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SANTA ANNA PUEBLO, N.M.— Advisers to Sen. John McCain's presidential bid say he will not try to "soften" the Republican party's platform on abortion and same-sex marriage to appeal to more voters. McCain associates told The Washington Times that his operatives are not going to work behind the scenes to eliminate the party's calls for constitutional bans on abortion and homosexual marriage before the GOP convention in September. Previous Republican nominees, such as former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, have sought to alter the party's positions, which are honed and released in the platform immediately before the nominating convention. Mr. McCain,...

There was a time when the Republican Party was the ship that flew the banner of the Equal Rights Amendment. Mary Crisp went down with the Titanic, railing about women’s issues to the irate Reagan revolutionaries in the days leading up to the 1980 presidential convention. All revolutions have their heroines and heroes whose heresies lead them to be burned at the stake,” wrote Tanya Melich in “The Republican War Against Women.” “Mary Crisp was ours.” It was quite a finale for a woman who was basically a career volunteer, the prototypical ’50s suburban housewife who worked to put her...

(CNSNews.com) - Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, now running for the Republican presidential nomination, said on Sunday he does not support the pro-life plank that has been included in the Republican National Platform since the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Thompson told host Tim Russert that he favors overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that took the issue of abortion away from the states by declaring abortion a constitutional right. Thompson said he wants to keep abortion legal at the state level. "People ask me hypothetically, you know, OK, it goes back...

"Resolved, That we, the delegated representatives of the Republican electors of the United States, in convention assembled, in discharge of the duty we owe to our constituent and our country, unite in the following declarations: 1. That the history of the nation during the last four years has fully established the propriety and necessity of the organization and perpetuation of the republican party, and that the causes which called it into existence are permanent in their nature, and now more than ever before demand its peaceful and constitutional triumph. 2. That the maintenance of the principles promulgated in the Declaration...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Hundreds of prominent GOP activists met in Washington over the last four days for their annual summer meeting. With a presidential race and a battle over the party's platform coming up next year, several of the partisans said they would work overtime to keep the Republican Party's official pro-life stance in place. Delegates to the Republican convention in Minneapolis next year will reconsider the party's 93-page platform that opposes abortion and supports President Bush's policy against using tax dollars to fund embryonic stem cell research. The current GOP position on abortion advocates a Human Life Amendment...

The Brody File has come up with a few interesting quotes from Fred Thompson's past. First off, it appears Thompson wasn't a big fan of the GOP having any sort of platform back in 1996. In April of 1996, this is what The Memphis Commercial Appeal wrote: Thompson wants to change the way the 1996 Republican National Convention is conducted. For starters, he wants to abolish the party platform - just toss the archaic thing away. 'It's the most useless device I've ever heard of,' Thompson said during a recent visit to Memphis." Thompson also said this in a separate...

FReepers ALWAYS have what I'm looking for, so I'm sure someone here will in short order. My wife is trying to chip away at her nutjob "Christian" Democrat parents and their life-long addiction to the Democrat Party and she wants a complete set of the GOP and DNC party planks to show them, official ones from websites. We know most of it by heart but that's not the same as an actual referenced copy with source cited. If someone has both that are in basically the same structured layout that would be great. Thanks very much. :)

Republican Party Platform of 1856 This Convention of Delegates, assembled in pursuance of a call addressed to the people of the United States, without regard to past political differences or divisions, who are opposed to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise; to the policy of the present Administration; to the extension of Slavery into Free Territory; in favor of the admission of Kansas as a Free State; of restoring the action of the Federal Government to the principles of Washington and Jefferson; and for the purpose of presenting candidates for the offices of President and Vice- President, do Resolved: That...

A platform robust with pro-life planks was passed yesterday by delegates during the opening session of the Republican National Convention being held this week at Madison Square Garden in New York. The 94-page document, "A Safer World, A More Hopeful Tomorrow," calls for constitutional amendments banning abortion and gay "marriage," a comprehensive ban on cloning, continued denial of federal money for research on new embryonic stem cell lines, abstinence education and other measures that bolster the sanctity of life and the traditional family. Story Continues Below The platform is a relief to some pro-lifers within the party who feared that...

