http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/the-gops-social-issue-schizophrenia
Torn between competing factions of a restive GOP base, the 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls seem more confused than ever over how to integrate social issues into their fledgling campaigns.
While some, like Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, are clearly planning to run as culture warriors, others, like Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, are trying to shift the focus toward other areas, like the economy. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, meanwhile, seem to be waffling between playing to the Republican Party’s conservative Christian base and appealing to a broader set of voters. Both Cruz and Bush flipped their own scripts in the last week, with Cruz, a staunch supporter of so-called “traditional marriage,” demanding to be asked about something other than gay rights, and Bush abandoning his “respect everyone” stance on marriage equality in favor of a strong endorsement of religious freedom.
This lack of consensus over how to address social issues speaks to a couple of problems facing the emerging GOP presidential field. One is how to reconcile the values of the party’s primary voters – who tend to be older, whiter, and more religious – with those of an increasingly diverse and tolerant general electorate. And the other is how to pull ahead in a crowded pack of plausible GOP contenders, a group currently without a front-runner in sight.
“With such a wide field, different people have to ask themselves, ‘OK, how do I break though?’” said conservative consultant Keith Appell, whose firm was recently hired by former Hewlett-Packard CEO and Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina’s Super PAC. Appell spoke with msnbc on his own behalf and not for the Super PAC