The 16 Planks of the Republican Platform:
- A Restoration of Constitutional Order: Congress and the Executive
- Defending Marriage Against An Activist Judiciary
- A Sacred Contract: Defense of Marriage
- Living Within Our Means: A Constitutional Budget
- Federalism and The Tenth Amendment
- The Continuing Importance of Protecting the Electoral College
- Voter Integrity to Ensure Honest Elections
- The First Amendment: The Foresight of Our Founders to Protect Religious Freedom
- The First Amendment: Speech that is Protected
- The Second Amendment: Our Right to Keep and Bear Arms
- The Fourth Amendment: Liberty and Privacy
- The Fifth Amendment: Protecting Private Property
- The Ninth Amendment: Affirming the People’s Rights
- The Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life
- Respect for Our Flag: Symbol of the Constitution
- American Sovereignty in U.S. Courts
Each plank is linked to an explanation.
If I ever needed a list of reasons why I couldn’t be a republican or vote republican, I guess I am looking at it right now. Don, you got my last R vote. (insider joke)
Perhaps the plank I find most offensive is the plank on First Amendment, religious liberty. It seems to open up the flood gates for me to have someone else’s religion shoved down my throat. First Amendment freedom of speech is just down right hypocritical. As I read the platform, I see freedom of speech being trampled at will–just not republican freedom of speech.
The human life plank didn’t set too well either since it advocates against established law and would take away my rights. Free speech to advocate, right to off myself if I have a terminal disease is just a start. Geez.
Who has a favorite or a least favorite? I can’t wait to see what the democrats come up with. I usually don’t like their platform too much but I expect to love it by contrast to this. the moral of the story is to never give zealots a pen and paper. This is not the Republican Party of yesterday, that’s for damn sure.
Here is the 2008 Democratic Platform.
http://www.democrats.org/about/party_platform
Too many words. Most of those words don’t make me want to barf, however.
The Republicans win the streamlining the language race, however. even though their content sucks.
There is stuff in here I don’t much care about, and stuff I don’t completely agree with, but compared to the Democratic platform, it’s like reading Cicero, Dante, or Milton.
Artur Davis was right….the Democratic Party has been completely taken over by hard-left zealots.
Mr. Kobach proposed the plank calling for mandatory use by employers of a federal electronic system known as E-Verify to confirm the legal immigration status of new hires. “If you really want to create a job tomorrow, you can remove an illegal alien today,” Mr. Kobach said.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/republican-immigration-platform-backs-self-deportation/?ref=global-home
All that talk from repugs about how they support small businesses, deregulation, and free enterprise is nothing but a bunch of BS. They also would demand that employers adopt e-verify, a costly and cumbersome burden, under threat of harsh criminal penalties. What a bunch of hypocrites.
How is E-Verify costly?
I think e-verify also catches fraudulent SSN’s. Maybe it’s just human nature to have to present extremes to achieve moderate change.
Isn’t a democracy a process where the people decide? If so, then isn’t the electoral college an anachronism? It’s also interesting that they want to protect the purity of the electoral process by disenfranchsing people and shielding secret cash. On the bright side, the demographic reflected in the platform is on the decline.
@SlowpokeRodriguez
The Dem platform sounds far more reasonable to me but….its harder to read.
@Emma
I have not heard that it is costly.
The dichotomoy of the two platforms, just in representation says it all. Republicans use too few words, demonstrating a lack of innovation and vision while Dems use way to many, demontrating their inablility to organize a coherent message!
I do love how the republicans are so concerned about making sure the vote is legal while they at the same time having no compunction to disenfranchise thousands!
Emma,
I found this article in the Houston Chronicle.
http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/E-Verify-program-would-be-costly-to-small-2078257.php
I also found this analysis of e-verify, directly from the CBO.
http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/ftpdocs/91xx/doc9100/hr4088ltr.pdf
OK, I was wrong. Mea Culpa.
How does needed an ID disenfranchise people? Anybody can get one. Oh, you mean “keep thousands of illegals and dead people from voting”, right?
Where is the evidence that thousands of “illegals” (sic) and dead people were voting?
There is none.
@Morris Davis
Its a good thing that we’re not a democracy, then, isn’t it? The electoral college protects the smaller population areas from being disenfranchised.
And how is the GOP supposedly disenfranchising people and hiding secret cash?
What evidence is there that “thousands” of people are disenfranchised? Anybody, and I mean ANYBODY can get an ID. You need it to buy Pseudofed for the love of God?
I dont recall saying thousands of people were disenfranchised.
