Something Made Me Smile: Updated
Mitt Romney can't seem to inspire anybody, not even Republicans, no matter how hard he tries. A new poll indicates that people would rather see the GOP platform than hear Mitt speak at the convention.
As Republican delegates prepare to approve the party’s 2012 platform on Tuesday, a new national poll shows that Americans are more interested in what’s in that document than they are in Mitt Romney’s and Paul Ryan’s acceptance speeches.
Details of the platform have trickled out over the last week, as the Republican National Committee completed the drafting process, but the document has not been made public. Earlier Monday, in an indication that party platforms may do more harm than good, Republican House Speaker John Boehner suggested that the GOP issue a one-page platform. The 2008 edition, more svelte than those of the past, clocked in at 55 pages.
The new poll, released Monday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, also found that public interest in Romney’s address is significantly lower than for GOP presidential nominee John McCain’s acceptance speech at the 2008 convention. [Emphasis added]
I know, I know: a platform doesn't bind a presidential candidate even if he's elected. It is, however, a document that spells out the vision and the yearnings of the party faithful. It is supposed to be something which displays what the party ultimately stands for, its core beliefs. Right now, it appears that the crazies have won in that respect.
The complete document is supposed to be released tomorrow, but almost as soon as it was finalized, bits and pieces were leaked to the press. The plank that got the most ink and electrons, of course, was the "no abortion whatsoever" one, coming as it did at almost the same time Congressman Akin made his ill-fated comments on a woman's body refusing impregnation by rape. But several other planks also got some attention.
A good illustration of the tension between activists and more election-focused party leaders is the language on immigration. The initial proposal drafted by party officials took a less aggressive stance than the GOP had in 2008, apparently with an eye toward improving its image among Latino voters. But pressed by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a leading advocate of state crackdowns on illegal immigrants, the platform committee restored provisions calling for a fence along the entire border with Mexico, withholding federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities and denying in-state tuition rates to undocumented students. ...
On taxes, the committee reiterated its support for lower rates and a simpler tax code. At the same time, it dropped a provision from the 2008 platform that called for retaining one tax break in particular: the deduction for home mortgage interest. This move was backed by representatives of the Romney campaign, while allies of real estate agents and the construction industry pressed the committee to reverse course. Ultimately, the committee agreed to call for preserving the deduction if tax-simplification efforts fail — a meaningless stance, considering that the deduction won't be at risk if Congress doesn't try to simplify the tax code. [Emphasis added]
Is it any wonder why so many people are anxious to see just what the platform says? Or why House Speaker Boehner wants just a one-page summary released?
I think this is going to be a fun day.
Update:
After another cup of coffee, I realized it will be possible to produce an accurate GOP Platform in even less than the one-pager Boehner wanted.
"4 More Wars"
Against:
1. Women
2. Blacks/Browns
3. Poor People
4. Elders
As Republican delegates prepare to approve the party’s 2012 platform on Tuesday, a new national poll shows that Americans are more interested in what’s in that document than they are in Mitt Romney’s and Paul Ryan’s acceptance speeches.
Details of the platform have trickled out over the last week, as the Republican National Committee completed the drafting process, but the document has not been made public. Earlier Monday, in an indication that party platforms may do more harm than good, Republican House Speaker John Boehner suggested that the GOP issue a one-page platform. The 2008 edition, more svelte than those of the past, clocked in at 55 pages.
The new poll, released Monday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, also found that public interest in Romney’s address is significantly lower than for GOP presidential nominee John McCain’s acceptance speech at the 2008 convention. [Emphasis added]
I know, I know: a platform doesn't bind a presidential candidate even if he's elected. It is, however, a document that spells out the vision and the yearnings of the party faithful. It is supposed to be something which displays what the party ultimately stands for, its core beliefs. Right now, it appears that the crazies have won in that respect.
The complete document is supposed to be released tomorrow, but almost as soon as it was finalized, bits and pieces were leaked to the press. The plank that got the most ink and electrons, of course, was the "no abortion whatsoever" one, coming as it did at almost the same time Congressman Akin made his ill-fated comments on a woman's body refusing impregnation by rape. But several other planks also got some attention.
A good illustration of the tension between activists and more election-focused party leaders is the language on immigration. The initial proposal drafted by party officials took a less aggressive stance than the GOP had in 2008, apparently with an eye toward improving its image among Latino voters. But pressed by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a leading advocate of state crackdowns on illegal immigrants, the platform committee restored provisions calling for a fence along the entire border with Mexico, withholding federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities and denying in-state tuition rates to undocumented students. ...
On taxes, the committee reiterated its support for lower rates and a simpler tax code. At the same time, it dropped a provision from the 2008 platform that called for retaining one tax break in particular: the deduction for home mortgage interest. This move was backed by representatives of the Romney campaign, while allies of real estate agents and the construction industry pressed the committee to reverse course. Ultimately, the committee agreed to call for preserving the deduction if tax-simplification efforts fail — a meaningless stance, considering that the deduction won't be at risk if Congress doesn't try to simplify the tax code. [Emphasis added]
Is it any wonder why so many people are anxious to see just what the platform says? Or why House Speaker Boehner wants just a one-page summary released?
I think this is going to be a fun day.
Update:
After another cup of coffee, I realized it will be possible to produce an accurate GOP Platform in even less than the one-pager Boehner wanted.
"4 More Wars"
Against:
1. Women
2. Blacks/Browns
3. Poor People
4. Elders
Labels: Election 2012
posted by Diane at 2:19 AM
1 Comments:
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