Bush as Truman

It used to be that the Republicans issued platforms made up of bland generalizations, calculated to offend no one, while Democrats loaded their manifestos with specific planks— all those promises needed to hold together their winning coalition. This year, the roles are reversed. The Democrats fashioned a 3,500-word document devoid of any specifics that might have irked some part of their constituency—a signal that the Democrats now know they no longer command a winning coalition.

In contrast, the GOP’s New Orleans platform shows that the Republicans have confidence in the ability of their coalition to win, and are not afraid to cement that coalition with whatever promises are deemed necessary. Specific planks on issues ranging from child support to drug enforcement to SDI to military preparedness all send the same message: that the GOP has embraced Reaganism as the key to its status as a governing party.

JM

About the Author

John McLaughlin

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Presidential Election

Conservatism

Margaret Thatcher

Britain

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

It used to be that the Republicans issued platforms made up of bland generalizations, calculated to offend no one, while Democrats loaded their manifestos with specific planks— all those promises needed to hold together their winning coalition. This year, the roles are reversed. The Democrats fashioned a 3,500-word document devoid of any specifics that might have irked some part of their constituency—a signal that the Democrats now know they no longer command a winning coalition.

In contrast, the GOP’s New Orleans platform shows that the Republicans have confidence in the ability of their coalition to win, and are not afraid to cement that coalition with whatever promises are deemed necessary. Specific planks on issues ranging from child support to drug enforcement to SDI to military preparedness all send the same message: that the GOP has embraced Reaganism as the key to its status as a governing party.