{"id":2288778,"date":"2024-07-03T16:09:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T20:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/delegate-trump-to-gut-platform-and-make-abortion-a-state-issue\/"},"modified":"2024-07-03T16:13:00","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T20:13:00","slug":"delegate-trump-to-gut-platform-and-make-abortion-a-state-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/delegate-trump-to-gut-platform-and-make-abortion-a-state-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"Delegate: Trump To Gut Platform And Make Abortion A &#8216;State Issue&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdelegate-trump-to-gut-platform-and-make-abortion-a-state-issue%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2288778&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Republican National Committee\u2062 is planning\u200c to \u200creduce its platform by roughly half and refocus the pro-life\u2063 provisions to treat abortion as a state \u2064issue, \u200daccording to\u200d delegate\u2064 Tony Perkins, chairman\u2063 of\u200c Family Research Council Action. The changes to the platform process have raised concerns among <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americans-remember-the-48th-annual-march-for-life\/\" title=\"Americans remember the 48th annual March for Life\">pro-life advocates<\/a> about potential watering down of the party&#8217;s pro-life\u200d stance. The\u2062 Trump campaign seems to be directing \u2063the platform proceedings, with some fearing that the platform may be shortened to just a few pages of meaningless talking points. Conservative groups have responded by urging delegates to support pro-life planks and vote\u2062 down \u2063any platform that weakens the party&#8217;s commitment \u200bto the cause of life. The potential\u2063 consequences of these changes\u200d remain to be seen as the RNC platform is set to go \u200dpublic Sunday night.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Republican National Committee is planning to reduce its platform by roughly half and refocus the pro-life provisions to treat abortion as a state issue, according to delegate Tony Perkins, chairman of Family Research Council Action.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe life issue is changing. They\u2019re scaling everything back, cutting the platform in about half \u00a0\u00a0\u2014 which when you start cutting it in half, you\u2019re going to start losing something,\u201d Perkins told The Federalist. \u201cThey\u2019ve been very forthright on this, that the life plank is going to be substantially changed so that it reflects where the former president is, on this being a state issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The party\u2019s current platform includes <a href=\"https:\/\/prod-cdn-static.gop.com\/media\/documents\/DRAFT_12_FINAL%5B1%5D-ben_1468872234.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">provisions<\/a> that call for the protection of unborn children based upon the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution\u2019s Fifth and 14th Amendments. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe call that has been in the platform since the mid \u201980s for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-conservatives-cant-get-good-laws-how-can-they-run-an-article-v-convention\/\" title=\"If Conservatives Can\u2019t Get Good Laws, How Can They Run An Article V Convention?\">human life amendment<\/a> is not in the document,\u201d Perkins said. <\/p>\n<p>The 2016 <a href=\"https:\/\/prod-cdn-static.gop.com\/media\/documents\/DRAFT_12_FINAL%5B1%5D-ben_1468872234.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">platform<\/a>, also used in 2020, is 58 pages.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccording to what they communicated to delegates,\u201d Perkins said, \u201cit could be half that, could be less.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Recent rumors and calls to shorten the platform have been concerning pro-life advocates something like this might happen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe have heard that the pro-life language, which has been basically the same since 1984, will likely change or be cut,\u201d Kris Ullman, president of Eagle Forum, told The Federalist Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n<p>Danielle Alvarez, a spokeswoman for the Trump campaign, told The Federalist on Tuesday the platform committee had not yet decided on any language.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe platform committee has yet to convene to discuss what language should be in the final document,\u201d Alvarez said. <\/p>\n<p>Eagle Forum Executive Director Tabitha Walter confirmed there has been an internal conflict between individuals in the RNC and the Trump campaign over keeping the platform\u2019s existing pro-life provisions. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt in my mind that those conversations are happening on a regular basis, and that certain members of the RNC and the Trump campaign aren\u2019t necessarily unified or finding consensus on this issue,\u201d Walter said Tuesday.<\/p>\n<h2>Changing the Process<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>According to Perkins, the party\u2019s rules governing the platform process have changed greatly from those of the past, which <a href=\"https:\/\/prod-cdn-static.gop.com\/docs\/2016-Republican-Rules-FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dictated<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/prod-static.gop.com\/media\/Rules_Of_The_Republican_Party.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">open meetings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe process remains a big concern that we\u2019ll have a fair opportunity to actually amend the document,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cThis is what\u2019s concerning, is that if you don\u2019t operate according to the established rules, and you just kind of do what you want, there\u2019s no fairness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perkins said he thinks the new process will obscure responsibility for any changes. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cCongress controlled by the Left wanted to silence opposition and keep people from bringing amendments to the floor and fully debating policy. That\u2019s what the left does,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cBut now we see the Republican Party doing the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Walter said she feels the RNC and Trump campaign have closed the platform process to outside groups, so they have been operating based on rumors. