Platforms matter

I was thinking the other day how Christians are guided and led by a revealed, written book – the Bible. It is our source for inspiration and direction. Most importantly it reveals the identity, character, will and expectations of our Creator. It explains how to live in right relationship to Him and with humanity. Christians cannot know objective truth without understanding and knowing God as He chose to reveal Himself through scripture.

Both major political parties also have written words that they have published and seek to operate by. Their words are their “scripture,” so to speak. In political parlance, party principles are written down and everyone who seeks to follow their vision and guides know them as their party “platform.”

In these days of contested leadership and heated political partisanship, it is helpful to go back to organizing words. They reveal a lot about the writers and intentions behind the words. They reveal attitudes, perspectives and beliefs.

As you prepare to wade through debates, political primaries and an upcoming presidential election, it’s wise for you to take some time to understand each political party’s platform. It’s their scripture. No matter the sound bites on MSM or fancy speeches or indignant tweets politicians post about one another, when you understand a party’s principles in their platform, it becomes very clarifying about which most fits with your own belief system and values.

Be aware that each party writes their platform in a way to whitewash and convince. That’s one major distinction between these platforms and the Christian Bible (oh there are sooooooo many other distinctions). The Bible is unrelentingly honest about its characters and portrayals of its heroes. You’ll notice in the Democrat and Republican platforms below that they are less than honest about their own shortcomings. ¹ Everything for society’s ills is blamed on the “other.” In scripture, blame rests squarely on… me. On us.

It’s a bracingly refreshing and deeply honest reminder where truth ultimately lies.

As a reminder, each party platform is rewritten and voted on by the party prior to a presidential election.

The Democratic Party Platform

It was written in August 2020. Observers note that it was an amalgamation of points composed by Bernie Sanders’ camp and Joe Biden’s. It was a far left – moderate cooperation. Notably, some Democrats refused to sign it because it was more radically left than ever. I pointed out in the footnotes that it reads like a polemic against Trump more than a visionary, unifying document for the Party. It’s also the longest party platform in American history. ³

Here are its main points: ⁴)

• Protecting Americans and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic
• Building a stronger, fairer economy
• Achieving universal, affordable, quality healthcare
• Protecting communities and building trust by reforming our criminal justice system
• Creating a 21st immigration system
• Providing a world-class education in every zip code
• Renewing American leadership ⁵

You can download the 92-page document here.

The Republican Party Platform

It was written in 2016. Due to COVID restrictions, the Republican Convention in 2020 decided not to adopt a new platform, instead choosing to adhere to the 2016 platform that embraced then-candidate Trump’s “America First” agenda.

In spite of Trump running against the Obama “legacy,” President Obama is referenced only 10 times in the 67-page document (compared to Trump being mentioned 120 times in the 92-page Democrat platform document). The Clinton name (remember Trump was running against Hillary) is mentioned only five times.

Here are its main points:

• Restoring the American Dream
• A rebirth of Constitutional government
• America’s natural resources: agriculture, energy and the environment
• Government reform
• Great American families, education, healthcare, and criminal justice
• America resurgent ⁶

You can download the 67-page document here.

Comparisons

The Wisconsin Catholic Diocese of La Crosse published this helpful comparison, taking text directly from each party’s platforms:

The website Biblical Voter published this comparison:

Conclusions

It’s not up to me to help you draw conclusions. However, for me, I look at which party takes the most responsibility. Personal responsibility is a biblical principle. As scripture points out, we are all sinners, and therefore, we are each responsible for our own reactions, responses, and decisions.

• Is there a party which blames less and posits positive leadership that is unifying for the country?

I’m not a single issue voter. However, a party’s position on human life and its value is a swaying concern for me. A party’s position on the identity and source of personal rights is also a swaying concern.

The Declaration of Independence affirmed:

Our founders had it right. God is Creator, and as such, He has created all people equal in value. He has given humanity personal, unalienable rights that government exists to uphold, secure and protect. Government does not give rights. God has already done so. Government exists to serve, ⁷ and its leaders exist at the consent of the governed. To understand what rights God has given (what is self-evident), one must have a working knowledge of scripture and submit to its teaching.

• Which party recognizes God as the source, definer and defender or human rights?
• Which party understands/reveals that governments role is to serve the governed at their consent? Is there a party which seems to indicate that the people exist to serve the government?
• Which party values all human life – from God’s initiative in conception to to God’s initiative in death?

Finally, I look at fiscal responsibility. On this, I’m not convinced either our existing parties has a sound financial understanding. The U.S. Debt Clock indicates our current debt is over $32 trillion, which means that each citizen is responsible for over $97,000.

The Treasury Department paid a record $213 billion in interest payments on the national debt in the last quarter of 2022, up $63 billion from the same period a year earlier.

The fourth-quarter tab was also nearly $30 billion more than in the prior quarter, which is the largest quarterly increase on record. ⁸

In On Trump’s Candidacy, I said:

I’m not a Republican. Though I love politics, I am disgusted with both parties, though not equally and for different reasons. However, there is no way at present that I could ever support a Democrat candidate without major national party platform overhaul.

Party platform matters.

It reveals party character. In 2012, the Democrats made national headlines when their convention removed all references to God. When national derision and scorn set in for their complete detachment of the Creator (which seemed a willful rejection of the Founder’s intent), they reversed course the next day and reinstated a “God-phrase” (many booed that vote, and it was disputed ⁹ ). However, they certainly didn’t embrace a recognition of God as being active in the affairs of humanity. It was simply a phrase to deflect criticism and attempt to appease.

Even the liberal Politifact website had to acknowledge:

“The party’s platform has had fewer references to God in recent years: three in 2016 and one reference each in 2008, 2012 and 2020, compared with seven in 2004.” ¹⁰

In Indiana Jones and the Search for the Holy Grail, the crusader knight tells Indy that he has to find the grail among all the glittering chalices in the room. “You must choose. But choose wisely,” he said.

Platforms matter. Choose wisely.

1. In the Democrats’ published 92-page party platform, President Trump is mentioned on 57 of its pages. He is mentioned by name 120 times – all negatively, and every single mention is to cast blame on the current ills of the country.[↩]
2. Romans 3:10-12, 23[↩]
3. See the American Presidency Project for historical analysis and some helpful information.

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4. Each platform point should be read in light of the larger platform document. The bullet points are buzzwords. (i.e., for the Democrats “universal, affordable, quality healthcare” = no-restriction abortion and healthcare for non-citizens[↩]
5. Democrat National Committee website – Party Platform.[↩]
6. Republican National Committee website[↩]
7. See Romans 13:1-7 for a scriptural theology on human government.[↩]
8. The US is paying a record amount of interest on its debt. It’s only going to get worse, by Tami Luhby (CNN: February 14, 2023)

   See also:

   • 5 facts about the U.S. national debt, by Drew Desilver (Pew Research Center: February 14, 2023) [↩]
   • Did Democrats really boo God? Not quite. It’s worse than that. by Phil Lawler (Catholic Culture: September 6, 2012) [↩]
   • Democratic Party’s 2020 platform includes mention God, by Monique Cure (Politifact: November 2, 2020) in response to “Dems have removed any mention of ‘God’ from their Platform.”[↩]