Following up somewhat on my post from yesterday and Norm's today, the religious conservatives in the GOP can huff and puff all they want about the insufficiency of the present slate of candidates, but I tend to agree with those who see such stories as a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing. In the end, overtures will be made to satisfy those particular third-party grumblers.

The one fear I do have, however, is the possibility of an independent run by a well-financed candidate who offers a distinctly conservative, yet not mainstream, platform. That's why the news today of Ron Paul's $5 million haul concerns me.

Ron Paul, if he decided to mount an independent bid, could potentially be our own version of Ralph Nader. The lynchpin of his message appeals to those voters dissatisfied by both parties' solutions to the nation's biggest challenges. Further, his solid conservative social stands could peel off voters uncertain about the eventual Republican nominee.

The biggest question, of course, would be ballot access, but if Paul again decided to seek the cover of the Libertarian banner, that may not be a huge hurdle. For now, Ron Paul appears set on keeping the GOP debates interesting for the forseeable future, and I think an independent bid remains a very remote possibility. Still, his fundraising numbers have to open up some eyes and alert the GOP to yet another sign of dissention in the ranks.

On Monday, Frank Donatelli argued at The Politico that the GOP should be looking for ways to expand the Party rather than simply focusing on the base. I agree that the GOP cannot afford to shrink its ranks at this point in history. Rallying the base is crucial, but putting Republican candidates over the top means forging a governing coalition that keeps religious conservatives AND GOP-leaning libertarians (along with many others who fall into neither group) in the tent.

That balancing act will be the first test faced by whichever man is fortunate enough to claim the Republican nomination for President.