How Do You Understand Political Party Platforms?
A political platform is a statement by a political party of their beliefs. The sections, or planks, of a party platform are re-examined and restated by delegates at the party’s Presidential Nominating Convention every 4 years. Political parties have only published platforms for the last hundred years or so, and if you visit the parties’ websites, you’ll find these ideas listed under the heading of “issues” or “platform.” Examine the platform to see how it is organized. Some have many small sections or “planks” and some only a few big ones, divided into smaller sections. Each section will have a heading or title, such as “Education” “The military”, “The environment” and so on. The headings might also be made as a statement like “The Purple Party believes that grapes hold the answer to economic development and the search for alternative fuels.” The statement should be followed by a number of points explaining their proposals in the areas of economic development and alternative fuels. The
