The Washington Post has a story today about the potenial for a strong confrontation between John McCain and the lunatic elements within the Republican Party over the re-writing of the Party's platform. Frankly, I can think of nothing better than a protracted and vicious fight over the party platform which will serve to remind voters of just how out of the mainstream the base of the GOP has become nowadays. The far right/Christianist obsession with immigration should go a long way to alienate hispanic voters since the GOP base is very hostile towards perceived brown skinned immigrants and/or Spanish speaking individuals. So too, the fanatics will be pushing for over the top positions on global warming, stem cell research, abortion and probably gay rights too which will again showcase the real GOP despite McCain's efforts to keep it hidden. Here are some story highlights:
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McCain has not yet signaled the changes he plans to make in the GOP platform, but many conservatives say they fear wholesale revisions could emerge as candidate McCain seeks to put his stamp on a document that currently reflects the policies and principles of President Bush. . . . A platform fight at the convention could disrupt that carefully choreographed effort by highlighting the stark differences in vision for the party separating McCain from some of the GOP's most dedicated activists.
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The battle may not be avoidable. The current GOP platform is a 100-page document, and all but nine pages mention Bush's name. Virtually the entire platform will have to be rewritten to lessen the imprint of the president, who has the highest disapproval rating of any White House occupant since Richard M. Nixon.
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One main concern is immigration. The current plank on that issue calls for a temporary-worker program, something that both Bush and McCain have supported but that many conservatives view as unwarranted amnesty for people who arrived in the country illegally. Echard would like a much tougher position and is wary of McCain on the issue.
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"We will never take that plank [on abortion] for granted. We want zero changes in it. We don't want a comma changed. We don't want a word inserted." Colleen Parro, executive director of the Republican National Coalition for Life, said her group will "cause problems" if McCain or his allies try to change that plank. But she's also focused on stem cell research, an area in which McCain differs with many anti-abortion activists.
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