Page 83 of 2004 Republican Party Platform: Protecting Marriage We strongly support President Bush’s call for a Constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage, and we believe that neither federal nor state judges nor bureaucrats should force states to recognize other living arrangements as equivalent to marriage.

Re-typed verbatim from the 2004 Republican Party Platform (pages 80 and 81): Supporting Humane and Legal Immigration The Republican Party supports reforming the immigration system to ensure that it is legal, safe, orderly and humane. It also supports measures to ensure that the immigration system is structured to address the needs of national security. America is a stronger and better nation because of the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants, and the Republican Party honors them. A growing economy requires a growing number of workers, and President Bush has proposed a new temporary worker program that applies when no...

NEW YORK - All is not sunshine at the Republican convention. Tom Tancredo isn't smiling much. Tancredo is a conservative congressman from the Denver suburbs who has made immigration his signature issue. The open-bor- ders policy of President Bush drives him crazy. Tancredo held a press conference to express his displeasure - in a kosher New York restaurant staffed by foreign accents from around the globe. Outside on Broadway, the international hordes went about their business. Also note that Tancredo's fellow panelists were New Yorkers who swim easily in the sea of diversity. They didn't reflect any white-bread fears of...

But Took a Dive For the Democrat's Liberal One The Republican platform manages to make it into the headline of Adam Nagourney's lead story Tuesday ("Giuliani Lauds Bush's Leadership on Terror--G.O.P. Opposes Abortion and Gay Unions"). Yet Nagourney's story devotes precisely one sentence to the platform. The Times also devotes a full front-page story to the conservative nature of the Republican platform, Robin Toner and David Kirkpatrick's "Social Conservatives Wield Influence on Platform." While the Republican platform is making headlines, by contrast, a Nexis search indicates the Times didn't devote a single story during the Democratic convention in Boston to...

Phyllis Schlafly, 80 years old and still going strong, is celebrating another triumph over the culture of death. "We had a total victory," she proclaimed after Republicans adopted a pro-life platform at the national convention. The founder of Eagle Forum, Schlafly has attended every GOP presidential convention since 1952, including 11 times as a delegate or alternate. This year she's a delegate from Missouri. "After Rep. Roy Blunt, the third-ranking GOP House member, finished speaking to the Missouri delegation Tuesday, Schlafly was the first person he sought out. Blunt had read her latest book - 'The Supremacists: The Tyranny of...

Even as Michael Bloomberg heralded New York's diversity Monday, President George W. Bush's controversial plan to put in place a temporary worker program is getting no major billing at the Republican National Convention. 'snip'"It seems very clear to us that the White House got the message. There just does not seem to be very much of an appetite there to pursue this," said John Kelley, a spokesman for the Center for Immigration Studies, a non-partisan think tank on immigration issues. "Is any single speaker going to mention the "I" word? I don't think so.'snip'Outside Madison Square Garden, Rep. Tom Tancredo...

August 29, 2004 A Platform for Immigrants olitical parties generally like to get through the business of adopting their campaign platforms without too much fuss. But on the eve of their convention, President Bush and his loyal followers had to deal with undercurrents of unhappiness from conservatives about the issue of immigration reform. Anybody who has watched the Republicans wrestling with this explosive issue this year knew it would be difficult to please both the Republican moderates who realize that the system is "broken" - as Mr. Bush put it in January - and ideologues like Representative Tom Tancredo of...

NEW YORK (AFP) - US Republicans adopted a party platform backing President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s pre-emptive assault on terrorism and declaring that no international organisation could replace US leadership. The 93-page platform, approved on the opening day of the party's national convention here, also had harsh words for China, North Korea (news - web sites) and Iran, but signaled unreserved Republican support for Israel. The document was less of a political program than a tribute to Bush's actions since taking office in January 2001, with some veiled barbs at his Democratic election rival, Senator John Kerry...

