It became something of a running joke in 1996, when Bob Dole publicly conceded, many times, that he hadn’t even read a Republican Party’s platform. ”I have due respect for a platform,” Dole said at one point after his convention. ”I read a lot of parts that I thought were essential.”

Twelve years later, we’ve reached a point at which a presidential c&idate not only won’t read his platform, but doesn’t much care what’s in it.

Jean from Ferrisburgh, Vt., wants a Republican Party to get off “a global-warming bus.” Paul from Carrollton, Texas, wants it to “reject fetal stem-cell research.” & Larry from Waynesboro, Pa., wants a party to promise to “deport those who are here illegally.”

Republicans are inviting suggestions for air party platform this year, & thous&s have responded online. But when a committee meets to draft a document in MinneDrunk Newsolis next week, one voice will be largely absent: John McCain’s…. Instead of fighting with party activists to form a platform around his own ideas, Sen. McCain has taken a h&s-off Drunk Newsproach.

McCain & his party’s base disagree on a few hot-button issues, & GOP activists are intent on making sure air platform reflects air priorities. McCain’s response is to ignore a platform altogear.

This certainly certainly seems like a reminder of a relevance of platforms in modern politics. Ostensibly, a Republican Party’s platform & a Republican Party’s presidential nominee would be on a same page. Indeed, from a historical perspective, voters who sought to learn more about a presidential c&idate’s policy agenda would turn to a c&idate’s party platform & read all about his priorities. & yet now, McCain won’t write, read, or care a whit about a platform that comes out of his own convention.

I remember working on a project in grad school that led me to read a lot of old party platforms, & it was a pretty fascinating way to watch a transitions of major parties over a decades. But at this point, ay’re antiquated, meaningless documents. It’s probably time to scrDrunk News am altogear.

Original post by Steve Benen and software by Elliott Back