Friday, June 12, 2020

GOP 2020 Platform Rebukes Current President


After the Republican National Committee (RNC) kept Outdated Language from Four years ago, when Barack Obama was still President, the Party’s 2020 Platform includes more than Three Dozen Unflattering References to those in Power at the White House. Now the Republican Party has found itself in an Awkward Bind because of President Trump’s Decision to Move the Location of his Convention Speech and Not to Update the Party's Platform.

“The survival of the internet as we know it is at risk,” the Platform reads. “Its gravest peril originates in the White House, the current occupant of which has launched a campaign, both at home and internationally, to subjugate it to agents of government.”

The Warnings include Unflattering References to either the “current president”, “current chief executive”, “current administration”, People “currently in control” of Policy, or the “current occupant” of the White House, that appear in the Republican 2020 Platform. It will now be carried over through 2024 after the Executive Committee of the RNC chose Not to Adopt a New Platform for 2020.

The Platform Censures the “current” President and his Administration for, among other things, imposing “a social and cultural revolution,” causing a “huge increase in the national debt” and Damaging Relationships with International Partners.

On Friday morning, Trump called for a New Platform for the Convention. “The Republican Party has not yet voted on a Platform,” he tweeted. “No rush. I prefer a new and updated Platform, short form, if possible.”

Before the Convention was Overhauled, Trump Campaign Officials, along with Jared Kushner, the President’s Son-in-Law, and Senior Adviser, had been looking at a Menu of Options for a New Party Platform, including a Slimmed down, One-Page Rewrite as well as a Reworking of the 66-page Document the Party Passed in 2016.

When it was First Reported on Efforts to Rewrite the Party Platform that involved Mr. Kushner, Grass-Roots Activists were Livid, and some of those discussed Organizing an Effort to Resist what they viewed as his Changes, even though the Options had been Drafted Primarily by the Campaign.

The Decision to simply let the Current Platform Stay in Effect, rather than try to Pass any New Platform, was ultimately driven by Logistics, Officials said. Republican Officials decided it did Not make sense to ask about 5,000 Delegates and Alternates to Pay to Fly to Charlotte, North Carolina, when the Speeches and Most of the Action of the Convention, including the Hallmark Speeches, would be happening in another City altogether.

Melody Potter, an RNC Member from West Virginia who sat on the Party’s Platform Committee in 2016 and Planned to Run for a Seat on it this August, said she was Pleased the Platform was being Rolled over for 2020. “The 2016 platform is the best one we’ve had in 40 years, so I’m fine with renewing it and extending it to 2024,” she said. “As a matter of fact, and you can quote me on this, I think it is a ray of sunshine in this whole messy storm.”

But what was perceived by some of the Grass-Roots Activists as Mr. Kushner’s Attempt to Circumvent the People who helped Elect Trump Four years ago Hurt Efforts among other Republicans to Update the Platform.

Now, the Party is Stuck with a Platform with Positions that already seemed Outdated to a Large Segment of its Members Four years ago. Meanwhile, Republican Officials have Discussed with the White House the Possibility of putting out Trump’s Vision for America and the Platform he would have Pushed for if the Committee had been able to Meet, and Blaming North Carolina Governor Cooper (D) for making it impossible to do so.

Campaign Operatives, for their part, Defended the Old Document. “President Trump won in 2016 with this platform and he’ll win again in 2020 with this platform,” said Justin Clark, Senior Counsel to the Campaign.

Candidates from the President Down to Municipal Officials are under No Obligation to hew to their Party’s Platform, and Few make a Point of Abiding by All Points of it. But a Platform does Serve as a Party’s Guiding Principles, even though the Document tends to be most useful for Political Opponents who Weaponize Elements of it in Attack Advertisements.

The 2016 Platform that is being Renewed was the Result of Messy Debates in Cleveland, Ohio, the Host City of the Republican Convention Four years ago, during which a Group of Renegade Delegates tried but Failed to strip-out Language Opposing Gay Marriage and Condoning Conversion Therapy for LGBTQ Youths.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker


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