before him and we'll see if he can convince them.

In the meanwhile, in this space, I had been planning on saying that I was going to vote for Giuliani on Feb. 5, but that will obviously change. I might as well now say that I'm planning on voting for John McCain. As for why not Romney, well, I don't believe him. He's certainly eloquent, has charm, and talks a good game, but I simply don't believe him. To me, it all seems like a ruse to get a vote.

I am voting for John McCain for a few simple reasons- I think cutting government spending and curtailing the use of Congressional earmarks is very important (I'm only too sad that President Bush isn't following through on ordering federal agencies to ignore the most recent earmarks, not to mention the previous 7 years worth of earmarks), I too prefer cutting deficits first then taxes (as long as spending cuts go along, can't have one without the other), and I still support the war in Iraq (whether we should have gone there in the first place is a separate question, but we're there and it would be far worse if we left too early).

I certainly hope that if McCain gets the nomination, conservatives don't sit this one out- For all the faults they may see in McCain, letting Republicans "earn a lesson" is probably not the best strategy for the future, unless being marginalized is the goal.