No, we don't have the platform. At least not one I've seen yet. It's three weeks until the June 6 state convention in Decatur, and as a delegate from Bremen Township, what I will be asked to vote on matters to me. One thing I'll be asked to do is accept or reject the 2008 IL GOP Platform.
So, I began reviewing our 2004 IL GOP Platform, and began remembering what a chaos the process was that year. I observed as a reporter, and it was crazy. The members of the platform committee didn't know what was being proposed, and only the chairman, now-Metro East Judge Steve McGlynn, knew what was going on. Everyone else was in the dark until just days before the convention. By then, it was too late for concerned platform committee members to do other than accept the proposed wording.
This year we're hearing the platform committee members are being kept in the dark about the rewriting process again. The party has had four years to prepare for this convention, so there isn't much of an excuse for the up until now lack of communication -- unless the intent is to limit discussion once again.
I've been told that in the past there was a concerted effort among IL GOP staffers to keep convention delegates and platform committee members in the dark about the platform so as to keep discussion, debate and "divisiveness" from edging its way into IL GOP's Big Tent.
The platform is the IL GOP's foundation. It's important what we believe, what we're going to stand for, and what we propose for the future. It certainly matters to me as a delegate what I will be identifying publicly with -- and its important that I - and every other convention delegate - know what we're voting on in plenty of time before June 6th.
The state party asked this week for proposed changes to the platform. Let's discuss it here over the next few days, starting with Page 1.
What would you change in this first section? Please comment on this section only under this post. We'll get to the others, too. We promise.
Now's your chance to tell the rest of us what you've told the IL GOP . . .
From 2004 IL GOP posted on the IL GOP website HERE
Our Platform
Since the election of 1860. the Republican Party has had a special calling - to advance the founding principles of freedom, opportunity, and limited government and the dignity and worth of every individual. Illinois Republicans have provided critical leadership, to this Country and those causes, from Abraham Lincoln, to Ronald Reagan to J. Dennis Hastart.
These Principles form the foundation of both an agenda for America in the year 2006 and this Platform for our party. They point us toward reforms in government, a restoration of timeless values, and a renewal of our national purpose.
We commit ourselves to the values that strengthen our culture and sustain our nation: family, faith, personal responsibility, and a belief in the dignity of every human life.
We offer not only a new agenda, but also a new approach - a vision of a welcoming society in which all have a place. To all Americans, particularly immigrants and minorities, we send a clear message: this is the party of freedom and progress, and it is your home.
The diversity of our State is reflected in this Platform. We ask for the support and participation of all who substantially share our agenda. In one way or another, every Republican is a dissenter. At the same time, we are not morally indifferent. In this, as in many things, Lincoln is our model. He spoke words of healing and words of conviction. We do likewise, for we are bound together in a great enterprise for our children’s future.
We are the party of the open door, determined to strengthen the social, cultural, and political ties that bind us together and make our country the greatest force for good in the world. Steadfast in our commitment to our ideals, we recognize, as did Ronald Reagan, that members of our party can have deeply held and sometimes differing views. This diversity is a source of strength, not a sign of weakness, and so we welcome into our ranks all who may hold differing positions. We commit to resolve our differences with civility, trust, and mutual respect.
We seek to be faithful to the best traditions of our party. We are the party that ended slavery, granted homesteads, built land grant colleges, and moved control of government out of Washington, back into the hands of the people. We believe in service to the common good – and that good is not common until it is shared.
Our vision is one of clear direction, new ideas, civility in public life, and leadership with honor and distinction.
To the citizens of Illinois, we commit ourselves to the following:
- To do all in our power to strengthen the families of Illinois;
- To ensure that high quality healthcare is available throughout our State in both rural and urban areas;
- To reduce the size of government and the number of citizens dependent upon government;
- To make our communities safer through reducing crime and drug use;
- To provide a foundation for job creation and business expansion across the State and reduce regulations and taxes that smother the free market;
- To restore fairness and balance to a legal system that has become unfair and unbalanced;
- To commit necessary resources to combat terrorist attacks and to fight and win the war on terror;
- To make our public schools among the best in the nation; and
- To protect the fundamental right to life and dignity of every human life including
the lives of unborn children.
to be continued . . .
