GOP Convention — Loyalty Oath

There has been a lot of buzz about a loyalty oath in the platform passed at this weekend's State GOP Convention. At issue is the plank 7.9 which reads:

We believe candidates running as Republicans for any local or state office should be required to complete and return to the Republican Party of Iowa a signed questionnaire indicating whether the candidate agrees, disagrees or is undecided about each plank of the current party platform.

This plank absolutely calls for a loyalty oath. On the other hand neither RPI nor the State Central Committee will consider such a thing. Having served on countless platform committees, I can tell you that planks of this nature arise from a frustration among the grassroots Republicans who create the platform. This year as in years past, some candidates and party leaders have stated publicly that they have not even read the platform. 

So what good is the platform since I just said that as a SCC member I will not call for the party to enforce 7.9? The platform is the most comprehensive statement of what we as a party believe, having been vetted all the way from the precinct caucuses to the state convention. No document or statement can claim to represent the core values of this party more accurately than the platform.

I believe that the importance of the platform is in the core principles expressed in it year after year. Take a look at your old platforms and you will see that the mainstream of this party is pro-life, pro-gun, pro-business, pro-defense, etc.

In an ideal world all of our candidates and leaders would support these core principles. In the real world, while I do not support a mandated loyalty oath, I think it is fair for individual Republicans to ask them where they stand.

Comments

[oleoleole]

Good for you Dave. The Republican voters NOMINATE their preferred candidate and all Republicans should then rally behind them. In Davenport, they may nominate a liberal through the primary process. In Orange City, they may nominate a christian conservative through the process. It is the perogative of the candidate to say where they stand, and then let the Republicans of those areas decide to whom they will pledge their support. I say hooray for no loyalty oaths!