Platformer

Political parties and similar organizations have platforms. A platform is generally understood to be an explicit list of beliefs, and of projects or planned actions directed by those beliefs. Thinking again about the traditional notion of constituencies, we may recognize that platforms often represent the result of a process of compromise among various constituencies represented by a party. The strength of a constituency’s representation in a party will generally determine the degree of the party’s fidelity to that constituency’s priorities.

In the individual constituency model, the notion of platform falls out rather directly. Again, instead of being an explicit “product” that results from discrete exercises in compromise among party constituencies, the platform of an individual constituency undergoes continuous revision. It reflects the explicit beliefs and planned actions directed by those beliefs on the part of the members of the constituency.

But a platform, in our new sense, must still delineate a discrete set of individuals—the “smoothly fading” constituency membership from above must be viewed slightly differently. We can imagine the same figure as in the previous illustration, but this time with boundaries identified as concentric circles around the center:

Each of these boundaries marks off a different platform. The most focused platform, likely, will be the one in the center with the smallest membership; the broadest will be the one enclosed by the largest circle, with the largest membership.

What do platforms contain? Previously we considered “beliefs, projects, and planned actions”. In Platformer, we may revise this characterization and talk about positions and pledges.