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wordy

Puffy prose, hackneyed phrases, and obscure words create pinheaded, unfocused, and inaccessible platforms. Platforms must be simple and direct.

War on Terror

Restoring American Sovereignty and Leadership > International Relations > War on Terror
We support fighting the War on Terror and confronting radical Islamist terrorists at their homes. Our military must remain in Iraq and Afghanistan until both countries are able to sustain peace. We oppose closing Guantanamo.There is no substitute for Victory! We commend and support the Bush Administration's current policy regarding our military operations fighting the War on Terror and confronting radical Islamist terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries around the world. We believe our military forces deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, in particular, should not be prematurely withdrawn from the conflicts until victory has been secured and both countries are able to sustain peace with limited assistance from the United States. There should be no "time-table" applied to the withdrawal of our forces. We also support keeping Guantanamo Detention Center for terrorist detainees. We oppose any plan to close Guantanamo and to bring detainees into the U.S. for Court trials.

Cliches do not belong in a serious platform document.

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Israel

Restoring American Sovereignty and Leadership > International Relations > Israel
The United States and Israel share a special relationship. We support military and economic assistance and recognition that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths. We encourage peace talks between Israel and Palestinians in the context of Israel's fundamental right to exist. We support the continuation of non-recognition of terrorist organizations.We believe that the United States and Israel share a special long-standing relationship based on shared values, a mutual commitment to a republican form of government, and a strategic alliance that benefits both nations. Our foreign policy with Israel should reflect the special nature of this relationship through continued military and economic assistance and recognition that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths. We believe that the US Embassy should be located in Jerusalem. In our diplomatic dealings with Israel, we encourage the continuation of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but oppose pressuring Israel to make concessions it believes would jeopardize its security, including the trading of land for the recognition of its right to exist. We call on the U.S. to cease strong arming Israel through prior agreements with the understanding of delivering equipment to them to defend themselves in exchange for future diplomatic concessions, such as giving up land to the Palestinians on the West Bank. We support the continuation of non-recognition of terrorist nations and organizations. Our policy is based on God's biblical promise to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel and we further invite other nations and organizations to enjoy the benefits of that promise.

The plank is terribly wordy.

The Biblical citation is a quite literalist Biblical interpretation. It does not represent a consensus view even within Christianity and is utterly inappropriate for a platform document.

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Foreign Policy

Restoring American Sovereignty and Leadership > International Relations > Foreign Policy
The United States must promote democracy and free markets. We should not aid hostile or undemocratic nations.We support the spread of a representative form of government and free market enterprise. We also support and encourage private humanitarian aid to developing countries. We support continued favorable treatment of proven allies, and censure of adversarial entities that seek destruction of other countries or harbor terrorists. No United States treaty shall permit any foreign entity to control our citizenry. No foreign entity that consistently votes against our interests or is openly hostile to our nation shall receive U.S. aid.
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MIA's and POW's

Restoring American Sovereignty and Leadership > International Relations > MIA's and POW's
We urge our government to continue to seek and act uponinvestigate all information concerning our military personnel and other citizens carriedAmericans classified as Missing in Action or Prisoners of War.
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China

Restoring American Sovereignty and Leadership > International Relations > China
We urge strong measures to encourage China to end suppression of human rights, persecution of Christians and other religions, aggression towards neighbors, and sharing weapons technology with rogue nations.We strongly recommend removal of Permanent Normal Trade Relations status for Communist China until North and South Korea sign a peace treaty; China significantly improves its policies on human rights; China ceases persecution of Christians; China ceases aggressive behavior toward all neighbors; China ceases transferring nuclear, biological, and chemical technology to Iran, Pakistan and North Korea. We further urge imposition of trade sanctions against Communist China for interfering in United States political campaigns.

There is scant evidence of interference with American elections.

