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Fri 11 Jun, 2004 07:14 am
Quote:On the first night of the Texas Republican state convention last week, there were plenty of receptions to attend. Instead, almost 200 delegates and visitors chose to file patiently into a room in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio for the meeting of the Permanent Platform Committee. The next two and half hours would be one of their few opportunities to influence the party's ideology.
Earlier that day, the chairwoman of the Republican Party of Texas, Tina Benkiser, had proclaimed to the 11,000 or so delegates assembled for the June 3-5 convention, "This is the true grass-roots center of America." This state party, in fact, is the crucible in which Karl Rove helped craft the presidency of George W. Bush. It is the home of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land. The party has seized control of every statewide office in Texas, won majorities in both chambers in the Statehouse for the first time in more than a century, and along with ideological soul mates, captured the U.S. Congress. The grass-roots movement that provided the energy and manpower for the GOP's rise in Texas traces its origin to Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign in 1980 and then Pat Robertson's run for the presidential nomination in 1988. The televangelist's campaign birthed an overtly evangelical cadre of revolutionaries with a radical plan for a return to 19th century government, at least as they understand it.
The values and world vision of the movement today can be found enshrined in the 24-page party platform. It's a fearful, twilight looking-glass world, beset by enemies, where the purity of the culture, under constant siege, must be protected from threats both internal and external. The platform makes short work of the federal government, calling for the abolition of everything from the U.S. Department of Education to the Internal Revenue Service, along with most taxes. Aliens without proper identification are to be summarily deported. Illegal immigrants should not be granted drivers' licenses. Voter registration is to be made more difficult. "American English" is the official language of the state, and "the Party supports the termination of bilingual education programs in Texas." A plank titled "equality for all citizens" urges the repeal of hate crimes legislation. Another one states: "We oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values." Since the Bible is the literal truth, teachers should have the right to instruct their public school students in "creation science." The Ten Commandments are the foundation of the legal system. And lest anyone forget, "America is a Christian nation."
Continued here
The Texas GOP site is presently not up (in memory of Reagan) but will have the platform availble in its 24 pages of magnificence soon, we predict. Following is a short summary from News 8 Austin.
If you had the notion that this party in this state has not been effectively taken over by the christian right, you might note the number and priority of their issues in the summary (assuming this summary correctly reflects the wording of the platform itself)
Quote:Among the provisions in the platform are:
Support for "the traditional definition of marriage as a God-ordained, legal and moral commitment only between a natural man and a natural woman.''
Support for state 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 a same-sex couple.
Support for protection of all "innocent human life'' from fertilization until natural death; urging the reversal of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion.
Opposition to government action to restrict, prohibit or remove from public display the 10 Commandments or other religious symbols.
Denouncement of "any unconstitutional act of judicial tyranny that would demand removal of the words 'One Nation Under God' from the Pledge of Allegiance.''
Support for adoption of "American English'' as the official language of Texas and the United States.
Restoration of plaques honoring the Confederate Widow's Pension Fund contribution that were removed from the Texas Supreme Court and other state buildings.
Support for legislation to allow forcible rape to be punished by the death penalty.
Opposition to the legalization of sodomy. The platform states that sodomy "tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases.''
Support for a state school choice policy that allows "maximum freedom of choice in public, private or parochial education for all children.''
http://www.news8austin.com/content/headlines/?ArID=109064&SecID=2
Oh, yeah. The good ole USA is in an active state of regression that may have a long frightful way to descend before it bottoms out. I have spent over half of my life in Texas and in fact was born here. Yet, personal friends have told me I am not a true Texan, because I disagree with every political move made in this state. I haven't a clue what will right the ship of state, but I do percieve it will be a long time before it even begins to happen.
edgar
You've got a serious problem down there. The radicalization of modern republican party and of political discourse generally is something of a wonder to those of us who've been peering into the US for many decades. It hasn't happened in a vaccum, of course, there is a discernible history that faciliates such a phenomenon, but that doesn't make it any less shocking or despicable.
The fingerprints of the Christian Coalition and the Grover Norquist crowd are thick on these platform items. Both voices are severely extremist, and that they've managed to achieve such levels of effective power (in concert with more moderate or traditional conservative elements, and single issue elements such as financial/corporate entities, who are temporarily happier with an extremist Republican party if they are winning) is all downright sobering.
That they are going to shoot themselves eventually is pretty certain, much as the Bush administration is managing each day. But it might take a while for folks to lift out from under the deceits and the pretence that these folks represent normalcy or real Americanism.
Just as Roosevelt dominated America for decades, I expect this reactionary bent to last into the forseeable future. There are sure to be a few bright spots, but up until now, all too many Americans are considering the Republican journey into madness normal process. The alarm bells they hear are widely misinterpreted and subjectivised and the descent downward continues.
The federal election coming up will be critical.
Certain elements won't change...the rightwing media machine that's been built up over the last two decades won't disappear and will keep pumping out the propaganda we love them for, and they'll attempt to do with any democratic presidency what they did with Clinton. All the folks who have been trained to swallow the simple and easy cliches will tend to continue with this comfortable psychological strategy. Financial interests will continue to send their thousands of PR folks to Washington with bags of money and threats to pull out of this or that location unless they get the breaks and legislation they desire...the amorality of Enron's energy traders in California is a systemic thing.
But if the dems take the presidency and regain a majority in Congress (possibly more important) then that will allow something I think that the Washington republicans REALLY don't want...revelations as to what has actually been going on over the last four years.
The stonewalling on everything from the energy commission hearings to the torture memos would end, and then the poop (whatever is there, and I suspect there is a lot) will hit the fan. What could come out might very deeply invalidate many of the unreflected cliches we see here on this site in support of the Bush administration and its values.
That's a big if. This election and the one to follow in four years may be our last best chance to bring back a modicum of sanity. It took great disasters to bring Roosevelt to ascendancy - world-wide depression, the world war - What will work to change us next is something I don't have the imagination to guess.
Yes. If the election goes to Bush and if the congress remains under Republican control, it will take a catastrophe to turn it around again. Not a pretty picture.
I started a thread on the Texas Republican Party platform
here, including links to the 2000 and 2002 platforms.
It sounds like the 2004 platform is a real doozy.
My goodness Joe. Are we the same person? And if so, could you please get those dishes done.
Oh yeah, Joe. Now I remember.
Lovely piece on PBS "Now" show this evening on Tom Delay (and another on Bush administration secrecy with the chap who heads up AP). Should be available online tomorrow if it isn't up yet.
I sometimes choke on myself when I say I am a republican. Please don't lump me in with the nut-cases of the republican party. I guess I lean quite libertarian.
tony
Hell, that's ok. I'm not even affiliated with any party here in Canada. And there are Republicans on this site who are very smart and careful guys/girls.
The labels can be too easily used in careless ways to suggest generalities about people which won't be true in many instances. Eg, men are statistically more violent than women, but that tells us nothing about Bill or Fred or Marrianne.
On the other hand, we can, with some greater accuracy, talk about groups. The Hell's Angels we could make some defining statements regarding.
I can say, again with some accuracy, things about the Texas Republican Party which I can't say about Republicans generally.
It's just a matter of trying to be careful with one's statements and with one's thinking.
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