Taft was an earnest fellow, and he knew a tremendous amount about the law, but he
was not necessarily cut out to be a spectacular president. the primary problern for him was
reconciling two different groups within the republican party of that time. one half, the
progressive side, believed strongly in reform and in building up social programs--this was
the half most closely aligned with theodore roosevelt. the other half, which was more
conservative, was not as fervent as roosevelt, and desired a more moderate approach
government, with less interference in states' affairs. the politicians who belonged to boch
of these factions had prolonged conflicts, and taft was not skilled enough as a diplomat to
bridge the gap between them. when taft's first term was up, his presidency was not at
all secure.

can someone paraphrase this ?