AAF: Calling Balls and Strikes on the RNC Platform

July 9, 2024 AAF: Calling Balls and Strikes on the RNC Platform

GOOD: Calls for making the Trump-Pence Tax Cuts permanent, unleashing American energy, securing the border, and ending overregulation.

• Calls for a Reaganesque peace through strength foreign policy approach to “end global chaos” (7) • Pledges to stop men from participating in women’s sports. (15) • Opposes packing the Supreme Court. (15) • Supports “Universal School Choice in every State in America.” (13) • Endorses revitalizing marriage and the beauty of families by ending anti-family policies. (14) • Prevents taxpayer funded schools from promoting “gender transitions.” (15) BAD: Supports tariffs, fails to address China’s quest for global domination, removes previous language supporting Ukraine and Taiwan.

• Supports broad-based tariffs against “foreign producers,” including allies, and rejects a fundamental tenet of free trade. (11)

o AAF MEMO: A universal 10% tariff is estimated to cost 505k American jobs and more

than $300BB a year. • Mentions China just 4x without a clear plan to confront our greatest geopolitical foe. • The only mention of Ukraine is, “Prevent World War Three [and] Restore Peace in Europe...” while failing to mention Taiwan or measures promulgating peace. (4) UGLY: Silent on TikTok, waters down federal protections on life, removes previous stance that marriage is between a one man and one woman, and fails to address much-needed “entitlement” reform.

• Fails to address TikTok and the Chinese Communist Party spying on Americans.

o V.P. Pence op-ed “TikTok is Digital Fentanyl”. • Weakens the platform’s previously strong pro-life stance: (15)

o Celebrates a state-by-state approach to abortion, rewarding abortion extremists for

pushing radical ballot initiatives. o Only condemns “Late Term Abortion,” meaning that Republicans apparently are as soft

as most Democrats on the life issue.

▪ 99% of abortions occur before 21 weeks. o The word “abortion” appears only once, as opposed to 35 times in the 2016 platform.

▪ AAF MEMO: "Remain vigilant" on life. • Rejects common sense reforms for Social Security and Medicare to ensure long-term solvency. • Essentially ignores the definition of marriage and the protection of traditional views that the Conservative movement has held for all of human history. BOTTOMLINE: The new RNC platform maintains and supports many of the accomplishments of the Trump-Pence Administration. However, the document retreats on life and global leadership, while neglecting to flesh out the Republican Party’s positions on a number of issues, as opposed to previous iterations. Additional Resources:

• TikTok is digital fentanyl and Congress, Biden must act before it's too late • The New Republican Platform Must Not Abandon Conservatism • Don’t Abandon the Conservative Case for American Global Leadership • AAF: Biden’s 20% Inflation Is Crushing American Families • A Family-focused Fusionism | National Affairs • New report from Pence details threats from regulatory state

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