September 4, 2012

In comparing the latest editions of the two major political party platforms, the GOP continues to embrace the goal of official English, while the Democrats downplay the role of English in American life and limit their references to language assimilation to the context of "paths to citizenship" for illegal immigrants.

In the section entitled, "The Rule of Law: Legal Immigration," (p. 26), the 2012 Republican Party Platform includes a plank that supports establishing English as the official language of the United States:

We are grateful to the thousands of new immigrants, many of them not yet citizens, who are serving in the Armed Forces. Their patriotism should encourage us all to embrace the newcomers legally among us, assist their journey to full citizenship, and help their communities avoid isolation from the mainstream of society. To that end, while we encourage the retention and transmission of heritage tongues, we support English as the nation’s official language, a unifying force essential for the educational and economic advancement of—not only immigrant communities— but also our nation as a whole.

The GOP platform also endorses the English Immersion, or "English First," approach to teaching school students who are English Language Learners ("Consumer Choice in Education," p. 36).  It also reasserts the importance of an English-literate workforce for a strong American economy ("A Twenty-First Century Workforce," p. 7). 

The Republican Party has a history of recognizing the importance of preserving English as the common language in past platforms. The 1996 Presidential Election marked the first time the GOP included a plank professing support for "the official recognition of English as the nation's common language," though previous platforms had addressed the general belief that all immigrants should attain English proficiency while also retaining their native language (1976, 1980 platforms).  In 2000, when George W. Bush was the GOP presidential nominee, the official English plank was removed from the party platform, and it was not restored until the end of President Bush's two terms in 2008.

The 2012 Democratic Platform differs greatly from the GOP platform and does not endorse official English.  This is consistent with the 2008 version, although the 2012 text does vaguely allude to the expectation that immigrants should learn English ("Strengthening the American Community: Immigration," p. 46-47).

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