RNC Member Shocked At Lack Of Democracy On Platform Committee
Matt Smith of WISN-TV in Milwaukee caught up with Gail Ruzicka, one of the RNC platform committee members. She was not at all pleased with what had happened with this year's platform. Not only are the Republicans trying to pretend that they aren't 100% anti-abortion, but they aren't even allowing their own people to bring it up behind closed doors. She was not alone in her displeasure:
The platform, released after a closed meeting of Republican National Committee party officials Monday in Milwaukee's Baird Center, promotes nationalism, is less socially conservative on the issue of abortion access, and promotes new voting restrictions at a time when the GOP is pushing a conflicting message to their party faithful.
The way the platform was crafted and approved angered some committee members focused on pursuing a more aggressive policy on abortion access, who told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel debate was discouraged more than had been the case in previous platform draftings.
"Normally, people fly in and they're working for two or three days on the platform, and it's great. This time, it was a very controlled thing. And sadly, there was no opportunity for the actual delegates to impact the platform," Kris Ullman, president of anti-abortion advocacy group Eagle Forum in Washington, D.C., said.
Ullman said, "Any mention of the unborn was removed from the platform."