The Democrats' platform: More radical than the GOP's?

Democrats gathered for their national convention have unveiled a platform that, like President Obama, calls for raising taxes on the super rich and reaffirms the party's support for abortion rights. The Democrats, for the first time, also added a plank supporting same-sex marriage, reflecting an evolution on the issue similar to Obama's. Republicans, whose platform drew fire for hard-line planks on abortion, immigration, and other issues, blasted the Democrats' platform, saying it was more extreme than theirs. Which party's platform is further removed from the thinking of mainstream America?

The Democrats are the real radicals: Obama's lapdogs in the media were quick to label every GOP stand as "extremism," says Jennifer Rubin at The Washington Post. Predictably, they're silent on the Democrats' platform, even though it's the one that's truly "radical." In one plank, Democrats oppose any restrictions on abortion — that means no to parental consent and yes to partial-birth abortion — and call taxpayer-funded abortion a "right." Talk about extreme.

"The Democrats' radical platform"

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Democrats are merely standing up for equality: Defending the rights of gay Americans might seem radical to Republicans, says Lester Brathwaite at Queerty, but that's only because Democrats are "the first major political party to do so." Of course, adding platform planks supporting same-sex marriage and opposing workplace discrimination against gays won't necessarily result in "real life" changes. Still, it's nice to have it in writing.

"Democrats expected to officially back gay marriage in today's platform"

If anyone's going overboard, it's the GOP: Both parties' platforms have planks that the center won't like, says The Denver Post in an editorial. The Democrats, for example, should offset their call for higher taxes with pledges to cut spending. Their support for gay marriage, however, keeps them in sync with shifting public opinion. The Republicans, however, with their hardened abortion stand and other far-right views, offered "a deep red platform" to a decidedly "purple nation."

"What platforms say about parties"