Inclusive Document Promoting Bold Leadership NEW YORK - Platform Committee Chairman U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. (R-TN) today hailed approval by the delegates at Madison Square Garden of the Republican Platform. Governor Bill Owens (R-CO) and Congresswoman Melissa Hart (R-PA) served as co-chairs of the committee. The Platform Committee met throughout last week to draft and approve the text of the Republican Platform. It requires approval from the convention delegates. "This platform is the product of a transparent and inclusive process. America needs leadership that focuses on ensuring our safety, defeating terrorism, providing health security, strengthening our economy,...

If there are any deluded souls out there who still believe George W. Bush is a conservative, I invite them to examine the 2004 Republican Party platform on the issue of amnesty for illegal immigrants. Bush is for it. That makes him a liberal. Worse, he proclaims that the amnesty is not an amnesty. So he is not only a liberal, but a liar as well.

TROY, Ohio (AP) -- President Bush plans to offer specific policy proposals on Social Security and other issues during his speech at the Republican National Convention, a top adviser said Saturday. Karen Hughes hinted that Bush would disclose a plan for partial privatization of Social Security. "You just heard him talk about an ownership society,'' Hughes told reporters. "He wants to give a chance for younger workers to own a piece of their own retirement.'' Previous Bush administration proposals on Social Security privatization have found little traction in Congress. Critics say privatizing the federal pension program could bring drastic cuts...

Bush team keeps conservative agenda in check By Ralph Z. Hallow THE WASHINGTON TIMES NEW YORK — President Bush's strategists outmaneuvered conservatives at every turn in Republican platform proceedings here, achieving nearly total success in pushing through the planks favored by the president's re-election campaign. "By the time everyone got to New York, the battle was over — the fix was in," (snip) "The committee simply rubber-stamped whatever the administration desired." Conservative activists outside the platform committee got almost none of their language or policy goals into the platform that will be presented to next week's Republican National Convention. (snip)

New York - Rep. Tom Tancredo failed Thursday to add his anti-immigration agenda to the Republican Party's national platform."They threw some bones at us, but we didn't really get what we wanted," said the Colorado congressman, ending his threat to wage a policy fight on the floor of next week's Republican National Convention.Tancredo blasted the party for quashing dissent, complaining that it stacked the platform committee with delegates supportive of President Bush's plan for a new temporary-worker program that would tap current illegal immigrants. Even Thursday, after Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist adjourned the committee, Tancredo complained that the party...

NEW YORK – The 2004 Republican Platform Committee finished its work this afternoon. It wasn't a pretty picture. You have to give the Bush political operation credit: they badly outflanked the party conservatives. By the time delegates gathered here in New York for the platform committee work, the game was already over. The Bush operation made certain that the committee, selected by state parties, was packed with loyalists. Any chance of a conservative uprising over the platform was DOA. The most controversial plank in the draft platform was on immigration, specifically President Bush's proposal for a guest worker program for...

President Bush waves to reporters as he arrives at the White House on Thursday in Washington. The Republican Party's draft reiterates Bush's commitment that under any final-status agreement, Palestinian refugees will not be resettled in Israel. (AP) WASHINGTON - The Republican Party's draft platform on Israel reiterates President George Bush's commitment that under any final-status agreement with the Palestinians, Palestinian refugees will not be resettled in Israel and Israel will not be compelled to return to the 1949 armistice lines. The draft was published Thursday in advance of the party's convention, which opens in New York on Monday. The platform,...

<p> August 26, 2004, 9:05 a.m. By Mark Krikorian Before the draft Republican platform was released yesterday, the immigration plank was being billed as an independent effort, not directed by the White House. The selection of Pennsylvania's Rep. Melissa Hart to head the subcommittee that would address immigration was spun last week as a concession to pro-control conservatives, despite her mediocre voting record on immigration. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, the platform committee co-chairman, denied that the White House was writing the platform immigration plank, telling the Washington Times that "I have talked to Karl [Rove] about the...

