Republican 2016 Platform Approved

[Porpoise101]

The platform of a political party is the declaration of the party's beliefs, goals, and positions on issues. On July 18th, at the RNC in Cleveland, Ohio, the Republican Party approved their platform for the year.
Read it here: https://www.gop.com/the-2016-republican-party-platform/

What do you guys think about it? I found the last two pages to be pretty interesting since it discusses new issues like cyber-security and electrical grid modernization. It contrasts a lot with their statements in the environment section which basically states: "science is no longer good" :P

Also I LOL'd at the proposed "Reagan Economic Zone."

[Vlerchan]

I skimmed the areas I was interested in.

It's nice to see they're not giving up on free trade.

Since the enactment of Dodd-Frank, the number of community banks has significantly declined, and the cost and complexity of complying with the law has created impediments to the remaining banks’ ability to support the customers they serve. From 13,000 community banks in 1985, only 1,900 remain.
Republican Platform

Always worth noting that before Dodd-Franks the number of community banks stood at only 2700, because there decline is for a completely different set of reasons, and this is just an excuse to deregulate Big Finance.

The first step is through an annual audit of the Federal Reserve’s activities.

ibid
One already exists and this is just an attempt to covertly politicise the FED.

In 2012, facing the task of cleaning up the wreckage of the current Administration’s policies, we proposed a similar commission to investigate ways to set a fixed value for the dollar [a metallic base].

ibid

Outright disingenity being used to promote a ridiculous policy platform.

Their comments on the national debt also reek of disingenity too.

[Uniquemind]

I skimmed the areas I was interested in.

It's nice to see they're not giving up on free trade.

Since the enactment of Dodd-Frank, the number of community banks has significantly declined, and the cost and complexity of complying with the law has created impediments to the remaining banks’ ability to support the customers they serve. From 13,000 community banks in 1985, only 1,900 remain.
Republican Platform

Always worth noting that before Dodd-Franks the number of community banks stood at only 2700, because there decline is for a completely different set of reasons, and this is just an excuse to deregulate Big Finance.

The first step is through an annual audit of the Federal Reserve’s activities.

ibid
One already exists and this is just an attempt to covertly politicise the FED.

In 2012, facing the task of cleaning up the wreckage of the current Administration’s policies, we proposed a similar commission to investigate ways to set a fixed value for the dollar [a metallic base].

ibid

Outright disingenity being used to promote a ridiculous policy platform.

Their comments on the national debt also reek of disingenity too.

Idk if you agree with this or not, but I like the idea of community banks, I think it adds to more free market competition and gives more choice to consumers.

[Porpoise101]

It's nice to see they're not giving up on free trade.
Just because Don isn't a fan doesn't mean that the establishment senators who drafted this aren't

What do you think of the Balanced Budget Amendment that was proposed? Should a nation be forced to balance the budget? I think that Republicans will use it as an excuse to cut spending a lot for social programs, while Dems will try to slash the military. It will probably make the bickering over the budget worse. But it could help the US' coffers.

Edit: Apparently the Border Wall is legit. Maybe the Trump idea has gotten to them.
That is why we support building a wall along
our southern border and protecting all ports of
entry. The border wall must cover the entirety
of the southern border and must be sufficient to
stop both vehicular and pedestrian traffic

[Vlerchan]

Idk if you agree with this or not, but I like the idea of community banks, I think it adds to more free market competition and gives more choice to consumers.
The reason community banks went into decline though, is that since the 1980s advanced in technology have offered considerable gains to larger firms with economies-of-scale on their side.

With regards to the specific suggestion the Republicans made, I'd much prefer a well regulated lack-of-competition, to a non-regulated situation which probably wouldn't result in much increased competition anyways. If we could guarantee that community banks would revive themselves, I'd actually be much more in favour of a system of local co-ops.

What do you think of the Balanced Budget Amendment that was proposed? Should a nation be forced to balance the budget?
Generally speaking, I feel that balanced budget amendments are a good idea, insofar as their is a condition installed so that it can be over-ridden under special conditions (perhaps, signalled by the central bank or some other independent authority).

With the U.S., at the current moment, it seems better to me to first outline a plan to be implemented to reduce the current deficit, before any such bill is implemented though.

Edit: Apparently the Border Wall is legit. Maybe the Trump idea has gotten to them.
I heard about that yesterday, which made me think about international trade.

[Porpoise101]

After reading through this more, I feel like this is an attempt to appease the various factions of the GOP. They nodded to the nationalists, catered to the neocons, and made the 'family pitch' to the evangelicals. Seems like an attempt to keep the coalition together.

[PlasmaHam]

After reading through this more, I feel like this is an attempt to appease the various factions of the GOP. They nodded to the nationalists, catered to the neocons, and made the 'family pitch' to the evangelicals. Seems like an attempt to keep the coalition together.

True, it seems that the GOP is attempting to re-unify the party.

[mattsmith48]

So can someone tell me why people are voting for this cartoon?

[PlasmaHam]

So can someone tell me why people are voting for this cartoon?

