Energizing the Republican National Convention

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August 13, 10:50 AM

by Dan Spencer, Right Side Politics Examiner

 

 

Image credit: AP

According to The Hill, Burr and McCarthy see inclusion as the key. The lawmakers hope to appeal independents and conservative Democrats by soliciting input from individuals and groups hailing from “all walks of life.” They also hope to produce a shorter platform than the 92-page 2004 party platform.

With Senator McCain as the nominee, the platform writers will be more amenable to a plank on climate change:

“The Bush people had little or no use for any kind of advocacy regarding the environment or conservation. They’d just assume it would all go away. With McCain, that’s an issue that’s important to him.”

The platform will also present other opportunities to capitalize on McCain's Maverick credentials and further distinguish McCain from President Bush, such as McCain's relative openness to federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

But the core issues of the Republican policy -- pro-life, national security, as well as lower taxes will remain staples of the GOP platform.

While the Republicans are drafting the 2008 party platform, on Saturday, the Democrats voted to recommend adoption of a new party platform which adopts the liberal policies of the Democrats' presumptuous nominee at the same time it tries to satisfy Hillary supporters.

According to the Associated Press, the Democrats' new platform contains the following planks:

Iraq: The draft calls the war "ill-considered" and "unnecessary" and states that Democrats "expect to complete redeployment within 16 months," reflecting Obama's time frame but not the tone of certainty he brought to it when he was running in the primaries.

Detention of Terrorists: The draft promises to close the Guantanamo detention center.

Health Care: The draft aims for universal coverage without promising it.

Illegal Immigration: The draft promises "tough, practical, and humane immigration reform in the first year of the next administration."

Gun Control: The draft favors restoration of the ban on assault-type weapons and other "reasonable regulation" that recognizes the constitutional right to own and use firearms.

On abortion, the Democrats move from the 2004 language:

Because we believe in the privacy and equality of women, we stand proudly for a woman's right to choose, consistent with Roe v. Wade, and regardless of her ability to pay. We stand firmly against Republican efforts to undermine that right. At the same time, we strongly support family planning and adoption incentives. Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare.

To this:

The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right. The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to affordable family planning services and comprehensive age-appropriate sex education which empower people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions. The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre and post natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs.

All that after the Obama's shift to the center. Burr and McCarthy may not have to worry about energizing the Republican Convention, the Democrats will do it.

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