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2008 Platform (filtered to cliche)

This is a plank-by-plank review of the 2008 platform. Use the links at right to narrow it down, or explore alternate views:

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Showing only planks with cliche fault: Cliches belong on the playground, not in serious platforms. (show all planks)
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S.A.V.E. U.S.A.

Restoring American Sovereignty and Leadership > Domestic > S.A.V.E. U.S.A.
We support seven key steps to secure America. S - Secure America's border; Northern, Southern, and ports. A - Abolish Adjustment of Status in the United States. V - Vigorously enforce immigration laws using federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. E - Eliminate government benefits to illegal aliens. U - Unimpeded deportation process. S - Stop employment of illegal aliens. A - Amend legal immigration rates to more sustainable levels.
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Cliches don't belong in a serious platform document. This is just one big cliche.

In its criticism of Adjustment of Status and legal immigration, this plank is factually incorrect and borderline xenophobic. The United States should encourage the world's best and brightest to immigrate here.

The rest of the plank is redundant with other planks.

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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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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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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.

Fault:
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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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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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