Free Republic

The state's Republicans are partying hard this weekend at the California Republican Party Convention in Los Angeles, no doubt doing their best to cultivate a unified front for the November elections. A commendable and necessary goal, to be sure, but it's going to take more than hand-rolled cigars and cognac to sway party conservatives, some of whom are still trying to figure out exactly where their GOP stands on the tough issues. Apparently the convention's unofficial theme -- don't rock the boat, get Arnold re-elected -- doesn't cut it for the party's true-blue conservatives who are looking for definitive answers...

The easily-irritated folks at Americans United for Separation of Church And State will probably call the Internal Revenue Service on me (again) after reading this column because I'm going to mention President George W. Bush. In fact, I think I could probably be walking down the street and casually say, "Hey, look at that bush," and the so-called civil libertarians who want to silence evangelical pastors in this nation would run screaming to the IRS, claiming that I illegally endorsed the president. (I actually believe the organization should change its name to Americans United for the Separation of Conservative Churches...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lindsay Taylor/Mark Pfeifle202-863-8614/212-356-2300 Washington, DC - Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie today announced the addition of Anne Phelps and Ginny Wolfe to the 2004 Republican Platform Committee staff. Phelps will serve as Executive Director and Wolfe as Communications Director for the 2004 Republican Platform to be chaired by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. (TN), Congresswoman Melissa Hart (PA) and Colorado Governor Bill Owens. "We are fortunate to have such talented people join us as the 2004 Platform Committee works to craft a proposal that reflects the president's goals and the beliefs of our party,"...

2004 Republican Party of Texas Platform Preamble The delegates of the 2004 Republican Party of Texas believe that our Party Platform expresses fundamental beliefs and truths that were recognized by our country’s founders. The conservative principles of our Party are tested and proven. We believe that Republican officeholders of our representative republic do not truly represent their electorate unless this platform is the basis for their decision-making. We call on Texas Republicans to work diligently to expand our network of grassroots volunteers to elect representative Republicans. To accomplish this, we commend these core principles of the 2004 Texas Republican...

DALLAS (Reuters) - A leading Jewish group on Tuesday asked the Republican Party in President Bush's home state of Texas to stop calling the United States a "Christian nation" in its platform. The Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-Semitism and religious discrimination, said it was dismayed about the platform plank and other language in the document that describes as "a myth" the separation of church and state, which is enshrined by the U.S. Constitution and court rulings. "America was founded on the belief that freedom of religion requires that the government take no official stance on, or participate in, religious activity...

SEASIDE -- In an unexpected and, at times, rancorous showdown, delegates to the Republicans' annual Dorchester Conference voted Saturday to recommend removing any mention of abortion from their state party platform. The issue pitted two longtime party stalwarts, former U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood and state party Chairman Kevin Mannix, in a face-to-face debate that left more than 350 delegates disagreeing over party unity, party growth, loyalty to respected leaders and possibly to their personal principles. Before voting on the proposal to remove abortion from the platform, an angered Mannix urged delegates to abstain as a way to show party unity....

<p>The advocacy of gay activists who want the same recognition and status as heterosexual couples has fueled a national debate that is leading Republicans to consider opposing homosexual marriage in their national platform. "There is a lot of energy out there, a lot of concern about gay marriage," Ed Gillespie, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said. "So it wouldn't surprise me if it were addressed in some form or fashion in the platform."</p>