# What is the Republican platform this election? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 25, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002 "2020-08-25T18:55:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/1 "2020-08-25T18:55:24Z")
Heading into the election, I understand that the Republican Party voted on June 10, 2020, to adopt the same platform the party used in 2016. It seems that a few days ago, the Republicans re-affirmed this, and simply added the party’s continued support for Trump’s _America First_ agenda. So it seems that the entire Republican platform going into the 2020 elections is the same as 2016, with only the addition of fully supporting Trump in a vague statement that seems to me to be “whatever Trump tweets, we will support” It’s not 2016. In fact, things are very, very different now than the were in 2016. The economy is… different. The current president is … Not Obama. So… has the Republican Party basically just admitted that they have no policies anymore? That the only policy is “Follow whatever Trump tweets next”? ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/2 "2020-08-25T19:52:14Z")
I believe the story goes that they didnt feel good about having a full committee meeting due to the covid, and so it wouldnt be right to hash out a new platform. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I think this is a wise decision (we’ll leave aside, for the moment, that virtual meetings have become the norm these days). Plus, they’ve released this: # [President Trump’s 2nd Term Agenda: Fighting for You!](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/media/trump-campaign-announces-president-trumps-2nd-term-agenda-fighting-for-you) Building on the incredible achievements of President Donald J. Trump’s first term in office, the President’s re-election campaign today released a set of core priorities for a second term under the banner of “Fighting for You!” President Trump’s boundless optimism and certainty in America’s greatness is reflected in his second-term goals and stands in stark contrast to the gloomy vision of America projected by Joe Biden and Democrats. President Trump will further illuminate these plans during his acceptance speech Thursday at the Republican National Convention. Over the coming weeks, the President will be sharing additional details about his plans through policy-focused speeches on the campaign trail. President Trump: Fighting for You! **JOBS** Create 10 Million New Jobs in 10 Months Create 1 Million New Small Businesses Cut Taxes to Boost Take-Home Pay and Keep Jobs in America Enact Fair Trade Deals that Protect American Jobs “Made in America” Tax Credits Expand Opportunity Zones Continue Deregulatory Agenda for Energy Independence **ERADICATE COVID-19** Develop a Vaccine by The End Of 2020 Return to Normal in 2021 Make All Critical Medicines and Supplies for Healthcare Workers in The United States Refill Stockpiles and Prepare for Future Pandemics **END OUR RELIANCE ON CHINA** Bring Back 1 Million Manufacturing Jobs from China Tax Credits for Companies that Bring Back Jobs from China Allow 100% Expensing Deductions for Essential Industries like Pharmaceuticals and Robotics who Bring Back their Manufacturing to the United States No Federal Contracts for Companies who Outsource to China Hold China Fully Accountable for Allowing the Virus to Spread around the World **HEALTHCARE** Cut Prescription Drug Prices Put Patients and Doctors Back in Charge of our Healthcare System Lower Healthcare Insurance Premiums End Surprise Billing Cover All Pre-Existing Conditions Protect Social Security and Medicare Protect Our Veterans and Provide World-Class Healthcare and Services **EDUCATION** Provide School Choice to Every Child in America Teach American Exceptionalism **DRAIN THE SWAMP** Pass Congressional Term Limits End Bureaucratic Government Bullying of U.S. Citizens and Small Businesses Expose Washington’s Money Trail and Delegate Powers Back to People and States Drain the Globalist Swamp by Taking on International Organizations That Hurt American Citizens **DEFEND OUR POLICE** Fully Fund and Hire More Police and Law Enforcement Officers Increase Criminal Penalties for Assaults on Law Enforcement Officers Prosecute Drive-By Shootings as Acts of Domestic Terrorism Bring Violent Extremist Groups Like ANTIFA to Justice End Cashless Bail and Keep Dangerous Criminals Locked Up until Trial **END ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND PROTECT AMERICAN WORKERS** Block Illegal Immigrants from Becoming Eligible for Taxpayer-Funded Welfare, Healthcare, and Free College Tuition Mandatory Deportation for Non-Citizen Gang Members Dismantle Human Trafficking Networks End Sanctuary Cities to Restore our Neighborhoods and Protect our Families Prohibit American Companies from Replacing United States Citizens with Lower-Cost Foreign Workers Require New Immigrants to Be Able to Support Themselves Financially **INNOVATE FOR THE FUTURE** Launch Space Force, Establish Permanent Manned Presence on The Moon and Send the First Manned Mission to Mars Build the World’s Greatest Infrastructure System Win the Race to 5G and Establish a National High-Speed Wireless Internet Network Continue to Lead the World in Access to the Cleanest Drinking Water and Cleanest Air Partner with Other Nations to Clean Up our Planet’s Oceans **AMERICA FIRST FOREIGN POLICY** Stop Endless Wars and Bring Our Troops Home Get Allies to Pay their Fair Share Maintain and Expand America’s Unrivaled Military Strength Wipe Out Global Terrorists Who Threaten to Harm Americans Build a Great Cybersecurity Defense System and Missile Defense System ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/3 "2020-08-25T19:58:21Z")