NEW YORK – The 2004 Republican Platform Committee finished its work this afternoon. It wasn't a pretty picture. You have to give the Bush political operation credit: they badly outflanked the party conservatives. By the time delegates gathered here in New York for the platform committee work, the game was already over. The Bush operation made certain that the committee, selected by state parties, was packed with loyalists. Any chance of a conservative uprising over the platform was DOA. The most controversial plank in the draft platform was on immigration, specifically President Bush's proposal for a guest worker program for...

NEW YORK (Aug. 26) - In a few words meant to speak volumes, Republicans have extended a welcome to party members who disagree with elements of their platform, a strongly conservative statement of beliefs that includes an endorsement of constitutional bans on abortion and gay marriage. Party leaders working with platform delegates on both sides of the abortion issue settled on a declaration Wednesday night that Republicans "respect and accept" that party members can have deeply held differences. This was a step up from merely recognizing the existence of dissenters, as the initial version of the 2004 platform stated. But...

NEW YORK -- At 5 p.m. Tuesday night, the 2004 Republican platform committee met for the first time at the Jacob Javits Center. At exactly 7 p.m., the committee's members got their first glimpse of the 90-page document to be approved by subcommittees Wednesday. They were bused back to their hotels to study what is much more substantive than the pablum platform adopted by Democrats in Boston but does not resemble the robust Republican platform process of recent years. This platform is less a forward-looking declaration of party principle than a backward-looking review of President Bush's four years, more so...

New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- Despite attempts by activists to change the GOP platform to support abortion and embryonic stem cell research, the initial version of the document supports President Bush's pro-life positions on the subjects. A draft of the platform, shown to delegates last night in advance of hearings today, retains the longtime stance in favor of a Human Life Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would afford legal protection for unborn children throughout pregnancy. The platform language also contains a plank supporting President Bush's August 2001 policy prohibiting taxpayer funding of any new embryonic stem cell research and...

<p>Conservatives yesterday fumed over what they see as twin betrayals in recent days -- the Republican National Convention platform's endorsement of amnesty for illegal aliens and Vice President Dick Cheney's fence-straddling on homosexual "marriage."</p> <p>"It's a fairly solid document," American Values President Gary Bauer said of the platform, the nonbinding quadrennial statement of party principles. "But I'm concerned overall that simmering discontent on issues like immigration and the vice president's confusing remarks on same-sex marriage will cause us to be surprised on Election Day about where our voters went," he said.</p>

Conservatives Grumble on Planks Reflecting Bush AgendaBy DAVID D. KIRKPATRICKPublished: August 26, 2004 aylong negotiations between representatives of the Bush campaign and conservative Republicans to forestall challenges to planks of the party platform that back President Bush's positions on stem cell research and immigration fell through last night, leading to an unexpected debate in the platform committee, two people involved in the talks said.The debate, though brief, was a sharp contrast with the carefully choreographed displays of unity at the Democratic Party platform hearing or at the Republican subcommittees earlier in the day.With an impassioned plea to protect what one...

Republicans will try to project a moderate image at their national convention next week through prime-time speakers such as California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (news - web sites) and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. But the platform on which GOP candidates will run this fall is shaping up to look decidedly conservative, reflecting the views of President Bush (news - web sites) and the party's base. Efforts to insert more moderate language on controversial issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage into the 95-page statement of party principles begin Wednesday when the Republican Platform Committee opens two days of hearings...

NEW YORK - Republicans endorsed an uncompromising position against gay unions in a manifesto that contrasts with Vice President Dick Cheney's supportive comments about gay rights and the moderate face the party will show at next week's national convention. A panel made up largely of conservative delegates on Wednesday approved platform language that calls for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and opposes legal recognition of any sort for gay civil unions. The party's full platform committee, seeking to appease party members who support gay or abortion rights without embracing their positions, adopted language later that states Republicans "respect and...