Dude, if you want to insult and fuss, go over to the debate forum. This is for talking about and discussing the GOP situation, not to rant about Trump.

[Vlerchan]

They nodded to the nationalists, catered to the neocons, and made the 'family pitch' to the evangelicals. Seems like an attempt to keep the coalition together.
Being as the neocons are globalist, I'm not sure how they hope to keep the GoP policy actually aligned with their interest when it's chartered by Trumpite faction of the GoP.

Did you also read Trump's interview with the NYT? He kept claiming that he couldn't discuss his foreign policy for security reasons, but what he did reveal was terrifyingly stupid; an opinion, I'm quite sure the NoeCons will share.

[mattsmith48]

Dude, if you want to insult and fuss, go over to the debate forum. This is for talking about and discussing the GOP situation, not to rant about Trump.

Im not insulting anyone im just asking a real question, why are people voting for this?

[Vlerchan]

Im not insulting anyone im just asking a real question, why are people voting for this?
Please highlight specific policies. Thank you.

[mattsmith48]

Please highlight specific policies. Thank you.

Criminalizing porn and calling it a menace and a health crisis, wanting to teach the bible in school, or teaching abstinance only sex ed, overturning the supreme court ruling on gay mariage, calling coal clean energy and the wall thing. if your not a religous nut how can you vote for this shit?

[Vlerchan]

if your not a religous nut how can you vote for this shit?
In the United States, parties tend to be coalitions of interests - and that's the reasons you see a diverse range of characters during primaries. People will buy into the party's whole package, where it, as a whole, best serves their political interests. So, lots of libertarians are willing to deal with the restrictions on religious freedom in order to gain from economic liberalisation.

I'm more than happy to put up with a lot of stuff the Democrats believe in, trade-scepticism, in particular, so that the other things might be achieved.

[sqishy]

It would have been a surprise if this didn't happen, basically.

:\

The election approaches as ever before...

[Porpoise101]

Did you also read Trump's interview with the NYT? He kept claiming that he couldn't discuss his foreign policy for security reasons, but what he did reveal was terrifyingly stupid; an opinion, I'm quite sure the NoeCons will share.
No I didn't read it. But I saw a lot of the backlash. Apparently he is going really strong on the "weaken NATO, Turn a blind eye to Russia" thing he's been playing up this election.

[Bull]

After reading the GOP Platform and listening to/reading Trump's statements, I am not sure he has read it. He obviously does not agree with it all. That, according to Cruz, is okay because we should all just follow our conscience. I am a registered republician and I found some items to fit my beliefs and some that did not: many that did not. I suspect the the framers of the platform were not all in agreement on every plank but were willing to make trade offs in order to get their special interest included. 'Tis the way politics works.

[Vlerchan]

Apparently he is going really strong on the "weaken NATO, Turn a blind eye to Russia" thing he's been playing up this election.
Furthermore, I just found this out yesterday.

The Trump campaign worked behind the scenes last week to make sure the new Republican platform won’t call for giving weapons to Ukraine to fight Russian and rebel forces, contradicting the view of almost all Republican foreign policy leaders in Washington.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/trump-campaign-guts-gops-anti-russia-stance-on-ukraine/2016/07/18/98adb3b0-4cf3-11e6-a7d8-13d06b37f256_story.html

From what I gathered, the Trump campaign the GOP have their way everywhere else (unusual in itself, too). Now,

“Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets,” Trump’s son, Donald Jr., told a real estate conference in 2008, according to an account posted on the website of eTurboNews, a trade publication. “We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-trumps-financial-ties-to-russia-and-his-unusual-flattery-of-vladimir-putin/2016/06/17/dbdcaac8-31a6-11e6-8ff7-7b6c1998b7a0_story.html

This is where it gets speculative, if not conspiratorial. Trump has deep connections with Russian business leaders, and seems from the above quote reliant on them, to some extent, with regards to capital. He also also gone and hired Manafort, the well-publicised adviser of the pro-Russian Yanukovych, but also Carter Page (http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-03-30/trump-russia-adviser-carter-page-interview) as his Russia adviser, a man with deep financial links with Russia - and through Gazprom, in particular: Gazprom is interesting, because the depth of his involvement, I imagine, requires wide-ranging alignment with Putin's administration on the issues involved.

---

Disclaimer: Theory does not originate with me. Trump's too soft on Russia for me, regardless.

[phuckphace]

from Literally Hitler to Speculatively Stalin

[Judean Zealot]

from Literally Hitler to Speculatively Stalin

Thank you. You just made my day. :D

Are you still planning on voting for this nut though?

[phuckphace]

Thank you. You just made my day. :D

Are you still planning on voting for this nut though?

come over to my place and I'll make your night too

undecided atm (until I figure out if I'll end up in the gulag or not)

[PlasmaHam]

Well, it seems like the Republicans aren't the only ones with convention problems anymore. I doubt anyone would criticize the Democrats on this site though.

[Vlerchan]

Well, it seems like the Republicans aren't the only ones with convention problems anymore.
Eh. The actual DNC has gotten behind Clinton (Sanders, Warren, importantly) and by the end of last night, things were quite calm amongst the delegates.

