Something that always bothers me about campaign season is how many candidates get away with telling lies through a series of true statements—and how few voters catch what is happening. Does it sound impossible that someone could tell lies by speaking the truth? Here’s how it’s done.
Can you imagine what would have happened if the speakers at last week’s Republican National Convention had repeatedly called for something like the redefinition of the Second Amendment or doing away with “In God We Trust” on all our currency? I don’t think Republicans would have received it very well. Why? Well, most Republicans (and most Americans in general) favor the traditional understanding of the right to keep and bear arms, and the overwhelming majority of Americans self-identify as “Christian.” It stands to reason that most Republicans in this country would shy away from policy changes like that.
So why are so many of the speakers at the Democratic National Convention fixated on same-sex marriage and abortion?
Yesterday, we highlighted some key portions of the 2012 Democratic Party Platform dealing with homosexuality and abortion. Yesterday afternoon, the DNC made two amendments to the platform to include a reference to people’s “God-given potential” and recognize that Jerusalem is and shall remain the undivided capital of Israel.
I applaud these amendments by the DNC, but I was surprised by how controversial they appeared to be on the floor of the convention. Adopting the amendments required a two-thirds voice vote from the delegates; the chair took a vote three times before finally ruling that the “Ayes” carried and the amendments were adopted. Listening to the vote on TV, it’s difficult to gauge the sound of ayes and nays, but it sure sounded like the votes were more in the area of 50/50 than two-thirds, and a number of delegates can even be heard and seen booing the amendments.
Below is a video clip of the procedure.