Poe’s Law is now the GOP platform? Subtle… ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/4 "2020-08-25T22:17:56Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > Building on the incredible achievements of President Donald J. Trump’s first term in office, the President’s re-election campaign today released a set of core priorities for a second term under the banner of “Fighting for You!” Republicans did not release this. Trump’s campaign office released this. I did not ask “What are the promises and statements that the Trump campaign has released” I asked “What is the Republican Platform this election?” But I guess you answered the question - the Republican Platform consists of empty promises and odd statements from Trump. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/5 "2020-08-25T22:22:45Z")
The Republicans, the RNC, don’t have a platform. It’s the truth. They’re just going with “Trump, Trump, He’s Our Man!” With a chaser of “Democrats wan’t you to die! With someone black moving in next door!” ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/6 "2020-08-25T22:47:10Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I asked “What is the Republican Platform this election?” Realistically, there is never much difference between a party platform and what an incumbent president wants in recent elections. Incumbent presidents dominate the platform process. No party wants to hamstring their proven winner with party positions that the candidate is not behind. That is especially true when there has not been a strong primary contender, like this year. What Trump’s campaign released would have in large measure been the Republican party platform if they went through the normal process. What we are seeing in my opinion is basically the norm. The difference is that we took away the layer that obscures just how influential incumbents actually are on their party. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/7 "2020-08-25T22:55:24Z")
Yea If you just want to beef on the Repubs maybe this should go to the pit. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/8 "2020-08-25T23:09:27Z")
If you want to claim that the official Republican Party Platform is a bunch of promises direct from the braintrust of the Trump campaign office like: “Teach American Exceptionalism” Or “Wipe Out Global Terrorists Who Threaten to Harm Americans” Fill your boots. I don’t think these are actual campaign issues that an actual political party puts forth. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/9 "2020-08-25T23:16:10Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I don’t think these are actual campaign issues that an actual political party puts forth. I guess that’s why they didn’t consult you. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/10 "2020-08-25T23:32:20Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > Return to Normal in 2021 I admire their pluck. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/11 "2020-08-26T00:07:24Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > I guess that’s why they didn’t consult you. The question was not “why was I not consulted on the Republican Party Platform?” It’s a simple question - What is the Republican Party Platform? You responded with the Trump campaign platitudes. Does the Republican Party have a platform of ideas beyond the odd statements coming from the Trump campaign? ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/12 "2020-08-26T00:17:53Z")
There’s something I don’t understand about platforms: Congress writes the laws. Any platform should be a cooperative document between a presidential candidate and their branch of Congress, with Congress having a greater say since they’re the ones doing the work. If Trump’s platform included a line “be nice to Putin” it would hardly matter because even Republicans in Congress wouldn’t support that. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/13 "2020-08-26T00:19:42Z")
I think the reasons are probably three fold. First, they had enough to do in the last minute just getting the convention together. Arranging for secure submeetings to hammer out an platform is going to make things even more chaotic\ Second, arguing over a platform is going to expose fissures in the party that they want to keep covered. Is rescuing the kids from the Clinton’s sex farm part of their platform? What about addressing the systemic racism against whites? How do you thread the needle of encouraging Republicans to vote by mail, while at the same time establishing that voting by mail is fraudulent? Are masks a good way to get the country back to working and save the election for Trump, or are they a symbol of our slide into a communist hellscape? Third, its difficult to create a platform when decisions and policies are made on a whim and can be changed a few days later. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/14 "2020-08-26T00:27:34Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > What we are seeing in my opinion is basically the norm. The difference is that we took away the layer that obscures just how influential incumbents actually are on their party. Abandoning any pretense that the party platform actually matters is probably the most refreshingly honest thing the Republicans have done this election. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/15 "2020-08-26T00:36:47Z")
