Why Party Platform Matters

A friend once told me that he turned 18 during a presidential election year and didn't know which party to support. His uncle had a novel solution: He took the Democratic and Republican platforms, tore the covers off each, and then asked his nephew to read them both and decide which one made more sense. My friend did so, and he found the Republican platform more appealing. He would eventually become a lifelong Republican and a senior official in the George W. Bush administration.