This may not be an original thought, but the parties might want to consider getting rid of platforms altogether, as they seem to accomplish nothing aside from causing trouble for the party’s presidential nominee and creating awkward intra-party controversies. The latest example: In Charlotte this evening, the DNC grudgingly held a vote on whether to acknowledge that the party considers Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel after the Romney campaign attacked President Obama for the absence of such a declaration. But when a voice vote of the delegates was held, the ayes appeared to fall far short of the required two-thirds majority required for passage. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the convention’s chairman, tried two more times, but the vote remained about even. So Villaraigosa just decided that the motion had passed. And then he was booed. Another magical platform moment!
