GOP Announces Convention Platform
P H I L A D E L P H I A, July 28 -- Playing up a “progressive” side,Republicans are adopting a more conciliatory tone toward governmentwhile hewing closely in substance to their conservativefundamentals on taxes, abortion, defense and more.
The GOP’s platform committee begins work today on a draft thatdrops the party’s call for making English the official language andproposes a stronger federal role in education and the environmentthan Republican policy has favored.
“Government does have a role to play, but as a partner, not arival, to the armies of compassion,” states the draft.
A document of the party, not the presidential candidate, it isinfused nonetheless with the optimistic bearing of George W. Bush.
On the other hand, the draft leaves unchanged the party’suncompromising stand against abortion rights. It also maintains theposition that homosexuality is incompatible with military service.
Revisions to Come
Platform committee members received the draft late Thursday andare expected to make mostly cosmetic changes. The full RepublicanNational Convention, opening Monday, will ratify the document nextweek.
Although the platform draft strays from Bush’s stand onabortion, “I think he’ll have no problem at all” endorsing it,Republican National Chairman Jim Nicholson said today on NBC’sToday.
“What’s important is that we remain the party that believesstrongly in the sanctity of life,” Nicholson added. “We’re goingto have a vigorous discussion. … The majority will decide howthat document will really read.”
While the 1996 GOP platform was packed with biting, sometimesdour attacks on President Clinton, the new tome mentions Clintonand Democratic candidate Al Gore once or twice in passing.
“We want to be uplifting,” Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson,chairman of the platform committee, said Thursday on CNN. “We wantto be visionary and progressive.”
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