GOP, Cult Of Personality

Well, the Republican National Committee has made it official: They're a cult of personality.

Every (normal) year, the two major parties get a committee together that hammers out a party platform: a formal set of principal goals which are supported by the party. This year, the Democratic party did so, as usual; Google "2020 Democratic Party Platform" if you want to look at the 92-page PDF. It's a useful process, since competing wings of the party have to come up with a compromise document that will satisfy the party generally. 

The Republicans, on the other hand, have taken a different approach this year. They can't possibly agree on any part of a platform -- health care, immigration, the economy, climate change, foreign policy, trade policy -- literally anything. Why not? Because they have no idea where Trump stands on any of these issues today -- and even if they knew, chances are excellent he'll take a different position tomorrow.

So instead of coming up with a platform, they have instead essentially thrown up their hands and said, "BE IT RESOLVED THAT: We pledge allegiance to our Glorious Leader, Trump the Magnificent, and will do whatever he wants. Oh, and if you want to bring up an amendment to this resolution, fuhgeddaboudit."

 Here's the text of the document:

WHEREAS, the media has outrageously misrepresented the implications of the RNC not adopting a new platform in 2020 and continues to engage in misleading advocacy for the failed policies of the Obama-Biden Administration, rather than providing the public with unbiased reporting of facts; and

WHEREAS, The RNC enthusiastically supports President Trump and continues to reject the policy positions of the Obama-Biden Administration, as well as those espoused by the Democratic National Committee today; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Republican Party has and will continue to enthusiastically support the President's America-first agenda;

RESOVLVED, That the 2020 Republican National Convention will adjourn without adopting a new platform until the 2024 Republican National Convention;

RESOLVED, That the 2020 Republican National Convention calls on the media to engage in accurate and unbiased reporting, especially as it relates to the strong support of the RNC for President Trump and his Administration; and

RESOLVED, That any motion to amend the 2016 Platform or to adopt a new platform, including any motion to suspend the procedures that will allow doing so, will be ruled out of order.