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Social media erupted with mockery Sunday after the Republican National Committee announced that they were abandoning any efforts to debate, update, or adopt an official party platform at the Republican National Convention, which kicks off Monday, deriding the decision as the latest example of the GOP’s sacrifices of their principles to a Trumpian cult of personality.
The RNC announces there will be no GOP platform for the convention — just support for Trump’s second-term agenda, whatever that is https://t.co/P5RkqdsfDV
— Blake News (@blakehounshell) August 24, 2020
The decision was announced in a resolution released by the RNC on Sunday, and cited how the party had “significantly scaled back the size and scope” of the convention due to the pandemic, and so the 2020 convention would adjourn without adopting a new platform. Instead, the RNC “will continue to enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda.”
“All platforms are snapshots of the historical contexts in which they are born, and parties abide by their policy priorities, rather than their political rhetoric,” the resolution said, going on to say that if the Platform Committee had met, it “would have undoubtedly unanimously agreed to reassert the Party’s strong support for President Donald Trump and his Administration.”
The resolution also made several swipes at the media for “outrageously misrepresent[ing] the implications” of the RNC skipping the whole platform process.
Twitter blithely ignored the RNC’s scolding and had an absolute field day mocking the party, especially coming on the heels of the news that the convention’s key note speakers primarily consisted of people who share a last name with President Donald Trump. Many, many tweets criticized the Republican Party as having dissolved into a cult of personality.
50% of the speakers are named Trump https://t.co/hiTnYhRYkv
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) August 22, 2020
“If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.” – Eisenhower https://t.co/b4FyOyzfz7
— Walter Olson 😷 (@walterolson) August 24, 2020
Our platform is Trumpism.
Pls be nice to us media.
—The RNC pic.twitter.com/SLYbEyT8PC
— Jim Swift (@JimSwiftDC) August 24, 2020
The Republican party will not release a platform during the 2020 RNC convention.
Their resolution is to follow and support whatever Donald Trump says the party should do, and to resolve that the media should be nicer to them.
This should be a fun week. pic.twitter.com/GJN0Dm14wv
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) August 24, 2020
The Republicans, in 2020, for the first time, have no platform. Instead: “RESOLVED, That the Republican Party has and will continue to enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda.” It’s no longer the Republican party. It’s a Trump cult.https://t.co/BATeUiXRYu
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) August 23, 2020
I sell the things you need to be
I’m the smiling face on your T.V.
I’m the cult of personality
I exploit you still you love me
I tell you one and one makes three
I’m the cult of personality https://t.co/iKNhJKBtOI— Sarah Rumpf (@rumpfshaker) August 24, 2020
There’s no better metaphor for what Trump has done to the Republican Party. No principles, no solutions; it’s simply a cult of personality. https://t.co/eQbzmibuEo
— Corie Whalen (@CorieWhalen) August 24, 2020
My favorite part of the RNC platform is that there’s nothing in it.https://t.co/fRWuVtZtU3 pic.twitter.com/ARctbBXWNb
— Molly Jong-Fast🏡 (@MollyJongFast) August 23, 2020
So …. the RNC platform is that they have no agenda beyond whatever Trump decides to back on any given day?
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) August 24, 2020
The transformation is complete. The national Republican Party no longer holds any official policy views. It is declaring itself a personality cult and vehicle for Donald Trump. For those on the right who’ve long fought for ideals & principles, the GOP has become a joke. https://t.co/ULH3P658qB
— Brian Riedl 🧀 (@Brian_Riedl) August 24, 2020
Over time parties taken over by authoritarians lose identity apart from the leader- their resources and time are monopolized by the need to defend him no matter what he says or does. https://t.co/s33CslP0tW
— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) August 24, 2020
For your entertainment, we’ll leave you with Living Colour’s 1988 hit, “Cult of Personality.”
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Originally published: 2020-08-24 02:44:08