With the rise of the Tea Party and having a 60 member caucus in the House they are really a driving force behind major Republican policy making. Can a moderate from the fiscal wing the of the party capture the GOP 2012 nomination and force the party to move more to the center. Mitt Romney built his career on being a centrist that reached across the isle to solve problems his state was facing a very pragmatic and practical manner, very effectively too I might add.

Mitt Romney for all intents and purposes is the ideal Presidential candidate. A successful businessman who has fiscal conservative credentials, a pro job growth Governor of a blue state, who passed a successful form of health care. The Republican Party is moving further and further from that type of Republican. Can Mitt Romney re-energize the base with his brand of Republican policy making? I would argue that might not be bad for the country at all.

If the party were to fall in line behind their nominee, Mitt Romney, we could have two parties that agree on the need for a universal mandate for healthcare just disagree who should be managing it. Under a Romney GOP we could have a debate about when it is appropriate to raise taxes, not one party refusing to raise them regardless of circumstances. With Romney’s Republican Party we could have an honest discussion about civil rights for gays in America without people accusing someone of being less of a Christian for supporting rights.

A Romney nominee could radically shift the policy discussions and how we have them in this country. Of course though he could end up like McCain in 2008.