A peripheral skirmish between Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Sen. Rick Santorum over allowing states to legalize gay marriage and medical marijuana could mark an important turning point in a long-running philosophical debate within the conservative movement. To be sure, there’s nothing new about conflict between social-conservative and libertarian Republicans when it comes to the role of government in moral issues. But what is interesting this time around is that Perry, a candidate who is hoping to appeal to social conservatives, is shifting the debate ever so slightly toward the libertarian position.
There are two questions at the heart of the debate: First, does government have a role in promoting morality through lawmaking? Second, should states and local communities answer this question rather than the federal government?
