Karl Rove is urging Republican candidates to consider the notion of electability while campaigning for the GOP presidential nomination ahead of 2012.
The former Senior Adviser and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush discussed the issue during an appearance on Fox News on Monday. GOP 2012 relays what Rove had to say on the network:
"You don't want these candidates moving so Right in the Republican primary that it becomes impossible for them to win the general election, because it will become a self-defeating message in the primary.
People want to win. They don't want somebody who goes so far to the extremes of either party that they lack a chance to carry a victory off in November."
Candidates in the Republican primary mix appear to be basing their campaigns on what HuffPost's Howard Fineman calls a "New Ten Commandments," a set of strict guidelines that includes socially conservative viewpoints and staunch opposition to raising taxes.
When the moderator at the most recent presidential primary debate asked who would reject a deficit deal with a 10 to 1 ratio of spending cuts to revenue, all eight candidates who participated in the forum raised their hands, signaling an unwillingness to budge on the fiscal matter.
Over the weekend, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann came out on top of the widely-anticipated Ames Straw Poll. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) came in second place in the conservative test and table-setter for next year's Iowa caucuses.