NEW YORK — The Republican Party platform draft strongly supports President Bush's "guest worker" plan that critics within the party say amounts to amnesty for illegal aliens, The Washington Times has learned. The draft will be debated here this morning, several days before the opening of the Republican National Convention, by 26 handpicked members of the Republican National Convention subcommittee that deals with immigration, led by Pennsylvania Rep. Melissa A. Hart. The draft's immigration section, titled "Supporting Humane and Legal Immigration," backs the president's case for giving some illegal aliens temporary legal status under a guest-worker program, a position vehemently...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (JTA) — Republicans promise that a substantive, tough party platform this year will present Jewish voters with a sharp contrast from the relatively scrawny Democratic document — but they may find that delving into details could prove devilish. The Bush campaign is emphasizing its adherence to old-fashioned platform-writing techniques, going into particulars yet leaving open an element of surprise by allowing a platform committee to hash through the proposed document on the eve of the convention next week. That means the platform is more likely to approach the 100-some pages of the GOP’s 2000 version than the...

PASADENA, Md., Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement is by Constitution Party Presidential candidate Michael Anthony Peroutka whose running mate is Dr. Chuck Baldwin from Pensacola, Florida. Interesting story in the "Washington Times" (8/23/04) headlined: "GOP To Finesse Immigration Issue" -- the applicable definition of "finesse" here being, in this context, to trick or use fraud. Or, some might say, to lie. So, about what, exactly, is it the GOP is going to use trickery or fraud or lies, to deceive us? Illegal immigration. This story, based on an interview with Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Chairman of the Republican...

Workman-like Platform Lacks Unifying Philosophical Principle by Richard Lessner - Executive Director, ACU NEW YORK – Late yesterday, the American Conservative Union obtained an advanced copy of the 2004 draft Republican Platform. ACU's staff has reviewed and analyzed the draft document, which delegate members of the GOP platform committee will begin the process of amending today. Like most such party documents, the draft GOP platform is a workman-like recitation of the incumbent President George W. Bush's first-term accomplishments. It reads much like a campaign ad, which is essentially what it is. What the draft platform lacks in inspiring rhetoric or...

NEW YORK – Late yesterday, the American Conservative Union obtained an advanced copy of the 2004 draft Republican Platform. ACU's staff has reviewed and analyzed the draft document, which delegate members of the GOP platform committee will begin the process of amending today. Like most such party documents, the draft GOP platform is a workman-like recitation of the incumbent President George W. Bush's first-term accomplishments. It reads much like a campaign ad, which is essentially what it is. What the draft platform lacks in inspiring rhetoric or soaring imagery, it makes up in length. At 90 pages, almost half of...

NEW YORK (AP) — Republicans call for a constitutional ban on gay marriage in a proposed election platform headed for a feisty debate in the days before their national convention.If the plank is approved as expected, it would mark the first time the GOP has gone on record in its statement of principles as supporting an amendment against gay marriage. The issue opens a new point of contention between the party's social conservatives and moderates in platform hearings, who typically tangle over abortion rights each presidential election season. A draft of the platform was shown to delegates Tuesday night on...

A draft Republican Party platform distributed last night to delegates takes conservative stands on several social issues that sometimes divide the party, including abortion, stem-cell research and a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. But it also supports the expansion of legal immigration, a position that is already drawing opposition from some in the party's conservative base.Roughly half of this year's Republican platform is devoted to foreign policy and national security. "President Bush has confronted unprecedented challenges, including a world scarred by terrorism," its preamble begins. "The president's leadership has achieved successes once deemed impossible to realize in so short...

ALERT: Well, the Republican Party is asking for input from you and I to help set the party's agenda. That's right, it's time once again to write the GOP Platform -- the foundational document that declares to the world, "THIS is what Republicans stand for!" This is also where the "trench warfare" takes place every four years, between the conservative base of the party, and the "big tent" of liberals, neocons, and good ol' "RINOs" - Republicans In Name Only. If you've never experienced the passion and determination of our conservative warriors on the front line of this ideological warfare,...

