As some readers here are aware, I've been very involved in the Republican Party here in Texas and am a past and current delegate to the state party convention. I've also been an outspoken critic of past Texas Republican Party platforms which have drifted from a core message of economic and personal liberty and become a hodgepodge of overly specific planks pandering to special interest groups.
The process is fundamentally broken, but this year I have been making an effort to engage with the committee before they produce another terrible platform, both directly and through intermediaries and through writing about and publicizing my efforts and those of others who share my concerns. My hope is that this year things may change and it won't be necessary to write more scathing articles about another embarrassing platform.
The platform committee is meeting in Fort Worth this week and in response to reports that they were planning to add even more planks to the already cumbersome platform and not edit out the many problem sections, I wrote this appeal to their better instincts with some strong general suggestions.
We'll see if they listen.
Dear Members of the RPT Platform Committee:
Initial reports from your meetings suggest that the procedure being followed by the committee is to use the 2010 platform as a starting point and add new resolutions received this year as additional planks to the platform without significantly editing or trimming the content significantly. I do not believe that this will produce a platform which reflects well on the Republican Party of Texas or performs the basic function of expressing the common beliefs of party members. Nor will it result in a platform on which our candidates can effectively run for office. If you are serious about producing a platform the party can be proud of you must also find this process to be inadequate.
The 2010 platform was the target of derision and harsh criticism from within the party, from our political opponents and from the media. It became a national laughingstock for several months after it was made public. It contained so many different and sometimes contradictory positions on so many specialized issues that it was impossible for any candidate to run on honestly or for any Republican to fully embrace as reprsenting their beliefs. It was a cumbersome monstrosity produced solely to satisfy the demands of vocal special interest groups without regard for the best interests of the party and the beliefs of the general membership.
Article comments
1 - Glenn Contrarian
Dave -
From a conservative viewpoint, that was very well said. I disagree with your first proposed step, of course, but the second two steps aren't too different from what most Democrats want - and for that reason, I sadly suspect you'll get no traction on your proposal from the Republicans who seem to have forgotten what the Republican party used to stand for.
And one more thing:
That group and its powerful opponents as well as other similar groups should have no voice in the platform. It should be an expression of the authentic beliefs and interests of the party membership. If our platform is to be truly republican in character it should represent strongly held, shared beliefs and not exclude any group or give any group special consideration above others.
Dave, that's downright progressive of you. Unrealistic in today's political climate (as would be similar proposals by progressives like myself), but in a sane political world your statement would be worthy of hearty support. I wish the Democratic party would have the courage to make the same kind of determination, but thanks the Citizens United, I don't think that will happen anytime soon.
But please accept a Bravo Zulu from me and here's hoping they listen to you.
2 - Dave Nalle
What you call progressive I call "republican"
Dave
3 - Igor
Good article, Dave.
But I think you'll have little success with your three filters, as conservative and American as they are, because most delegates are mean little squirts who see this exercise as an opportunity to push their personal business interests forward.
4 - Glenn Contrarian
Dave #2 -
....
There really oughta be a 12-step program for the condition of being from Texas.
5 - Dave Nalle
As it turns out it helps some when there are people in the establishment trying to do some of the same things I am. If you follow my tweets you'll be aware of some of the successes we had, including striking one of the worst anti-gay planks from the platform and enacting an excellent plank on immigration reform which may strike a litlte fear into the hearts of democrats.
Dve