Conservatives' tone rattles GOP hopefuls

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The fiery rhetoric of activists and talk show hosts has some top Republicans expressing concern about their party's chances to reverse recent election trends.

Congressional leaders said they feel hemmed in by commentators such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh -- popular with the GOP's conservative base but controversial beyond that demographic -- who chastise Senate and House members who publicly criticize them, Politico reported Thursday.

GOP candidates for both the 2010 midterm elections and the 2012 presidential election said they're walking a line as they try to tap into the energy generated by the party core's disgust of President Barack Obama without coming off as extreme, operatives told the Washington publication.

Mitt Romney, who sought the 2008 party presidential nomination, is sticking to specific policy issues as he tests the 2012 presidential waters. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, one of the more active potential opponents for Obama in 2012, said media depictions of a narrow-minded, mean-spirited Republican Party could make it harder to attract middle-of-the-road voters necessary to push the GOP into the majority.

"The commentators are part of the coalition, not the whole coalition," Pawlenty told Politico. "The party needs to be about addition, not subtraction -- but not at the expense of watering down its principles."