Under this heading we see some of the best stuff in the platform. Right up front there's a moderately worded resolution suggesting that the Patriot Act should be reviewed and revised for constitutionality and in consideration of citizens rights. That's a great thing to see in the platform. Another nice thing to see is a clear statement opposing a constitutional convention, something which the party had previously endorsed. The vocal opponents of toll roads had some victories, with strong statements opposing annexation, property forfeiture and eminent domain seizures, and endorsing substantial property rights protections, calling property ownership an 'inalienable right'. Also good to see was a resolution proposing that union members should have a say when their dues are used for political purposes. There's also a strong and clear resolution explaining in detail which affirmative action is a bad idea. Some reasonable ideas on judicial reform are also proposed, many of them very specific to Texas law.
Of particular interest in this section are a couple of resolutions about how the platform is to be used, urging the State Republican Committee to require candidates to indicate where they stand on all 250+ items in the platform and then decide whether or not to give them money based on how they line up with the platform. I'd have to hope the standard of compliance would be set pretty low, because I can't imagine a candidate in 100% agreement with the platform being electable even in a Republican dominated state like Texas. I'm tempted to run for office again just so I can see how the party leadership would react to my much marked up responses (with comments in red ink) to a platform compliance test.
At the end of this section there's a nasty little sub-section called "Honoring the Symbols of Amerian Heritage" which basically endorses every unnecessary, uberpatriotic first-amendment violation they could think of. It's got an endorsement for posting the ten commandments publicly, for keeping 'god' on the money and in the pledge of allegiance and prohibiting flag burning. It's trivial stuff, but it's stupid and uncalled for.
Strengthening Families, Protecting Life and Promoting Health
It's hard to know where to start with this section. It's like a wet dream (which they would probably like to ban) for the religious right. Imagine every possible extreme idea coming out of the craziest evangelical churches and then add a few ideas you didn't think even the worst godflogger would be willing to sign off on in public. The presence of some of the stuff in this section makes me embarrassed to even live in the same state with these people, much less being in the same political party. In all seriousness, as I got to the end of the section I expected to see an endorsement of death camps for homosexuals. The only good news is that I suspect 90% of this crap will be gone when the national platform is written.
Article comments
1 - Pablo
Do people actually read this Dave? I sure don't.
2 - Dave Nalle
Nice to see you found it anyway, Pablito. I know politics isn't really your thing, but for some of us looking at a document like this is a way of understanding where the Republican Party has gone astray and what problems we need to address.
Dave
3 - Pablo
[Edited]
Dave,
The republican party went astray? Ya dont say. I would have to agree, since um about the days of ole Abe, however Ike had one brief shining moment in his warning about the military industrial complex. Good luck with the good ole boys Davey. :)
4 - Pablo
Well I broke down and looked at your article Dave, I usually do sooner or later. I particularly liked the paragraphs under the "Preserving American Freedom" header.
You sure got your work cut out for ya. Sounds to me like those good ole boys down there are the cream of the crop, of the endearing right wing that I so much adore.
Good luck!
5 - Ruvy
Having been a delegate at numerous precinct caucuses and district conventions at various levels in Minnesota's DFL, I know that party platforms are worth little more than toilet paper. That didn't stop me from keeping my ears open for the inevitable pro-"Palestine" shit that got raised at various conventions and doing what I could to stop them. I usually didn't make it to the state convention (inevitably held in out of the way places like Moorhead or Eveleth), so once it got out of my district, I was usually politicked out.
A state party platform doesn't really matter, Dave. Maybe, in Israel it does, but not in the States. The only thing that really matters in any state government is the receipts coming in from sales taxes, income taxes, etc. And each government has its own mix of how the money comes in. All the rest is well, nice, if you know what I mean.
Unfortunately, being a policy wonk is primarily being a power wonk. The rest is just garbage.
6 - David
"One is the strongest statement possible on abortion, declaring that life begins at fertilization."
So how long 'til men are prosecuted for masturbating?
7 - Lee Richards
Thoughtful and interesting article, Dave.
I imagine a lot of the same things are happening in most state Republican meetings. Can a party so divided(and with so many weird people making nutty demands)long endure? Or will internal pressures(and election wipe-outs)make it blow apart like Vesuvius?
One of the best things for the Republican Party in the last few decades was the election of Reagan, re-energizing it and bringing a lot of new people in. It was also one of the worst things for the Party; Reagan encouraged the religious right and lunatic fringe to get involved as Republican insiders, taking the party into strange directions.
Bush(an anti-conservative if there ever was one) has succeeded in making "Republican" as much of a political epithet as "liberal" used to be, in the minds of many people.
***
Ruvy, money isn't all that matters in state government. When extremists such as the religious right take control, freedom is threatened or curtailed and life is much more unpleasant under their repressive attitudes and mandates. (They sometimes re-write state constitutions, change school curricula, re-district, refuse to compromise to get things done, preach rather than dialogue, etc.)
8 - Dave Nalle
Don't worry, Pablo. The Ron Paul faction gets some of its points in later in the platform.
Ruvy. I agree that the platform doesn't matter much as a document of policy. However, as a statement of the beliefs and a sign of the degree of influence of various factions within the party it's very significant. That's why it is worth reporting on.
Dave
9 - Ruvy
Richard you missed the last line of my comment to Dave - Unfortunately, being a policy wonk is primarily being a power wonk. The rest is just garbage. That deals with all that you were talking about. I've dealt with these lovelies too, the pro-life dictator types who tried to take over the DFL club I belonged to. They eventually all found happy homes in the Republican Party, which is where would-be fascists belong.
10 - Randy Dixon
I'm a Ron Paul Republican and a Texas State delegate and often disagree with your criticisms of Dr. Paul's policies but on this post we are in total agreement.
11 - Cannonshop
#7
Lee, the same can be accurately said of the Democratic party. Depending on the level of and percentage of severe left-or-right at the state level, you can have a dictatorship of either Left, OR Right. Here in Washington State, for instance, the Democratic Party machine is effectively immune to change, and is rarely if ever restrained by the wording of the State's constitution. They don't even have to worry that much about state-wide elections, having districts that will generate fictional ballots that can be counted as real with total impunity, while their lickspittles in the state Supreme Court will rule against any initiative or ballot measure that does not please their leadership. They control the counters of the ballots, ergo, they control the outcome of elections, and there is NO serious or effective oversight. only the pretense of an election remains, and that's not even tried at real hard-the two dominant counties in the state use mail-in ballots, without any means of confirming if the voter whose ballot that is, even EXISTS as more than a signature forged on a registration form.
12 - Dave Nalle
Even within a state you can have multiple areas of dictatorial control. While Texas is certainly dominated by the GOP, the City of Austin is just as firmly dominated by dictatorial leftists.
DAave
13 - Aren Cambre
I like this commentary. I have a complementary site where I call for specific improvements.
Austin isn't the only area with dictatorial leftists. Swaths of all purple and blue urban counties are becoming hardcore left, and we're quickly losing our relevance with the remainder with nutty platforms like this.