You don’t need a govt ID to get psudofed.
Moon not liking the GOP platform….
This is my shocked face.
How do the thousands who would be disenfranchised manage to buy beer and cigarettes without an ID?
And when that demographic is gone, I bet this country will be a real latrine!
Wow Emma, talk about prejudice!
To whom exactly are you referring to when you suggest all these disenfranchised people buy alchohol and cigarettes?
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20120710-texas-voter-id-law-burdens-minorities-hispanic-lawmakers-testify-in-federal-court.ece
http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2012/mar/02/aclu-florida/shark-attacks-are-more-common-voter-fraud-florida/
I don’t want to be a spoiler, so if you want to know the result, click on the link!
We couldn’t resist diving in: Are there more shark attacks than cases of voter fraud in Florida?
@Cargosquid
Actually there is strong indication in the letters of the founding fathers that they thought that the commoners were too stupid and untrustworthy to have a direct vote.
@Elena
IF and only IF each of those florida cases involved ONLY ONE fraudulent vote, THEN you have a point with your article. Let’s compare stolen votes to shark attacks. Statistics are a funny thing….you can make them look however you like.
That certainly is an unbiased report. NOT
@Elena
Here, Elena…..show me how all of these are made up. I anxiously await your proof that none of these cases actually happened.
http://www.rnla.org/votefraud.asp
Who was it that wants to change the constitution?
http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/29/obama-floats-constitutional-amendment-overturning-citizens-united/
They were ALWAYS right, weren’t they?!
Did I say I thought they were right or wrong? Nooooooooo
Just that they didn’t trust the electorate.
I’ve been watching the RNC convention and the all seem intent on mistating the 700+ Billion dollars that “Obama” took from Medicare. Instead of taking it from overpaying insurance companies and reducing payments sent to hospitals which they have agreed to and applying it to bolstering Medicare, they insist he stole it for Obama-Care. I’m not too surprised by some political lying it’s just that a few of the undecided who don’t follow politics will vote for Romney because they will think Obama is doing something “crooked” I know that’s the idea but I would rather see a more fair election. You would think at my age I would not be so naive! Is this one of their “planks”?
No, you’re quite right. That’s one of those places that without nuance and inflection of voice, typed words don’t do the trick. I wasn’t being sarcastic, I was saying that I actually agree with the founding fathers who agreed that not everyone should be able to vote.
@Cargo, funniest thing…I said the same thing to Elena about a month ago. I told her I didn’t want more people to vote, I wanted fewer…but it was one of those private conversations on a bad day….
I am not sure how I feel about the electoral college. I would like to do away with the inner takes all. I would like for the votes to be proportioned out.
“reducing payments sent to hospitals which they have agreed to” Hmmmmmmmm … yeah, Right! Like hospitals are overflowing with profits, Not. What choice did they have? For that matter, what choice did the nation have?
The way the political parties present information and distort facts, I don’t see how any person regardless of intelligence could make an ‘educated’ decision. It’s more of a popularity contest, and always has been. Just watch some of the taped interviews with those who voted for Obama in the inner city areas, and all you get is a great understanding that policy had absolutely nothing to do with their vote. Those are the people that the founding fathers were concerned about for sure. Race based voting had nothing to do with party platforms.
SA, you talk about race based voting. Do you think that is the only place where special interest voting takes place? How many votes do you think were cast in 2008 for the Republican ticket because 1. McCain wasn’t black? 2. Some men are horn dogs and thought Sarah Palin was a hottie? 3. McCain had a POW? McCain had been military? 4. How many votes do you think Romney will get because he is Mormon? 5. How many women voted for Hillary because she was a woman? For that matter, how many voted for Palin for the same reason?
People often vote for people who are “just like them” or who have attributes in common with them. It could be religion, same college, same state, (politicians play on this all the time), gender, race, etc etc.
I don’t doubt for one minute that Romney will get a huge Mormon bump. It doesn’t bother me at all. He is the first Mormon to run for president. Its been a long wait, that religion is 160+ years old.
SA – show me an example of a taped interview of an Obama voter you’re talking about. Don’t just make proclamations, show me the evidence – or be remembered as a liar and a coward.
Starry, kiss my @ss! I’m tired of you attacking people, especially me. Debate, but don’t degrade! I remember watching a line of people being interviewed during the election being asked why they were voting for Obama, and the replies were purely comical. Now granted, this may have been on the internet and not public TV, but the interview took place for sure. I watch a lot of news video on the computer. These people only knew that they liked him, and that was about it, no political substance to their reasoning at all.