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>According to Ullman, the committee and subcommittee meetings are closed to the press, and it is unclear how to attend with a guest pass. <\/p>\n<p>Tom McClusky is representing CatholicVote at the proceedings. He said he trained under Phyllis Schlafly and has worked on the RNC platform since 2004, and this is the first time he can recall outside groups not being allowed into the platform committee or subcommittees. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOutside groups aren\u2019t going to be allowed into the committee process or subcommittee process, which is extremely troubling because that\u2019s usually where the pro-life language has been refined and protected,\u201d McClusky said. \u201cThe actions they are taking do not fill me full of hope, especially blocking any outside groups from participating in the platform. I think good things don\u2019t happen behind closed doors.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>He also said one of the platform\u2019s usual authors is not involved this year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is one gentleman who\u2019s written the platform every year since 1980 except for 2004. He\u2019s not involved. That is extremely troubling,\u201d McClusky said. \u201cAnd 2004 was probably the worst platform we\u2019ve had since 1980.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>McClusky said he has not seen any platform language, so is not sure the direction of current discussions. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe campaign has a lot of solid pro-lifers within it, and some who are involved in this project,\u201dMcClusky noted. <\/p>\n<h2>A \u2018Streamlined\u2019 Platform<\/h2>\n<p>The Trump campaign sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/trump-campaign-memo-signals-plans-reduce-national-gop\/story?id=111547663\">memo<\/a> from Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles to the platform committee June 27, dictating a \u201cstreamlined platform in line with President Trump\u2019s principled and popular vision for America\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is incumbent upon us to ensure our policy commitments to the American people are clear, concise, and easily digestible for every voter,\u201d reads the memo, obtained by The Federalist. \u201cWe look forward to working with the Republican National Convention\u2019s Platform Committee to pass an America First platform that guides and steers our party and, indeed, our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Ullman, the Trump campaign seems to be directing platform proceedings. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt appears that people inside the Trump campaign are calling the shots to the RNC, which conveys it to the delegates,\u201d Ullman said. <\/p>\n<p>Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council Action and a delegate to the platform committee, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/social-conservatives-push-trump-back-federal-role-abortion-2024-07-02\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> RNC Chair Michael Whatley on Monday to <a href=\"https:\/\/downloads.frc.org\/EF\/EF24G33.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">oppose<\/a> a gag rule on deliberations that he said \u201crestricts access to the deliberations of the various committees and subcommittees to only the credentialed delegates of those committees.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis Gag Rule cannot reflect the position of President Trump, who has been the target of these types of tactics from the Left, who want to silence their opponents. Nothing can be more un-American,\u201d Perkins wrote. \u201cThe RNC gag rule heightens speculation that the GOP platform will be watered down to a few pages of meaningless, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-kat-cammack-gop-immigration-policies-should-put-americans-first\/\" title=\"Exclusive--Kat Cammack: GOP Immigration Policies Should Put Americans First\">poll-tested talking points<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>McClusky said that while it appears the RNC will shorten its platform, it is unclear by exactly how much.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they\u2019re talking about shortening it to one page, I think that\u2019s a problem because then you\u2019re a party that doesn\u2019t really stand for anything,\u201d McClusky said. \u201cI think the last <a href=\"https:\/\/prod-cdn-static.gop.com\/media\/documents\/DRAFT_12_FINAL%5B1%5D-ben_1468872234.pdf\">platform<\/a> was 60 pages. If they wanted to make that 30 pages, I wouldn\u2019t argue with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>If the RNC abridges or cuts pro-life provisions from its platform, McClusky said he thinks it could be an attempt to appeal to more voters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand why they\u2019re cautious. They wrongly might not perceive pro-life to be a winner right now,\u201d McClusky said. \u201cThe Republican Party is the party for life, it has been since 1980, and we work to bring around a culture that celebrates life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Conservative Groups Respond<\/h2>\n<p>Advancing American Freedom, a conservative nonprofit, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/advancingamericanfreedom.com\/aaf-pro-life-letter-to-delegates\/\">letter<\/a> to RNC convention delegates July 1 <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2024\/07\/01\/exclusive-advancing-american-freedom-warns-rnc-delegates-pro-life-positions\/\">reported<\/a> by The Daily Caller that there have been rumors \u201csome in the party want to wash their hands of the fight for life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith rumors of secret, closed-door meetings and some in the party wishing to weaken our pro-life positions, we felt the need to directly address this issue,\u201d the release reads. \u201cWe encourage you to support pro-life planks and vote down any platform that weakens the party\u2019s commitment to the cause of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America issued a press release July 2, saying it has been seeking assurances that the Trump campaign would not \u201cgut\u201d