Texas Republican Platform

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

http://static.texastribune.org/media...Y_PLATFORM.pdf

The Preamble is slightly worrying, but eh. It's Texas.

Then it gets :

Washington D.C. – We strongly oppose making the District of Columbia a state and adding unconstitutional voting Congressional members.

Census – We oppose the Census Bureau’s obtaining data beyond the number of people residing in a dwelling, and we oppose statistical sampling adjustments in the “mid-decade” census. We urge that U.S. citizens who, because of religion or conscience, are compelled to withhold their full response to any census question, be held guiltless. We support the actual counting of people and oppose any type of estimation or manipulation of data.

And NEWSFLASH, TEXAS GOP: SECULAR. REPUBLIC. IS THIS SUCH A DIFFICULT FUCKING CONCEPT? If you want a theocracy, move to Iran. Please?

Ten Commandments – We oppose any governmental action to restrict, prohibit, or remove public display of the Decalogue or other religious symbols.

And the RAGE section:

Family Values – We affirm that this section is a response to the attacks on traditional family values. These include wellfunded [sic], vigorous political and judicial attempts by powerful organizations and branches of the government to force acceptance, affirmation and normalization of homosexual behavior upon school children, parents, educational institutions, businesses, employees, government bodies and religious institutions and charities. These aggressive, intolerant efforts marginalize as bigots anyone who dissents.

Marriage and Divorce – We believe in the sanctity of marriage and that the integrity of this institution should be protected at all levels of government. We urge the Legislature to rescind no–fault divorce laws. We support Covenant Marriage.

What would this mean for those who divorce? And what the hell does "Covenant marriage" mean?

Marriage Licenses – We support legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple and for any civil official to perform a marriage ceremony for such.

Homosexuality – We believe that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases. Homosexual behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our country’s founders, and shared by the majority of Texans. Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle in our public education and policy, nor should “family” be redefined to include homosexual “couples.” We are opposed to any granting of special legal entitlements, refuse to recognize, or grant special privileges including, but not limited to: marriage between persons of the same sex (regardless of state of origin), custody of children by homosexuals, homosexual partner insurance or retirement benefits. We oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.

So other states shouldn't legalize gay marriage because Texas Republicans are scared of Teh Homos? Really now.

Texas Sodomy Statutes – We oppose the legalization of sodomy. We demand that Congress exercise its authority granted by the U.S. Constitution to withhold jurisdiction from the federal courts from cases involving sodomy.

I suppose you missed the part where SCOTUS knocked down sodomy laws as unconstitutional?

Sonograms – We urge the Texas legislature in its next biennial session to enact legislation requiring a sonogram be performed and offered as part of the consent process to each mother seeking an elective abortion.

Thanks, Oklahoma.

Harassing Pregnancy Centers – We urge legislation to protect pregnancy centers from harassing ordinances to require pregnancy centers to post signs in violation of their Constitutional rights. We further oppose any regulation of pregnancy centers in Texas which interfere with their private, charitable business.

WAIT, WHAT? You want women to be harassed?

Parental Consent – We call on the Legislature to require parental consent for any form of medical care to minors. We urge electoral defeat of judges who through judicial activism seek to nullify the Parental Consent Law by granting bypasses to minor girls seeking abortions. We support the addition of a legislative requirement for the reporting of judicial bypasses to parental consent on an annual basis to the Department of State Health Services and such reports shall be made available to the public. Further, we encourage the Congress to remove confidentiality mandates for minors from family planning service programs operating under Title X of the Public Health Services Act and Medicaid.

*sigh*

Protection of Women’s Health – Because of the personal and social pain caused by abortions, we call for the protection of both women and their unborn children from pressure for unwanted abortions.

Minimum Wage – We believe the Minimum Wage Law should be repealed.

Bloody good idea! Let's allow the companies to screw their employees even more than they do now! It's impossible to live on $7.25 an hour? HA HA pick yourself up by your bootstraps, you lazy ass.

Foreign Military Bases on American Soil – We oppose relinquishing United States supremacy to any foreign powers on our soil. We support prohibition of all foreign or international military bases within the United States.

So we should remove all our foreign bases, then?

One World Government Organizations – We oppose a one-world government in direct opposition to our basic principles and eroding our sovereignty. We oppose the implementation of one world currency

Stop. Reading. Alex. Jones.