@Bear
Funny because Ryan wants to keep the same cuts in place in his plan. Here, Obama is cutting funds from entitlements, and the GOP is all over it – trying to save the cuts to entitlements – how ironic. Sequestration cuts from Entitlements and DoD – but the GOP is trying to save the DoD cuts. I am not sure how you can always be on both sides of the equation.
The Healthcare system in the US is like no other – it is not a free market – even if the GOP wants you to think it is. The Consumer of the Product does not pay for the Product. The Provider of Services has no idea of the cost of those services, and orders services that are not needed, some for CYA.
What is the incentive for a Hospital to cut costs – there is none – as they do not share in the savings, but actually reduce their revenue stream. But, yes, lets go back to a broken model, and continue with the healthcare costs rising at greater than inflation. And, they still give away services and absorb the costs.
@Second Alamo
You made a claim and all I asked was was evidence to support your claim, nothing more. If you can’t support your claim, don’t make it, unless you don’t mind looking like a liar or an idiot.
Starry,
Here’s one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y5Dck2jiMY
@Starryflights
Try googling “Stupid Obama Voters” to get a sense of it. Whether this is the rule or the exception or something in between, it is interesting to see the how you get a different list of hit titles when you google Stupid McCain Voters. In that case, and no I did not view every video, you get more hollywood people calling McCain stupid vice voters on the street. Maybe its the differnece in approach.
Starry,
Another,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P36x8rTb3jI
And the best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm1KOBMg1Y8
Have fun, Starry! (Is that you in the first video?)
I’ll say this…….at least you don’t look like a liar!
@Starryflights
Why should he? YOU don’t.
I don’t even know what the bruhaha is over. It just sounds like third grade to me. Please tell me these aren’t three stooges videos…please please please!!!!
@Second Alamo
I guess you used your ignore button on starry but not me…who asked you a legitimate question.
@SlowpokeRodriguez
Actually, I don’t think that video is all that amazing. Plenty of people vote every election who don’t know who controls congress or who the main players are.
I feel certain I could line up at the polls and ask a similar type question and get equal number of Republicans saying the same thing–probably more because there aren’t as many democrats at my polling place.
People like voting for a president. They aren’t voting for the high visibility people in congress.
You can find videos of uninformed black people doing videos about Obama. I can go through vidoes and find plenty of white people who just sound dumber than all hell talking about one candidate or another. Why would I do that?
Stupid acting comes in all shades.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/texas-voter-id-law-struck-down/2012/08/30/4a07e270-f2ad-11e1-adc6-87dfa8eff430_story.html?tid=ts_carousel&wp_login_redirect=0
@Elena
So…these judges are saying that ID should not be required for anything, then. Because any need for ID would be discriminatory.
OR they could have used common sense and realized that EVERYTHING falls heaviest on the poor.
Either ID is necessary or not. If ID is necessary to buy beer, get benefits, etc….. in fact, in some areas, ID is necessary to not be considered a vagrant, then ID should be necessary to vote.
That said, make Gov’t ID free.
I don’t mind ID being shown. I just don’t think it should be jump through hoop ID. I think there should be some sort of national consistancy.
Cargo,
I don’t have an issue with presenting some form of ID, but having the “appropriate” ID should be so easily accessible that you don’t risk disenfranchisement.
I still wonder, where is the overwhelming fraud that has brought about this sudden hysterisa?
Since voter fraud is virtually nonexistent, one can only assume the Democrats won’t cry foul if Romney wins the election by a thin margin, like they did with Bush/Gore.
I doubt if any hanging chads had to do with registration issues.
Since most voter fraud happens in favor of the party in power, those that would seek it out or prosecute tend not to…
I remember vans driving around New Orleans filled with “voters” getting paid $10 per vote.
Boxes of ballots are suddenly “found” when certain races are close…like Senator Franken’s. ACORN was convicted of improper voter activities. Democrats are ALWAYS against voter rolls being made more accurate. Why is that?
Then you clearly cannot read. I provided you with a large list of cases…..did you find them difficult to read? I have an even larger list for you when you’ve finished the first one.
[Stern look!!] Do not be disrespectful of the management. She will get you, swing you by your rodent tail before driving you into Haymarket to be with your friend Bernie.
If it were I, I would just chop your head off with a shovel and call for Mr. Howler to carry you out to the old Can-er-oooooo for the Friday haul away.
And so, as with other things, we ignore the evidence and rely on the courts to legislate from the bench. OK.
Nooooo! Not more Americans United!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more secret handshake politics!!!