The Republican Platform

As you might suspect, quite often the topic of conversation with me gets around to politics.  I’m constantly surprised as to how many people will express the belief that there is precious little difference between Republicans and Democrats.  I submit that only a brief examination of those folks who run each party and the content of their deliberations will quickly dissuade anyone who believes there is little or no difference.

If you want to test for difference, first look at the people who make up the leadership of a particular political group.  A case in point is Sara Legvold from Roanoke, Texas, elected by popular vote in the Republican Party as one of the Party’s leaders. She is an avowed White Supremacist, a proud racist who supports separation of the races as existed in South Africa.  Even though her views are widely and publicly known, she was elected by Republicans to their leadership team. Democratic officeholders who switch give more credibility to the team.

Part of the team that Sara was on is responsible for the Republican state platform.  The Party platform is often said by many not to amount to anything because none of those proposals will ever really happen.  The point is, however, that they express a mind set and deeply held belief of the people who run this particular Party. This is why platforms mean something. The people who write these documents are the people whom Republican politicians must ultimately please in order to hold on to their offices.

The current Republican Platform includes a number of things which outright deny scientific fact.  First of all, the Texas Republican Platform would have you believe that climate change is a conspiracy of left-wing, crazy environmentalists who promote the idea that it is caused by human beings and their activities. And there are odd solutions for education, energy and the abortion question. They would like to abolish the Department of Education, to stop spending any money on research for alternate energy sources, and believe a woman should not even have enough say over her body to be able seek an abortion if impregnated as a result of rape or incest.

The Republican State Party Platform goes on to document the Republicans’ distrust of ordinary Americans who are currently allowed to vote on their United States Senator.  In this matter, the Platform calls for appeal of the 17th U.S. Constitutional Amendment which allows popular election of U.S. Senators, and instead would place election of Texas' two congressional senators in the hands of that source of infinite wisdom, the Texas Legislature. 

Republicans also believe that racial harmony has arrived in the United States because we have elected a Black President.  This must be the supporting belief expressed in the plank of the Platform that calls for repeal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

For good measure, Texas Republicans would abolish the Department of Homeland Security, withdraw from the United Nations and immediately ship 1.8 million undocumented residents in Texas back South.

One reason all of this is so strange to me is that most of my conservative friends claim to be good Christians who espouse peace, love and understanding.