What the Party Believes May 21, 2004February 25, 2017 Before you jump on me for being too partisan, please note that the bits below are excerpted from the 2000 Republican Platform: 1. ‘The arrogance, inconsistency, and unreliability of the administration’s diplomacy have undermined American alliances, alienated friends, and emboldened our adversaries.’ 2. ‘Gerrymandered congressional districts are an affront to democracy and an insult to the voters. We oppose that and any other attempt to rig the electoral process.’ 3. ‘The current administration has casually sent American armed forces on dozens of missions without clear goals, realizable objectives, favorable rules of engagement, or defined exit strategies. Over the past seven years, a shrunken American military has been run ragged by a deployment tempo that has eroded its military readiness. Many units have seen their operational requirements increased four-fold, wearing out both people and equipment.’ 4. ‘An administration that lives by evasion, coverup, stonewalling, and duplicity has given us a totally discredited Department of Justice.’ 5. ‘The Social Security surplus is off-limits, off budget, and will not be touched. We will not stop there, for we are also determined to protect Medicare and to pay down the national debt. Reducing that debt is both a sound policy goal and a moral imperative. Our families and most states are required to balance their budgets; it is reasonable to assume the federal government should do the same. Therefore, we reaffirm our support for a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget.’ Much as I would like to take credit for culling these snippets, I have condensed them from a recent posting on The Daily KOS. Have a great week-end.