GOP Puts Platform on Crash Diet

townhall.com/AP News ^ | August 26, 2008 | staff

[kellynla]

Republicans are debating an election platform that differs in at least one striking way from the past _ it's purged of the dear-leader tributes that turned statements of party principles into an incessant hailing of the chief.

In fact, a draft of the document going to the GOP platform committee Tuesday mentions 2008 presidential candidate John McCain and President Bush not at all. They'll be worked in later, in a section or two to be added.

It's nothing personal, party officials hasten to say. Rather, they've put the platform on a crash diet.

The 2004 platform ran over 40,000 words, many of them turgid. It found 80 things to "applaud," 17 to "hail," a dozen to "commend" and several hundred opportunities to say what a great job Bush was doing and would continue to do. It was more than twice the length of the Democratic platform.

Now it's been cut roughly in half.

[skinkinthegrass]

hmm...that's interesting, taking a 40,000 words doc...shrink it to under 300 words (IIRC, so was the Gettysburg Address :)....heaven forbid, someone might even read and understand it.

[alloysteel]

So, is the Republican National Committee going to give us a REAL platform this time, or is it going to provide the same old platitudes and generalities the legislative and executive subscribers pay lip service to, then just go right ahead and ignore it anyway.

1. Border control
2. Earmark restrictions
3. Sane tax policy (LOTS of options here)
4. Energy independence, to the point the US is a petroleum EXPORTING country
5. Repeal or invalidation of unjust application of restrictive laws on the books that are applied only to “political targets”

See, the platform need not be complicated. But it should be solid.

[Liberty1970]

I’ll give them credit for this. I just about vomited when I read the 2004 platform earlier this year, to compare it with the Constitution Party platform. It wasn’t just bad, it was ludicrous. I still don’t expect it to come anywhere near the Constitution Party platform, but hopefully it won’t make me hurl.

[skinkinthegrass]

So, is the...But it should be solid.
agree, a good start....and they did notice, its' length and absurdity
...just some "light reading" for the night.

[cblue55]

Sounds like Schmidt is doing a great job.

[SoConPubbie]

Sounds like Schmidt is doing a great job.

I will wait and see.

If McCain doesn't add anything supporting Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Amnesty or the Global Warming Scam I will add my positive comments to yours.

If he does add anything in support of these three issues or hires a moderate VP he has no chance at all of getting my vote.

[calcowgirl]

Sounds like Schmidt is doing a great job.

Yeah... he did a great job working for Schwarzenegger, too.

Just look at the results in California.

Every liberal's dream.