GOP Convention, Presidential Election Update: July 20, 2016

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After some initial GOP Party miscues, the convention this week is showing some progress on key topics, including nominations and the party platform. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on an expected vice presidential selection by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who signaled she would make an announcement Friday.

— The Republican Party officially picked Donald Trump on Tuesday as its presidential nominee. Trump received 1,725 delegates, easily surpassing the 1,237 delegate threshold needed to clinch the nomination, but with the most delegates opposed to the Republican nominee in 40 years. The businessman and former Democrat, who bested 16 candidates during a volatile primary, is set to formally accept the nomination Thursday evening.

Delegates also nominated Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. Pence is a staunch social conservative and former congressman.

— GOP platform brings party in line with Trump on trade policy. The Republican platform endorses a trade policy more closely in line with statements made by the party’s presidential nominee Donald Trump than with the party’s 2012 platform. The new platform calls for “better negotiated trade agreements that put America first,” adding that a Republican president will “insist on parity in trade and stand ready to implement countervailing duties if other countries refuse to cooperate.” The Republican Party has often supported multilateral trade in the past, and the 2012 platform said a Republican president would complete negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership.

— Republicans target food stamps, labeling rules in party platform. A Republican-controlled gov’t would work to roll back rules requiring nutrition labels on restaurant menus and other federal mandates, as part of a broad agriculture policy agenda that also recommends stripping administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) from USDA.

The platform highlights party opposition to mandatory labeling rules for genetically modified food products.

— Republican platform would significantly impact EPA, climate action. Major features of President Barack Obama’s climate change strategy, ranging from rules to curb emissions from power plants to international agreements to combat the problem, would be gutted under the Republican Party’s 2016 platform.

The platform calls for the EPA to be transformed into an independent commission, endorses an “immediate halt” to United Nations efforts on climate change, condemns any calls for a carbon tax and pledges to do away with regulatory efforts to clarify the scope of the Clean Water Act. The platform also calls on Congress to “reclaim its constitutional powers from the bureaucratic state.” Congressional approval should be required before major new regulations take effect, it says.

— Glass-Steagall restoration floated. The Republican platform calls for restoring the Glass-Steagall law that separated commercial-banking and securities activities at Wall Street firms, an unexpected departure from House Republicans’ agenda. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle didn’t readily embrace the idea of restoring the law.

— Clinton VP watch. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) “have emerged as the leading candidates on a longer list of finalists Clinton is considering for her vice-presidential running mate,” according to the Washington Post.

The New York Times reported retired Navy Admiral James Stavridis and Kaine are the two on the short list, with Clinton “telling several potential running mates that she needs a No. 2 who would bring national security experience to the Democratic ticket.”

NOTE: This column is copyrighted material; therefore reproduction or retransmission is prohibited under U.S. copyright laws.