I also don't even need to make these claims relative to the Republican convention, which was a disaster. Though, worse-still (and this is actually what makes it so notable), is that the actual issues themselves could have been avoided with even the most basic organisational competence - the Democrats, on the other hand, had to deal with a leak of the weekend before.

I doubt anyone would criticize the Democrats on this site though.
Out of the most prominent posters on this site (Judean Zealot, Paraxiom, phuckphace, Porpoise101, and myself) only one supports the Democrats, and even then Porpoise101 is a firm centrist. ROTW, at the least, is no friend of the Democrats, as much as we collectively figure Trump is just a nut.

[PlasmaHam]

The DNC was pretty hilarious. It was like they had a checklist for the conference.

Cripple, yes
illegal immigrant, yes
Little person, yes
Transsexual, yes
Gay, yes
Muslim, yes
Latina, yes
Black woman, yes

[Leprous]

The DNC was pretty hilarious. It was like they had a checklist for the conference.

Cripple, yes
illegal immigrant, yes
Little person, yes
Transsexual, yes
Gay, yes
Muslim, yes
Latina, yes
Black woman, yes

Make all of those no for me Trump. Illegal immigration is good to not have buut: "We must stop the illegal immigrants from Syria and Mexico because we don't know where they come from!"

[mike16m]

balanced budged amendment is good as long as their are wartime and recession provisions to allow defecit spending and it gives them 8-10 years to get rid of the defecit

[phuckphace]

The DNC was pretty hilarious. It was like they had a checklist for the conference.

Cripple, yes
illegal immigrant, yes
Little person, yes
Transsexual, yes
Gay, yes
Muslim, yes
Latina, yes
Black woman, yes

lol what the fuck is a dwarf even doing there, that's not even a real disability

being a dwarf is the same as not being a dwarf except you might get tossed into various trash cans while in high school, and then you go on with your life

[Uniquemind]

lol what the fuck is a dwarf even doing there, that's not even a real disability

being a dwarf is the same as not being a dwarf except you might get tossed into various trash cans while in high school, and then you go on with your life

Having known a few people who are "little people" as they like to be called, there are significant health risks they face that the taller non-little people, don't have to face which could easily place them in the disabled camp.

So you are wrong on this count.

[phuckphace]

Having known a few people who are "little people" as they like to be called, there are significant health risks they face that the taller non-little people, don't have to face which could easily place them in the disabled camp.

So you are wrong on this count.

the dwarves I know/knew sure didn't seem disabled and also didn't cry constantly about their snowflake status - they run around doing everything normal people do except sometimes with a stepladder. almost felt like Snow White sometimes what with their bustling around me in circles. I'd say it's a disability in the sense that being very nearsighted is a "disability"

also, they call themselves dwarves in real life, "little people" is a fairly recent tumblrism that many of them find cringeworthy

lol the West is burning down around our ears and people make an issue of this. if this current year stuff wasn't about to be cut mercifully short in November I'd say we could start expecting a Nearsighted Persons crybaby club to show up at DNC 2024

[Uniquemind]

the dwarves I know/knew sure didn't seem disabled and also didn't cry constantly about their snowflake status - they run around doing everything normal people do except sometimes with a stepladder. almost felt like Snow White sometimes what with their bustling around me in circles. I'd say it's a disability in the sense that being very nearsighted is a "disability"

also, they call themselves dwarves in real life, "little people" is a fairly recent tumblrism that many of them find cringeworthy

lol the West is burning down around our ears and people make an issue of this. if this current year stuff wasn't about to be cut mercifully short in November I'd say we could start expecting a Nearsighted Persons crybaby club to show up at DNC 2024

Yeah they can operate no doubt about that.

But still the fact remains they are higher risk for certain health conditions and therefore expenses.

Also expenses for gear they need to function like everybody else.

[eggs2006]

balanced budged amendment is good as long as their are wartime and recession provisions to allow defecit spending and it gives them 8-10 years to get rid of the defecit

Isn't that basically what we have now? There will always be some war or bad economy to allow deficits and we will just keep going deeper into debt.

[sqishy]

The DNC was pretty hilarious. It was like they had a checklist for the conference.

Cripple, yes
illegal immigrant, yes
Little person, yes
Transsexual, yes
Gay, yes
Muslim, yes
Latina, yes
Black woman, yes

That was an attempt at showing diversity to the level of awkward advertising, I agree.


lol what the fuck is a dwarf even doing there, that's not even a real disability

being a dwarf is the same as not being a dwarf except you might get tossed into various trash cans while in high school, and then you go on with your life

It like has tendencies to be a disability when the great majority of humanity has built stuff that is literally way to big for you to deal with like most other people. As you are automatically at a disadvantage, it is literally a lack of ability like most others. I'm okay with then making the literal connection with that to 'disability'.

If there weren't any sight-correcting technology around, then many people would be literally dis-abled with sight compared to others. I'm good with seeing disability as a huge spectrum of nature and severity, from the limited to the debilitating, rather than "it's not a real disability". What does that mean? What is a disability meant to be defined as for you?