2008 Republican Party Platform
The finalized 2008 GOP platform is now available (PDF). So far I haven't noticed anything too remarkable, but I'm still skimming. NRO's Stephen Spruiell writes that the differences between this platform and the prior two are noteworthy:
The new platform is distinctly different from the two
adopted during the candidacies of George W. Bush, which were
constructed to essentially mirror his positions. The 2000 and 2004
platforms made exceptions for Bush in areas where he strayed from
traditionally conservative principles. By contrast, the 2008 platform
accommodates McCain’s maverick positions on issues like immigration and
climate change without accepting his views as the official positions of
the Republican party.
[...]
On some issues, the party was less accommodating. The new platform
renews the call for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage,
even though McCain does not favor such an amendment. It also calls for
a complete ban on all embryonic stem-cell research. McCain favors the
Bush policy on stem-cell research, which allows federal funding for
research that utilizes a few existing stem-cell lines. Unsurprisingly,
Bush’s policy found expression in the 2004 platform.
Perhaps the most striking difference between the 2004 and 2008 platform
documents is the removal of any references to the candidate running for
office. In the 2004 document Bush was mentioned over 250 times, with
the committee finding something about him to “praise,” “commend,”
“hail,” or “applaud” over 70 times. By comparison, neither McCain nor
Bush is mentioned at all in the 2008 document, except in passing in the
preamble. Some conservative activists who attended the drafting of both
platforms attributed this shocking difference to Karl Rove’s influential role in shaping the 2004 platform into an advertisement for the Bush campaign.
Is there nothing that man can't do?
Posted by: Gabriel Malor at
11:23 AM