The Conscience of the Party

The first day of Republican Platform deliberations was impressive. The Committee on Resolutions is co-chaired by Representative Kevin McCarthy (CA) and Senator Richard Burr (NC). While it is too early to discuss the substance of the platform, what is clear is that the style will change in order to make this a more readable document. While the last platform was over 41,000 words and 90 pages long, this platform is likely to be half that size. Our goal is to make a shorter, more principled, forward looking document. While we won’t get to the one page document approved by the first Republican Platform Committee, we will make real progress.

I will have a front row seat to the deliberations in the full committee, so look for me on CSPAN. Unlikely to be on CSPAN are the subcommittee proceedings where the hard work is completed. My Subcommittee on Government Reform is chaired by Mark Burkhalter the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Georgia legislature. The dozen subcommittee members are being supported by two great staff members Neil Bradley the policy director for Minority Whip Roy Blount and Bill Gibbon. Bill Gibbon is especially impressive. He has been the chief writer on every Republican Platform since 1980. Bill emphasized how important the platform is saying that while most people do not read the whole platform, millions read sections of the platform in their union halls, in chamber of commerce news letters and in church bulletins. We are what Bill calls “the conscience of the Republican Party.”

The difference between how the Republicans and the Democrats do this is very telling. While the Democrats said they would follow the Republican model and allow online submissions, they never did. To have any input as a grassroots activist in the Democrat party you had to go to one of their regional listening tour stops. When you made your point you never knew if anyone else every heard your concern. The truth is they didn’t, Governor Janet Napolitano who chairs the Democrat Platform Committee turned in the platform before the listening tour was even over. I think most people will be very happy about how the ideas they submitted to the Republican Platform has been incorporated. Especially notable is language about limited government based on constitutional powers which should excite Ron Paul supporters and energize them to work for Sen. John McCain.