the platform\u2019s pro-life provisions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are now just two business days away from the platform committee meeting and no assurances have been made. Instead, every indication is that the campaign will muscle through changes behind closed doors,\u201d wrote SBA President Marjorie Dannenfelser in the <a href=\"https:\/\/sbaprolife.org\/newsroom\/press-releases\/sba-leader-weakening-gops-pro-life-platform-would-be-a-miscalculation\">release<\/a>. \u201cIf the Trump campaign decides to remove national protections for the unborn in the GOP platform, it would be a miscalculation that would hurt party unity and destroy pro-life enthusiasm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The FRC announced the same day a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.frcaction.org\/frcaction2015\/family-research-council-action-announces-platform-integrity-project-an-open-process-that-protects-the-pro-life-pro-family-and-pro-israel-platform\">Platform Integrity Project<\/a>\u201d to maintain pro-life, pro-family, and pro-Israel positions in the RNC platform. Groups involved include the American Principles Project, Faith Wins, Family Policy Alliance, Liberty Counsel Action, and Wallbuilders. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe message to platform committee delegates is clear: preserve life and family values in the Republican Party platform so that social conservatives can continue to find a home in the GOP,\u201d Perkins wrote in the release. <\/p>\n<h2>Potential Consequences<\/h2>\n<p>The RNC platform will likely go public Sunday night, according to McClusky. He said any delays would raise more concerns. Perkins said recent procedural changes would make delays a possibility.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey release it Sunday night so the delegates can read through it and create any amendments that they need to,\u201d McClusky said. \u201cIf they decide not to give it to them until Monday morning, it means the fix is in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McClusky compared the platform to a game of \u201cJenga,\u201d which involves removing planks from a tower while trying to keep it upright.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cYou start taking away those Jenga pieces,\u201d McClusky said, \u201cand eventually the pro-life movement is going to catch on that we\u2019re not welcome here.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Perkins said this platform change will not push the pro-life base to vote for Democrats, but it will make campaign efforts more difficult.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cIt dampens enthusiasm, where people are not as motivated to make phone calls, knock on doors and talk to their friends,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cThey\u2019re spending time answering questions, \u2018Why did the party do this? What\u2019s going on?\u2019 So instead of spending their time in a positive way, it\u2019s on the defensive.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/04\/18\/1198911276\/trump-stance-abortion-2024-election-republican-pro-life-change\">won<\/a> 2016 in part because of his pro-life stance, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/short-reads\/2016\/11\/09\/how-the-faithful-voted-a-preliminary-2016-analysis\/\">more than 80 percent<\/a> of what Pew Research described as \u201cwhite, born-again\/evangelical Christians\u201d \u2014 and the majority of other self-identifying Christians \u2014 voting for him, according to Pew Research. <\/p>\n<p>Trump may be adjusting his messaging to capture more moderates in a post-<em>Dobbs<\/em> America, but he risks losing enthusiasm from the voter bloc that initially helped place him in office. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>      Logan Washburn is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-clark-county-keeps-commercial-addresses-on-voter-rolls\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Clark County Keeps Commercial Addresses On Voter Rolls\">staff writer covering election integrity<\/a>. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo&#8217;s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Republican National Committee is planning to significantly reduce the length of its platform and shift the focus of pro-life provisions to treat abortion as a state issue, according to Tony Perkins, chairman of Family Research Council Action. Perkins expressed concerns that this change may result in the loss of important elements from the platform. The party&#8217;s current platform includes protections for unborn children based on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, but these may be altered or removed. There have been rumors and concerns among pro-life advocates about potential changes to the platform. The platform process has also changed, with closed meetings and limited access for outside groups, raising further concerns about transparency and fairness. The Trump campaign is said to be directing the platform proceedings, aiming for a more concise and streamlined platform. Conservative groups have expressed worries about potential weakening of pro-life positions in the platform. The platform is expected to be made public on Sunday night, with any delays raising more concerns. Perkins and others believe that changes to the platform may dampen enthusiasm among the pro-life base and make campaign efforts more challenging. Trump&#8217;s pro-life stance was a significant factor in his 2016 victory, and any adjustments to this messaging may impact his support among certain voter demographics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":2288779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ultrasound.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4310,33689,3987,33835,3634],"class_list":["post-2288778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-abortion","tag-delegate","tag-platform","tag-state-issue","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ultrasound.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2288778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2288778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2288778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2288779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2288778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2288778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2288778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}