GOP Will Not Write a 2020 Platform, Pledges Undying Trump Support Instead

[babylonsister]

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/08/republican-national-committee-2020-platform-trump.html

GOP Will Not Write a 2020 Platform, Pledges Undying Trump Support Instead
the national interest Aug. 23, 2020
By Jonathan Chait


Modern presidential conventions are inherently propagandistic affairs, usually devoted to a mix of glitzy patches for the presidential nominee, the vice-president, and the party as a whole. The 2020 Republican National Convention has altered the traditional emphasis, which is now devoted almost entirely to glorifying its presidential nominee. President Trump will speak on all four nights of the convention, rather than just one. Half the featured speakers are members of his family:

And perhaps most remarkably of all, the party has announced it will forego a platform altogether. In lieu of a document attempting to define the party’s beliefs and priorities, the RNC simply states that it agrees with everything Trump has done and will do:

The official excuse is that the coronavirus has made it impossible for the party to get together and write a platform: “The Republican National Committee (RNC) has significantly scaled back the size and scope of the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte due to strict restrictions on gatherings and meetings, and out of concern for the safety of convention attendees and our hosts.” Yet somehow the Democrats managed to come up with a platform without killing anybody.

What’s most remarkable about the personality-cult character of the Republican Party is that its leader is deeply unpopular with the public. Previous conventions have convened to support Republican incumbents who were genuinely respected by the public (Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower) without prostrating themselves like this. Why would the party, and its candidates running for office at every level, define themselves so thoroughly with a president who has never even briefly held the support of half the country?

snip//

But his abuses of power and contempt for the basic requirements of his job have become matters for his party first to ignore, and then to celebrate. The GOP has been subsumed into the twisted personality of a single man in a way no modern American party ever has. The official disregard of any platform — save whatever Trump says — is the most perfectly fitting encapsulation of the GOP in 2020.

[Laelth]

1. I have resisted calling the Republican Party a "cult" until now.

This seals the deal. Without a policy platform, the Republican Party is nothing more than a cult.

-Laelth

[SergeStorms]

24. According to one republican jackass...

who was on CNN last evening, "We have a platform. Stop saying we don't have a platform. Our platform is the same as it was in 2016."

I'll see if I can find out which republican jackass it was, and post his statement of republican "platform".

[Laelth]

25. I missed that.

I still don’t buy it. The Republican Party now stands only for Trump.

-Laelth

[Aussie105]

26. GOP Will Not Write a 2020 Platform

They cannot.
It would be insulting to the Cult Leader if they showed any intellectual capacity themselves. Independent thought is threatening to the Cult leader.

Their job is to follow his lead, to do, not to think.

Yep. Cult.

Waiting for the talk of the Mothership to start, and the Kool-aide to come out.

[catrose]

2. I thought it was The Onion or Borowitz. Wrong again.

So the RNC just confirms what we've been saying: no principles, no plans at all. I saw a quote from a Congressional staffer saying that they were down to owning the libs and poking at the media. That's surely what it looks like

[keithbvadu2]

3. No principles for 2020

No principles for 2020

2016 Republican Party Platform

With this platform, we the Republican Party reaffirm the principles that unite us in a common purpose.

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/2016-republican-party-platform

[Golden Raisin]

4. A bit reminiscent of the Fuhrer oath.

[Firestorm49]

5. Just like Skippy Walker, former Gov. of WI, they'll wait to "drop the bomb."

[RazzleCat]

6. I stand for nothing. Yep its Trumps party now.

[Poiuyt]

7. The platform is whatever Putin and Lou Dobbs tell trump it should be

and it will change day by day.

[Yeehah]

8. The republican party has gone full Hitler

Allegiance to the dotard.

Tens of millions of Americans support this fascism. They are all enemies of democracy.

[Quixote1818]

9. This looks terrible for them. LOL nt

[CrispyQ]

10. The Republican Cult platform is whatever the Con wants. -nt

[OnDoutside]

11. Confirmation (if it was needed) that Rick Wilson was 100% right when he said in his book last

year, that this would NOT be a policy election, it was going to be a referendum on Donald Trump.

[tinrobot]

12. Wow. They're not even pretending to be a party anymore.

[BadGimp]

13. 100%+ #GOPSurrender and capitulation

It is now absolute and beyond total

[sanatanadharma]

14. No Republican running for office can distance herself or himself from Trump

Every Republican running for office, down to the dog catcher can be tarred with Trump's feathers. The party no longer stands for any ideas, values or proposals. All Republicans belong to a personality cult, nothing more, nothing less.

"No, I believe in...", the Republican says. "But that is not a Republican value, it is not in the party platform", I say.

[lettucebe]

16. Tried to teach my 18-yr-old nephew about platform and how to choose which side

and found they have NO platform for 2020. This is truly insane. All they'll do is say how great the economy used to be and how magically it can be again, if only, absolutely if only, we reelect the one and only true savior -- Tonald Drump!

[redstatebluegirl]

17. They all drank the Koolaid didn't they?

[BlueIdaho]

18. Who needs a platform when you're busy licking dear leader's ass? nt.

[The Daily Irishman]

19. Xi Jinping Thought, American Style

With a generous sprinkling of Putin, no doubt, and perhaps a pinch each of Duterte, Bolsonaro and Kim.

[jmowreader]

20. If you'd like to see one difference between D and R

The Democrats created a beautiful, 90-page-plus platform. Read it here:
https://www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-07-31-Democratic-Party-Platform-For-Distribution.pdf

The Republican platform is "whatever Trump wants, he gets."

[rwsanders]

29. I was really impressed (and surprised) until I got to the section on the environment,

with all the environmental issues that need attention, it got 1 line that focused primarily on climate change?

Shout out to the Biden campaign:
If you need an environmental policy advisor give me a call!! I'm bona fide!

On edit: I scanned the entire section and everything is there, but needed it's own heading and more detail. There were a few issues still missed.

[chriscan64]

21. Don't these things usually work the other way around?

The party comes up with a platform to hold the nominee accountable, or used to. These putzes realize they can't get Trump to commit to anything so they throw up their hands. For the president least worthy of such a thing.

[NotANeocon]

22. It's called "Post-Policy Politics"

Rachel Maddow's guest and show producer Steve Benen covered this a couple of months ago. Worth watching.

Don't give a shit about anything except winning and gaining power and use ANY METHOD TO WIN.

[Sherman A1]

23. Look at all the time they save

Very economical and makes the little boy happy.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

27. They should change the name to "Trump Party" or "Party of Trum", whichever sounds better to them n/t

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

28. A precedent can be cited from 30 January 1933

not this time