...Sources say that in recent weeks, word has gone out from Karl Rove's office that Republican congressional candidates who fail to "stay away" from the issue of illegal immigration risk losing the financial support of their national party... One person with knowledge of the process says national party leaders and campaign officials vetted every delegate to the GOP convention to ensure support for an illegal alien amnesty eagerly sought by corporate lobbyists in Washington...

The Republican Party's platform will oppose amnesty for illegal aliens, predicts Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, the platform committee chairman."I believe it likely there will be a strong statement against amnesty," the Tennessee Republican said in an interview with The Washington Times.President Bush's "guest-worker" proposal for dealing with illegal immigration, which he outlined in a White House speech in January, includes a limited, three-year amnesty for qualified illegal aliens holding jobs in the United States.The plan has deeply angered many Republicans, who say it is meant to pander to the growing Hispanic vote, and they blame the idea on Bush...

New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- In addition to their efforts to overturn the Republican Party's pro-life position on abortion and to include a unity plank into the platform, leading abortion advocates are planning to hold their largest fundraiser ever. The shindig will receive support from some key Republican notables. Jennifer Blei Stockman, co-chairman of the Republican Majority for Choice, a pro-abortion political action committee, says her group will hold its biggest fundraising effort on the second night of the convention at a club in New York City. Stockman told the Greenwich Time newspaper that she expects 450 people to attend,...

This ConservativePetitions.com Alert is a special message from RightMarch.com for [Tolerance Sucks Rocks]: ALERT: Well, the Republican Party is asking for input from you and I to help set the party's agenda. That's right, it's time once again to write the GOP Platform -- the foundational document that declares to the world, "THIS is what Republicans stand for!" This is also where the "trench warfare" takes place every four years, between the conservative base of the party, and the "big tent" of liberals, neocons, and good ol' "RINOs" - Republicans In Name Only. If you've never experienced the passion and...

New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- The Republican Party platform has taken a pro-life position on abortion since 1976, during the first GOP convention following the Roe v. Wade decision. With the selection of Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour to craft that aspect of the platform, the position likely won't change. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, who is pro-life, was selected by the party to be the chairman of the platform committee. He, in turn, chose Barbour, a former party chairman, to direct the "Protecting Our Families" subcommittee charged with the task of crafting the anti-abortion language. When Barbour was...

Barbour to shape abortion platform See Post # 1 for link

(CNSNews.com) - A coalition of self-described "mainstream Republicans" is insisting that unless President Bush and the 2004 GOP presidential platform appeal to more than just the "far right," Democrats will re-take the White House. The coalition, comprised of the Log Cabin Republicans, Republicans for Choice political action committee and Republican Youth Majority, introduced its "Party Unity" plank this week at a Washington, D.C., news conference. "We recognize and respect that Republicans of good faith may not agree with all the planks in the party's platform. This is particularly the case with regard to those planks dealing with abortion, family planning,...

The Washington Times www.washingtontimes.com Conservative gets immigration plankBy Ralph Z. HallowTHE WASHINGTON TIMESPublished August 15, 2004 Pennsylvania Rep. Melissa A. Hart will lead the Republican Party platform subcommittee that will tackle politically sensitive immigration issues, The Washington Times has learned.     The Hart appointment comes amid growing complaints among many in the Republican Party that President Bush's proposed immigration plan would reward illegal aliens in the hope of getting more Hispanics votes for him in November.     Mrs. Hart is known among colleagues for her tough stance on immigration issues.     The platform -- a statement of principles nonbinding to the party's...

With the Republican National Convention's platform committee convening in New York less than three weeks from now, no draft platform exists, no subcommittees have been named, and no special lodging for committee members has been assigned. Rather than signifying sudden collapse of accustomed Republican efficiency, all this looks more like a coolly calculated plan. The suspicion has grown that President Bush's re-election strategists--Karl Rove and Karen Hughes--do not want the open debate over principles and policy that has characterized Republican platform-making for a generation. The carefully guarded Bush campaign game plan is to present delegates on the platform committee with...