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Support of Our Armed Forces

Restoring American Sovereignty and Leadership > Domestic > Support of Our Armed Forces
We support the armed forces. We recommend modernizing and maintaining the equipment and weapons for the safety and effectiveness of our armed forces. While we support a continued policy of an overwhelmingly strong military, we also support fiscal sanity: we demand termination of wasteful or ineffective equipment and weapons programs. We demand that displaced military personnel have their votes counted. We support construction of a Texas veterans museum.We encourage all Americans to support the brave and patriotic men and women of our armed forces. They should be paid a wage sufficient to prevent them from ever needing food stamps and that encourages retention. We strongly recommend that all our armed forces remain commanded only by the Commander-in-Chief and his subordinate commanders; upgrading, modernizing and maintaining the equipment, weapons, and vehicles for the safety, efficiency and effectiveness of our armed forces; the continuation of the all volunteer armed forces, the recruitment and advancement of military personnel based on the needs of the military and the qualifications of the person; disqualification of homosexuals from military service; immediate discharge of HIV positive individuals; separation of men and women in basic training; exclusion of women from ground and submarine combat roles; provision of full military honors for burial of veterans; restoration of all veteran benefits without an offset for disability pay; health and disability benefits equal to active military for national guard and reserves; passage of a "new" G.I Bill that fully funds expanded educational scholarship opportunities for honorably separated Veterans; restoration of full lifetime health benefits to retired military and their families; and assurance that military and civilian voters displaced by their service be afforded full opportunity for their votes to be counted; and the expeditious construction of a Veterans Museum in Texas.

This is a terrible, unfocused plank that is a grab bag of random wishes and left-wing government expansionism.

Wages are an economic issue in every industry, including the military. If wages are too low, they will show up in poor recruitment and retention numbers. Given good recruiting numbers, there is little evidence of insufficient wages.

There is no credible movement to:

  • Reassign commandment of the armed forces away from the President.
  • Move away from a volunteer force.
  • Recruit to fill ranks with unqualified people.

The issue of women in combat roles is an internal issue for the military and does not deserve mention here. If it comes down to it, women may decline to serve in the military if they do not want a combat role.

These are in fact left-wing and remarkably expensive policies:

  • Removing disability pay offset: A lack of an offset for other disability pay is unfair: you collect twice for one disability!
  • Full health benefits for National Guard and reservists: U.S. health benefits are typically a function of employment. National Guard and reservists do not work when they are not on duty, so it makes little sense to extend health coverage to off-duty times.
  • Lifetime health benefits: Just like with any other employer-sponsored health plan, military health plan should terminate upon end of employment.

It is counterproductive and pointless to have a witch hunt for homosexuals.

There is zero evidence that the military is mishandling HIV.

Separation of men and women in basic training is counterproductive. They will have to work together in the field. Why create artificial barriers?

The G.I. Bill provision is accomplished. The current bill pays up to $47,556 in educational benefits over a maximum of 36 months.

This plank is wordy. For example:

  • "Upgrading" and "modernizing" are the same thing.
  • Vehicles are a type of equipment.
  • Something that is safe and efficient is also effective.
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Illegal Immigration

Restoring American Sovereignty and Leadership > Domestic > Illegal Immigration
We oppose illegal immigration. We call for continued progress on sealing our porous borders, including completion of a fence to block off our entire southern border and increased border patrols. We demand rapid resolution to the status of millions of illegal aliens living in the United States. We support expeditious deportation of violent or habitually criminal illegal aliens.No amnesty! No how. No way. Illegal aliens have committed a criminal act. We oppose illegal immigration, amnesty in any form, or legal status for illegal immigrants. We support an end to the "catch and release" policy; criminal penalties and aggressive enforcement for those who knowingly employ illegal workers; expeditious hearings on deporting non-violent illegal immigrants; suspending automatic U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants; elimination of federal funding to cities with "sanctuary" laws; empowering state and local law enforcement agencies with authority and resources to detain illegal immigrants; rejection of non-verifiable foreign-issued cards as valid identification; strict prosecution of any entity involved in phony identification documents; elimination of day labor work centers; elimination of laws requiring hospitals to give non-emergency care to illegals; elimination of social security benefits or government funding to illegals for education, housing or business loans; preventing any foreign entity from using our judicial system to enter the United States; strong document verification prior to issuance of a Texas drivers license; withholding federal highway funds from any state issuing drivers licenses to illegal aliens; and aggressive prosecution of persons smuggling humans across our borders.

Cliches do not belong in a serious platform document. "No amnesty! No how. No way." is a gibberish cliche.

Republicans must oppose illegal immigration and should support strong measures to seal porous borders. However, we have to be realistic: by failing to meaningfully secure the borders for many years, we left the welcome mat out for illegal aliens.

A sane immigration policy cannot only be deportation and punishment. That is unrealistic, inhumane, and economically destructive. It fuels critics who see Republicans as narrow and rigid, it hurts our relevancy, and it destroys our credibility with Hispanic voters.

