Will Romney’s coronation as nominee be marred by a nasty platform fight?
by Jayel Aheram
Despite winning no states or even a significant number of delegates, supporters of Rep. Ron Paul are gearing up for a major war of ideas at the Republican National Convention which takes places next week starting Aug. 27 in Tampa, Fla. In the center of the ideological conflict is the official Republican Party platform to be approved during that convention—and potentially problematic for presumptive nominee Mitt Romney if Paul supporters have their way.
The official platform cements the policies and priorities for the GOP for the next four years and includes policy prescriptions for issues of national importance such as the economy, foreign affairs, and as well as wedge issues to capture influential voting blocs such as social values voters and pro-life groups who have been historically dominant voices in the party. The platform theoretically dictates the actions of its members, including the presidential nominee, once approved at the convention. For Romney—as unlikely as it will be—it might mean running on an antiwar or anti-indefinite detention platform if the notoriously energetic Paul contingent actually manages to win some of their platform battles.
In addition to the edited Election 2012 tag, Tumblr has also launched a special Election blog, and will be sending three bloggers to each convention! Here’s one of the first posts, from Jayel Aheram, who is heading to Tampa for Tumblr.
