A New Platform for the GOP

You may recall that in the runup to the 2020 election, the Republican party did not offer the usual platform put forward by parties to announce their policy goals and positions on issues. Instead, the Republican National Committee published a "resolution" that simply said the following:

"... the Republican Party has and will continue to enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda," and, 

" ... the 2020 Republican National Convention will adjourn without adopting a new platform."

What this meant was that the GOP would run without specifying anything in particular that it stood for other than "the President's America-first agenda" ... whatever that was. It did not state any legislative agenda, any foreign policy provisions, or any proposals to address specific issues. After all, if you don't offer anything specific, nobody can criticize your approach.

As we now know, the GOP lost that election by seven million votes*.

In his recent remarks, President Biden has called out Republican intransigence and total opposition to his proposals by repeatedly asking, "what are they for?". When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was asked in a news conference last week, "If Republicans take back control of Congress after the midterms, what would be your agenda?" he memorably replied, “That is a very good question. And I'll let you know when we take it back.”

Well.

Given that there is no clearly defined Republican policy platform, "what are they for?" is indeed a very good question. And it's one that the Republicans seem finally to have been goaded into trying to answer. They have enlisted former Senator and noisy conservative gadfly Newt Gingrich, author of the GOP's 1995 "Contract with America," to help draft a statement of what the Republican Party actually stands for other than complete and total opposition to anything any Democrat advocates. Whether or not they will succeed is open to question. But in the interest of extending a helping hand to the angry and petulant right, here are a few of my suggestions for an accurate and truthful Republican Platform (based, with minor exaggeration for effect, on actual MAGA and ultraconservative Republican talking points and public statements) for the 2022 midterms and the 2024 general election ...

Proposed GOP Platform for 2022 and 2024

1. Ensure the Security and Accuracy of Elections by:

a. Culling from voter rolls those likely to vote incorrectly (i.e., minority voters and registered Democrats);

b. Eliminating all early or mail-in voting, which is obviously fraudulent;

c. Reducing the number of polling places and concentrating them in reliably Republican areas;

d. Reducing the number of early ballot drop boxes to the absolute minimum and concentrating them either in reliably Republican areas or areas maximally inconvenient to minority voters;

e. Replacing nonpartisan voting officials at every level with reliable officials vetted and approved by the Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society;

f. Creating and empowering a national election police - such as the force envisioned by Governor DeSantis of Florida - to ensure that elections are free of all but approved chicanery; and,  

g. Opposing any voting rights legislation which would hamper the accomplishment of a through e above. 

2. Honor the Second Amendment, Ensure Individual Safety, and Enhance National Security by:

a. Requiring every American over the age of six to own at least two firearms (one pistol and one military-style semiautomatic rifle) and a ninety-day supply of ammunition for every personally-owned weapon;

b. Eliminating all restrictions on the manufacture, sale, and carry of large-capacity magazines;

c. Eliminating all laws which impose training or licensing requirements for ownership and carriage (open or concealed) of firearms, as these are not specifically required by the Second Amendment;

d. Rescinding all state and federal laws which limit the carrying of firearms of any type in any place for any reason, as these are inconsistent with the Second Amendment; and,

e. Requiring all citizens above the age of eight to carry a firearm at all times outside the home for personal defense and defense of others.

3. Improve the Administration of Justice by:

a. Ensuring the seating only of reliably conservative judges who have been vetted and approved by the Federalist Society; and,

b. Reinstating the death penalty in all states which have eliminated it. 

4. Protect the Impressionable Minds of the Nation's Children to Ensure That They Are Not Exposed to Any Information Which May Upset Them, or Which Reflects Negatively on the Greatness of the United States and Its Preeminent Position in the World. Accomplish This by:

a. Removing objectionable books (as defined by conservative educational experts) from school libraries;

b. Prohibiting the teaching of Critical Race Theory (as defined and interpreted by conservative educational experts) in any educational institution;

c. Prohibiting the teaching of any topic or subject which may make a white student feel uncomfortable; and,

d. Ensuring that schools use only history texts which have been approved by conservative educational experts to properly reflect the unique perfection of the nation's historical experience.

5. Ensure Continued Economic Prosperity for the Nation's Businesses and Its Wealthiest Citizens by:

a. Reducing or eliminating outright taxes on businesses and the wealthy;

b. Eliminating all burdensome environmental protection regulations which negatively impact profitability;

c. Eliminating all burdensome workplace safety regulations, because personal safety is an individual responsibility over which an overreaching government must have no authority; 

d. Reducing the national minimum wage to a level consistent with maximization of business profitability; 

e. Ensuring that decisions on national economic and taxation policy are based on "trickle-down" economic theories; 

f. Passing a Balanced Budget amendment to the Constitution, ensuring that its wording provides adequate flexibility to protect Conservative taxation and spending priorities; 

g. Eliminating every form of welfare which does not include a specific work requirement; and,

h. Eliminating all foreign aid which does not generate revenue for the domestic industrial base (i.e., foreign military sales).

6. Ensure Complete and Total Freedom of Religion for All White Christians by:

a. Citing supportive biblical passages as the rationale for policy positions;

b. Ignoring biblical passages which do not support policy positions; 

c. Emphasizing the un-American nature of non-Christian religions; 

d. Removing all restrictions on the display of Christian religious imagery (i.e., Ten Commandments displays, nativity scenes, etc) on public property, and encouraging such displays as examples of religious freedom; and,

e. Restricting the display of non-Christian religious imagery as antithetical to traditional American freedom of Christian religious worship. 

7. Implement a Strict Law and Order Policy to Regain Control of the Nation's Streets and Eliminate Crime, with the Exception of the White-Collar Variety. This policy includes:

a. Encouraging nationwide"stand your ground" laws which permit homicide in self-defense;

b. Strengthening qualified immunity for police officers regardless of their behavior;

c. In accordance with paragraph 2 above, encouraging independent citizen enforcement of the law; 

d. Encouraging the election of "Constitutional Sheriffs" with the authority independently to evaluate the suitability of laws and enforce only those they deem appropriate; and, 

e. Rescinding the Posse Comitatus Act to allow use of the armed forces for routine law enforcement. 

8. Strengthening the Traditionally White, Christian Character of the Nation by:

a. Fully funding and completing a gigantic wall along the full length of the Mexican border;

b. Repealing the 14th Amendment; 

c. Creating a national force within the Department of Homeland Security to identify, arrest, and deport every person illegally present in the United States; and,

d. Updating applicable laws to eliminate or severely restrict immigration to the United States from undesirable countries (generally, those of Africa, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Asia). 

9. Fully Fund the Armed Services to Ensure a Robust National Defense and Provide Additional Law Enforcement Capabilities (see paragraph 7e above).

10. Address the Problems of Climate Change and Environmental Pollution by:

a. Requiring the completion of economic impact assessments as well as environmental impact statements for major construction projects. In case of conflict between the two, the economic impact takes precedence;  

b. Increasing the number and length of speeches by administration officials on the seriousness of the problems to create the impression of action; 

c. Eliminating the Environmental Protection Administration. 

12. Address the Nation's Health Care Crisis by:

a. Continuing to ensure that prescription drug costs remain as high as possible, ensuring the long-term profitability of the pharmaceutical industry; 

b.  Resolutely opposing a single-payer health care system, prioritizing the long-term profitability of the health care and insurance industries over the provision of affordable care.

That's a start. I'm sure that Republicans can come up with more. Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* Not that they would ever admit it.