I don’t think that Barbour is telling candidates to change their positions, to become more liberal. I don’t think he’s saying to hide their positions.
He’s really just saying to stay on message which he calls jobs and the economy and I would call limited government conservativism. Stay on message. It’s a winner in 2010.
I don’t think conservatives should sit by while other Republicans try to say Gay Marriage is ok, though.
If you want a wave election in 2012, you can’t alienate half of your voters in 2010. Republicans aren’t giving away free money like Obama will be promising. The people who are against giving away free money are outnumbered by those who want to receive it and in order to defeat them we will need every fiscal and moral conservative voter and a candidate that can lead both to the polls. It appears that Haley doesn’t want to be the candidate.