Republicans must combine firmness on illegal immigration with acknowledgement of our current situation. That means we have to look beyond punitive measures and ripping up longstanding legal traditions. We have to be pragmatic and realistic.

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Homeland Security

Restoring American Sovereignty and Leadership > Domestic > Homeland Security
We urge the Homeland Security Department to strengthen intelligence gathering, enhance inter-agency intelligence sharing, protect high profile targets from terrorists, enhance airport and port-of-entry security, use random selection and terrorist profiling in searching individuals, and authorize the Navy and Coast Guard to board and search vessels entering U.S. waters from foreign ports.We urge the Homeland Security Department to strengthen our national intelligence gathering; further enhance inter-agency coordination of intelligence; pass critical information on to local and state agencies; protect constitutional rights of all citizens; provide adequate protection of high profile targets for terrorists; enhance airport and port-of-entry security; use random selection and terrorist profiling in searching individuals; provide for armed guards and pilots on commercial aircraft; authorize the Navy and Coast Guard to board and search vessels entering U.S. waters from foreign ports. We further urge Congress to provide expert training of airline pilots for protection against terrorist attack.

Armed guards and pilots on aircraft is a statutory issue.

"Expert" connotes an insurpassible level of experience; airline pilots can and do have some training, but expertise is too much, especially in the limited context of what pilots can accomplish midair. Pilots need to be experts at flying; security needs to be experts at stopping terrorism.

Protecting Constitutional rights is an inherent duty of all government officials, not just Homeland Security.

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Legal Immigration

Restoring American Sovereignty and Leadership > Domestic > Legal Immigration
We support legal immigration that attracts the world's best and brightest and encourages assimilation into American society.One nation, one flag, one language, one loyalty America is a country of immigrants, we should insist that any immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself/herself to the United States. He/she shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else. This is predicated upon the fact that the person is in every facet an American, and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance. Anyone who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't American at all. We have room but for one flag, the American Flag. We have room for but one language here and that is the English language. We have room for but one sole loyalty and that is loyalty to the American people. (Teddy Roosevelt, 1907)

Cliches do not belong in a serious platform document.

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Border Security

Restoring American Sovereignty and Leadership > Domestic > Border Security
We support strong measures to prevent illegal aliens, organized crime, and potential terrorists from crossing national borders."Order on the borders" is basic to solving complex issues of illegal immigration. All means must be deployed immediately to prevent illegal aliens, organized crime and potential terrorists from crossing the border. Secure American borders by any means necessary

Cliches do not belong in a platform document.

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Random plank

Educating Our Children > U.S. Department of Education
The Federal Government has no constitutional jurisdiction over education. We call for abolition of the U. S. Department of Education and prohibition of transfer of any of its functions to any other agency.
Reason:

This duplicates other statements on federal powers.

redundant

Problems

Show problem parts of the platform:
Platforms promote principles and policies. Planks must not push particular polymorphic political proposals, including bills.about a specific bill (6)
Parts of these were recently implemented.accomplished (11)
Parts of these only promote limited religious viewpoints.advances religious doctrine (8)
Too many positions already overwhelm voters. We cannot add more without a plan to cut ballot complexity.another elected office (6)
The GOP should not be a virulent, anti-homosexual crusade.anti-homosexual crusade (6)
These destroy useful customs or start us down slippery slopes.bad precedent (17)
Cliches belong on the playground, not in serious platforms.cliche (5)
These contradict other planks.contradictory (13)
These simply go too far, overshooting a rational remedy.extreme (25)
These have factual errors.incorrect (11)
These planks advanced contemporary liberal causes or expand government.leftist (22)
These planks require belief in something that is untrue.misinformed (18)
These are not appropriate for a platform document.misuse of platform (6)
These planks have minor punctuation or grammatical errors.needs copyedit (8)
These problems were fixed before the 2008 platform was published.no longer relevant (3)
"Black helicopters" and paranoid conspiracy have no place in our party.paranoid (15)
Parts of these do nothing useful.pointless (61)
These proposals would make our kids stupider.reduces education quality (3)
These planks are internally redundant or repeat other parts of the platform.redundant (41)
These planks should propose a more general solution.too specific (6)
These planks are unclear or unfocused.vague (19)
Puffy prose, hackneyed phrases, and obscure words create pinheaded, unfocused, and inaccessible platforms. Platforms must be simple and direct.wordy (47)

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