This coming week will see the gathering of the largest conservative advocacy group–CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference–in Washington, DC.
A long list of co-sponsors of the conference include the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, the National Rifle Association, and Americans For Tax Reform, along with over a hundred more organizations and movements.
But several major conservative organizations tied to the Religious Right are boycotting the gathering over the issue of same sex marriage, including the Liberty Counsel and the Family Research Council.
The villain in their minds is the grouo GOProud, a movement of gay conservatives, the second major gay Republican group, along with the Log Cabin Republicans.
GOProud beieves in limited government, individual liberty, free market economic principles, and a strong national defense, all strongly conservative beliefs, but the gay aspect of their group simply is unacceptable to social conservatives.
There will be about ten thousand participants in the CPAC gathering, and several potential GOP presidential candidates will be speaking, but the fact that a gay organization is a co-sponsor of the gathering is causing a split which can affect the whole conservative movement and the Republican Party in 2012 and beyond.
If the split lasts, that can only help the Democrats and Barack Obama, and only add to the GOP being the party which rejects gays, as well as Hispanics, not a winning vision for the long term future!