[beyelzu]

Exposing Anti-Choice Abortion Clinics | Civil Liberties | AlterNet

As far as I can tell, the gop wants the "pregnancy centers" to not be forced by local laws to be honest about what they are.

These tactics are even more troubling in light of the growing legislative support to direct taxpayer money towards crisis pregnancy centers and away from places that provide actual reproductive services to low-income women. Texas, as usual, stands at the forefront of conservative innovation in the art of draining public funding while reducing services. In the latest round of cuts, $25 million was sliced from the state budget for family planning services and $5 million of that money was set aside in a rider from Republican Sen. Tommy Williams to fund crisis pregnancy centers.

Im guessing also that they want laws to stop prochoice people from picketing them, but that isn't very clear.

[Ari]

Texas Sodomy Statutes – We oppose the legalization of sodomy. We demand that Congress exercise its authority granted by the U.S. Constitution to withhold jurisdiction from the federal courts from cases involving sodomy.

Texas: We want final say over what goes in your butt!

The republicans do really enjoy dark and mystical homosexual agendas that want to drag your children, your dog, your Elvis figurine collection and yes even the little mouse under the stairs into their basement of sodomy and pornography.

[Dingfod]

Texas Republican Platform

[Nullifidian]

All you liberals who think that Texas Republicans are nativists because they tried to whitewash the UN out of the social studies standards will have to eat crow.

Never let it be said that Texas Republicans don't cultivate a spirit of international solidarity, because they wrote their party platform by following the lead of... Uganda.

[Demimonde]

Sadly most of that crap is less than surprising to me.

One interesting addition to this year's platform is that they intend to refuse financial support of any other group who does not agree with the platform completely. In other words they are pretty much ceceeding from the RNC. Truly bizarre.

I guess that if even Chuck Norris can't get legal independance for Texas, this is another way to go.

[Zehava]

I just love how they pick and choose which of God's "fundamental, unchanging truths" to follow.

Homosexuality -- BAD
Wearing mixed fabrics -- OK
Eating shellfish --- OK
Multiple wives -- assuming the Texas GOP is against it. While many of the celebrated biblical profits practiced polygyny. God apparently didn't have a problem with them doing it.

What's the Taxes GOP's stance on divorce? Is there is any greater threat to "traditional marriage" in today's society than our lax divorce laws? No fault divorce is killing the American family!!!!

[Nullifidian]

Originally Posted by Zehava

What's the Taxes GOP's stance on divorce? Is there is any greater threat to "traditional marriage" in today's society than our lax divorce laws? No fault divorce is killing the American family!!!!

I also find it ironic how you the TX GOP is obsessively focused on all forms of personal behavior except for gun ownership. In the TX GOP's eyes, what a person does with a Smith & Wesson in the privacy of his or her bedroom is nobody's business.

I personally do support gun rights, but then I'm also not trying to ban homosexual marriage, throw homosexuals in jail, and turn women into household serfs.

[Zehava]

For making me read that clap trap.

[Ari]

Originally Posted by Nullifidian

I also find it ironic how you the TX GOP is obsessively focused on all forms of personal behavior except for gun ownership.

Funny that. They also seem to want government completely out of business and property and completely in our personal lives and sex lives.

32 reference to sex including 13 reference to homosexuals and gasp 3 references to sodomy. I wonder if according to the TX GOP, their platform couldn't be read on live TV.

[Stephen Maturin]

We support Covenant Marriage.

That's where the man and woman get intensive premarital counseling and and agree to very limited grounds for divorce but the man gets to keep his boyfriend, right?

[erimir]

Washington D.C. – We strongly oppose making the District of Columbia a state and adding unconstitutional voting Congressional members.

Translation: Fuckin' niggers all vote for fuckin' Democrats.

Isn't that essentially arguing that the Constitution is undemocratic?

I really don't get how people can oppose giving DC residents the representation they deserve. The only reasons I can think of are purely partisan or racist.

[Kael]

Or possibly simply reactionary. The Great and Eternal Constitution does not give congressional representatives to DC, therefore they are SOL. Changing it would be unConstitutional. The part in the Great and Eternal Constitution about procedures to change the Great and Eternal Constitution is obviously only intended for things like defining marriage as a holy (and wholly) not gay institution, something that the Founding Fathers totally would have put in there in the first place if only they knew that godless liberals would try to pervert it.

