FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

For Republicans to keep conservatives happy, social issues - like abortion, gay marriage, "don't ask, don't tell" - manage to work their way into every political conversation. And that may prove to be a problem for Republicans once we head into the general election campaign.

According to a CNN Opinion Research Corp. poll, nearly three-quarters of Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters say they want a real contender who can defeat Obama in 2012, even if that nominee doesn't agree with them on every issue. More importantly, that's up 7 percentage points from January.

With the president's approval ratings near all-time lows, our national debt sky-high and climbing, and unemployment above 9%, it would certainly seem it's the Republicans’ race to lose.

Jacks Question;

Will Republicans have to lighten up on social issues in order to succeed in 2012?