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

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