Democratic convention leaders adopted amendments to the platform on Wednesday to add the word God and state that Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel, under direct orders from President Obama, a top campaign official said.
Obama discovered that both words - included in the 2008 platform - had been excised from the platform document Wednesday morning, the official said. That suggests Obama was less familiar with the document of party principles than many delegates who found the original document more suitable.
The Democratic Convention delegates were asked to approve the changes in a somewhat raucous and chaotic vote on the floor during the early portion of Wednesday's proceedings. The changes were ordered after some voices from the floor were raised in protest.
The move was a quick acknowledgment that such issues might matter as both campaigns are eyeing still undecided voters among single college-educated women, suburban married men and women, newly registered Hispanic voters, college-age men and women, small business owners, andothers. Republicans had seized on the omissions.
The White House and Obama re-election campaign maintained Obama's position remained unchanged. “The president’s position has been completely consistent since 2008,” campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama’s position is “exactly the same position” that previous presidents of both parties have held since 1967.
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