Issues that state Republicans are worried about in 2016: creeping socialism, trans people using bathrooms, the United Nations, and the decline of liberty that occurs when we discuss the risks of climate change.
Issues that state Republicans are worried about in 2016: "creeping socialism," trans people using bathrooms, the United Nations, and the decline of liberty that occurs when we discuss the risks of climate change. Alex Garland

The Washington State Republicans' 2016 platform is live, and lest any freaked out suburban Republican try to convince you otherwise, it is far from moderate.

Between the party's last platform developed during a presidential election year and this one, it appears that the local GOP has drifted even farther to the right on social and environmental issues. In addition to the regular GOP credo about individual liberty and Judeo-Christian principles, the 2016 platform tackles marriage (between one man and one woman), trans rights (no), immigration (sanctuary cities should be punished), climate change (not real), and light rail (a bad idea).

Let's break it down (emphasis mine).

• Today's Washington Republicans are worried about socialism.

As in:

Because long-term entitlement destroys dignity, and creeping socialism enslaves and creates destructive expectancies and a dependency relationship, we affirm both the freedom and the responsibility of the individual in society.

• Something else the GOP finds creepy: the United Nations. The 2012 platform made no mention of the UN, but the GOP's 2016 agenda appears to have adopted the Tea Party's fear of international diplomacy and nonbinding resolutions.

Neither the citizens nor the armed forces of the United States must ever be subject to any foreign or United Nations' control or direction.

Command and control of the United States armed forces must never be relinquished to the United Nations or any foreign power.

• Now that Donald Trump is the party's presumptive nominee, Washington GOPers want to punish cities (like Seattle) that shelter undocumented immigrants. Here's their new immigration agenda in full:

We support the immediate enforcement of all existing immigration laws to:

• Conduct proper security screening of all temporary workers, refugees, and permanent residents or citizen applicants;
• Monitor visa overstays and deport individuals whose visa has expired;
• Enact an effective temporary guest worker program;
• Sanction employes who knowingly hire illegal aliens;
• Deport aliens who commit felonies in the United Sates as our first enforcement priority; and
• Withold federal funding from cities and towns that refuse to enforce federal immigration laws, especially sanctuary cities.

• Expanding on their 2012 anti-choice position statement, the 2016 agenda calls for blocking funding for organizations like Planned Parenthood.

We recognize and defend the unalienable right of human life, from conception to natural death. Public funding should not be used for any act, individual, or institution which violates the right to life of the innocent.

• The Washington GOP is also newly concerned about where transgender people pee.

We believe it is self-evident that there are only two innate, distinct, and complementary genders, male and female, who may unite in a traditional marriage of one man and one woman, and who in union are genetically designed to conceive new life. (...)

We believe it is the duty of Government to protect human life and promote healthy families by safeguarding traditional marriage. We strongly oppose the redefinition of marriage and family and the blurring of gender distinctions which threaten the personal safety and privacy of opposite gender children and adults in public toileting or bathing facilities.

• And despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the Washington GOP is convinced that climate change isn't real. In fact, they say that the biggest threat from climate change isn't a future of ocean acidification or increased risk of wildfires, but being alarmed about climate change.

Changes in climate occur naturally over time and warming from human-generated greenhouse gases has not been proven and should not be a basis for public policy. "Climate change" alarmism is a radical agenda driven not by freely functioning science, but by cronyism between big government and institutionalized science. This results in:

• The suppression of free and open debate;
• The enrichment of certain favored parties at the expense of others; and
• A serious decline of liberty.

• Finally, Republicans believe that building light rail is a waste of money. Somehow the GOP has acknowledged that congestion needs to be addressed, but still advocates for using roads in the most inefficient way we know how: for cars alone.

Our state's limited transportation funding should not be squandered on commuter trains, light rail and concepts such as "complete streets."

On Tuesday, political consultant Ben Anderstone argued that Donald Trump's candidacy is jeopardizing the Republican party's standing in Puget Sound. It's also possible that the Republican party's new platform might accomplish that all on its own.