[erimir]

I'm pretty sure it's mostly because DC representatives would be safe Democratic seats every time.

The offered justifications really don't get around the basic fact that there are ~600k people who don't get any voting representation in Congress.

There are ways to fix that which don't involve giving DC statehood outright anyway. Maryland doesn't seem to want DC back, but they could redraw the borders of the District of Columbia to include only the National Mall, for example, and then use the remaining land to create a state, or give it back to MD if MD could be convinced, etc.

This would then require removing DC's electoral college votes, but I'm sure in that situation there would be little opposition to that...

So even if you think that DC technically shouldn't be a state, there are easy ways to get around that Constitutional issue.

In other words, if you're concerned about democracy, but want to follow the Constitution about that particular issue, you would still be in favor of coming up with a solution that gives DC residents a vote in Congress. Period. Otherwise you're in favor of disenfranchising US citizens, imo.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by erimir

I'm pretty sure it's mostly because DC representatives would be safe Democratic seats every time.

Bingo.

Witness the most recent attempt to trade an extra rep for Utah for DC representation.

[erimir]

I'll admit that the fact that DC is a safely liberal Democratic seat makes me more enthusiastic for DC voting rights, but the more I've thought about it, the more bullshit I think it is that they don't already have votes in Congress.

It's fucking ridiculous, and like I said, the only argument that can be offered is a bullshit Constitutional non-issue. It's pretty much blatantly opposing democracy for partisan, vaguely-racist reasons.

[ChuckF]

Montana Republicans are so derivative.

Idaho refuses to be out-crazied.

Maine becomes a contender.

[ChuckF]

doppelpoast

[Stephen Maturin]

What's the deal with teabaggers and the Seventeenth Amendment? Do they really WANT direct selection of U.S. Senators by Time Warner, Disney, etc.?

[ChuckF]

I don't know but I bet it's all about state sovereignty, just like tort reform, which is right there in the liberty clause.

[Jug Pilot]

Republican Party Platforms: Republican Party Platform of 1956 - August 20, 1956

On social services:

We are proud of and shall continue our far-reaching and sound advances in matters of basic human needs—expansion of social security, broadened coverage in unemployment insurance, improved housing and better health protection for all our people.

On the environment:

• We favor a comprehensive study of the effect upon wildlife of the drainage of our wetlands.
• We recognize the need for maintaining isolated wilderness areas.

On regulation of business:

• A continuously vigorous enforcement of anti-trust laws
• Legislation to enable closer Federal scrutiny of mergers which have a significant or potential monopolistic connotations
• Procedural changes in the antitrust laws to facilitate their enforcement.


On labor:

• Stimulate improved job safety of our workers, through assistance to the States, employees and employers;

• Continue and further perfect its programs of assistance to the millions of workers with special employment problems, such as older workers, handicapped workers, members of minority groups, and migratory workers;

• Strengthen and improve the Federal-State Employment Service and improve the effectiveness of the unemployment insurance system;...

• Assure equal pay for equal work regardless of Sex;

• Clarify and strengthen the eight-hour laws for the benefit of workers who are subject to federal wage standards on Federal and Federally-assisted construction, and maintain and continue the vigorous administration of the Federal prevailing minimum wage law for public supply contracts;

• Extend the protection of the Federal minimum wage laws to as many more workers as is possible and practicable;

• Continue to fight for the elimination of discrimination in employment because of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry or sex;

• Provide assistance to improve the economic conditions of areas faced with persistent and substantial unemployment;

• Revise and improve the Taft-Hartley Act so as to protect more effectively the rights of labor unions, management, the individual worker, and the public.

Wow, this is far to the left of the current Democrats, making the current Republicans ........ ?????

[The Lone Ranger]

Wow, just ... wow. How times have changed!


In related news, I was listening to a story on NPR yesterday in which the commentator argued that there's no way Ronald Reagan could be nominated to the Presidency by the Republicans today. His claim was that the GOP has moved so far to the Right in the past 20+ years that RR's political positions would be considered too "soft" and too "liberal" for the modern Republican Party.

Yeesh!

[Stephen Maturin]

Originally Posted by Jug Pilot

Republican Party Platforms: Republican Party Platform of 1956 - August 20, 1956

Who could have foreseen that a mere half-century of pandering to racists, religious extremists, lunatic fringers and other assorted lowlifes would have such effects?