[Mary Ann Mendoza and her Elders of Zion platform](https://www.thedailybeast.com/rnc-speaker-boosts-qanon-conspiracy-theory-about-jewish-plot-to-enslave-the-world-1) was just pulled from the RNC convention. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/16 "2020-08-26T00:46:43Z")
Also posted in Stupid Republican Idea thread. > **[The Platform the GOP Is Too Scared to Publish](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/new-gop-platform-authoritarianism/615640/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%2BTheAtlantic%2B%28The%2BAtlantic%2B-%2BMaster%2BFeed%29)** > > What the Republican Party actually stands for, in 13 points This is a very long article from The Atlantic that I have reduced to bullet points (with a fair amount of content/nuance lost). > …Once you read the list, I think you’ll agree that these are authentic ideas with meaningful policy consequences, and that they are broadly shared. The question is not why Republicans lack a coherent platform; it’s why they’re so reluctant to publish the one on which they’re running. > > 1. The most important mechanism of economic policy—not the only tool, but the most important—is adjusting the burden of taxation on society’s richest citizens. … > 2. The coronavirus is a much-overhyped problem. It’s not that dangerous and will soon burn itself out. … > 3. Climate change is a much-overhyped problem. It’s probably not happening. If it is happening, it’s not worth worrying about. … > 4. China has become an economic and geopolitical adversary of the United States. … > 5. The trade and alliance structures built after World War II are outdated. America still needs partners, of course, especially Israel and maybe Russia. But the days of NATO and the World Trade Organization are over. . … > 6. Health care is a purchase like any other. Individuals should make their own best deals in the insurance market with minimal government supervision. Those who pay more should get more. Those who cannot pay must rely on Medicaid, accept charity, or go without. > 7. Voting is a privilege. States should have wide latitude to regulate that privilege in such a way as to minimize voting fraud, which is rife among Black Americans and new immigrant communities. … > 8. Anti-Black racism has ceased to be an important problem in American life. … > 9. The courts should move gradually and carefully toward eliminating the mistake made in 1965, when women’s sexual privacy was elevated into a constitutional right. > 10. The post-Watergate ethics reforms overreached. We should welcome the trend toward unrestricted and secret campaign donations. … > 11. Trump’s border wall is the right policy to slow illegal immigration… The most important Republican priority in any such deal is to delay as long as possible full citizenship, voting rights, and health-care benefits for people who entered the country illegally. > 12. The country is gripped by a surge of crime and lawlessness as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement and its criticism of police. … > 13. Civility and respect are cherished ideals. But in the face of the overwhelming and unfair onslaught against President Donald Trump by the media and the “deep state,” his occasional excesses on Twitter and at his rallies should be understood as pardonable reactions to much more severe misconduct by others. > > So there’s the platform. Why not publish it? > … > > The more complicated answer is that the platform I’ve just described, like so much of the Trump-Republican program, commands support among only a minority of the American people. …This is a platform for a party that talks to itself, not to the rest of the country. > … ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/17 "2020-08-26T01:02:14Z")
Aside from some exaggerations I’d say that’s a fairly accurate list. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/18 "2020-08-27T07:37:17Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > Stop Endless Wars and Bring Our Troops Home > … > Maintain and Expand America’s Unrivaled Military Strength That’s … almost a thing of beauty, if I didn’t know there were folks out there taking both those statements seriously ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/19 "2020-08-27T11:56:50Z")
“American exceptionalism” is no longer a positive attribute. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002/20 "2020-08-27T12:00:07Z")
American exceptionalism just means that we do mediocrity poorly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-republican-platform-this-election/919002.md?page=2)