RNC Chairman’s Preamble:
The 2012 Republican Platform is a statement ofwho we are and what we believe as a Party and ourvision for a stronger and freer America. The pursuit of opportunity has defined Americafrom our very beginning. This is a land of opportunity. The American Dream is a dream of equal opportunity for all. And the Republican Party is theparty of opportunity.
Today, that American Dream is at risk
Our nation faces unprecedented uncertaintywith great fiscal and economic challenges, and underthe current Administration has suffered through thelongest and most severe economic downturn sincethe Great Depression.
Many Americans have experienced the burdenof lost jobs, lost homes, and lost hopes. Our middleclass has felt that burden most acutely. Meanwhile,the federal government has expanded its size andscope, its borrowing and spending, its debt anddeficit. Federalism is threatened and liberty retreats.For the world, this has been four years of lostAmerican leadership, leadership that depends uponeconomic vitality and peace through strength.
Put simply: The times call for trustworthy leadership and honest talk about the challenges we face.Our nation and our people cannot afford the statusquo. We must begin anew, with profound changes inthe way government operates; the way it budgets,taxes, and regulates. Jefferson’s vision of a “wise andfrugal government” must be restored.
Providence has put us at the fork in the road,and we must answer the question: If not us, who? If not now, when?