As the Republican convention in Cleveland begins, the GOP and Democratic platforms for the 2016 presidential election are complete. They sit on either side of a vast ideological gulf. Perusal of the two sets of policies reveals that on issues that are staples of the campaign trail – such as immigration and gay marriage – the two parties are now further apart than ever before.

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Immigration

The Democratic platform urges the passage of a pathway to citizenship for the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants who live in the US. It also commits to defending and implementing Barack Obama’s executive orders on immigration – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) – which provided temporary relief from deportation for millions of undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children, known as Dreamers, and undocumented immigrant parents of US citizens and lawful permanent residents. The party also explicitly promises “to end raids and round-ups of children and families” and pushes for government-funded counsel for unaccompanied children arriving in the US while fleeing violence in regions such as Central America.

In a direct rebuke of the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, the platform also states it “will not stand for the divisive and derogatory language”. Speaking to Trump’s remarks about Muslims, it also rejects any attempt to impose a religious test on immigrants or refugees seeking entry into the US.

In contrast, the Republican platform explicitly states: “We support building a wall along our southern border and protecting all ports of entry. The border wall must cover the entirety of the southern border and must be sufficient to stop both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.”

There is no explicit mention of whether Mexico will pay for the wall, as Trump promises, but it does make clear that this will be physical barrier, not a virtual one, as some Republicans, such as the former Texas governor Rick Perry, have suggested.

LGBT rights



The Democratic party reiterates its support for same-sex marriage as a constitutional right of every American, while noting the progress yet to be made in advancing LGBT rights. Democrats vow to fight for nondiscrimination laws at the federal level, measures designed to push back state-level religious freedom laws which progressives say seek to bar services to LGBT individuals and enable workplace discrimination. The language of the Democratic platform makes a specific reference to transgender people and the need to protect them from violence, while also making a pledge to promote LGBT rights around the world.



Republicans repeatedly rejected efforts to even mention LGBT Americans by name in their platform. Instead, the GOP includes a defense of “natural marriage” and even embraces “conversion therapy”, the controversial and widely banned practice of trying to convert LGBT individuals to being heterosexual.

Environment

The Republican platform on the environment is brief and praises coal as an “abundant, clean, affordable, reliable domestic energy resource”. The Democratic platform contains a comprehensive section dedicated to combating climate change and expanding clean energy policies. Describing climate change as “an urgent threat and a defining challenge of our time”, Democrats restate their support for the agenda put forward by Obama: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions more than 80% compared with 2005 levels by 2050 and to meet the president’s commitment to the landmark Paris Agreement.

The platform also stands by Obama’s clean power plan, which put in place new regulations on coal-fired power plants and remains stalled by the courts, and promises to defend, implement and even extend its energy efficiency standards. The platform expresses support for Obama’s decision to reject the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. It also mentions this year’s crisis over lead in drinking water in Flint, Michigan, and vows to redouble efforts to prevent such pollution disasters. The party also states its opposition to drilling in the Arctic and off the Atlantic coast and its advocacy for policies and investments to keep America’s public lands public.

Washington DC

The role of the District of Columbia in American politics has become a partisan issue in recent decades, and the two platforms showed a major divide over whether the more than 600,000 residents of Washington DC should have any voice in federal politics. Democrats proclaim: “Restoring our democracy also means finally passing statehood for Washington DC, so that its citizens have full and equal congressional rights as well as the right to have the laws and budget of their local government respected without Congressional interference.”

In contrast, Republicans attack the District for attempting to “seize budget authority from Congress” and rail against DC politicians for attempting to enact local gun control laws.

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…and the other stuff, including pornography

Platforms often contain provisions used to appeal to small but ardent constituencies within each party. Some of the most peculiar this year include an effort by the GOP to target pornography as a “public health crisis”, and to condemn any public policy incentives for unmarried couples to cohabit. The Republicans also endorse deeply controversial policies such as forcing states to assume control of federally owned land, an action that could cause major dislocation in the west.

For the Democrats, there is a significant beefing up of policies long sought by progressives. The platform backs a public option in the healthcare law and allowing individuals 55 and over to buy into Medicare. It also sides with Bernie Sanders on several issues – most notably his call for a $15 federal minimum wage and to expand social security. Another big victory for the Vermont senator and his supporters is the party’s commitment to tuition-free education at in-state public colleges and universities for all those making less than $125,000 a year. The party also takes aim at the financial industry, with a pledge to break up banks that are “too big to fail”, and to limit the revolving door between Wall Street and Washington.