What should the 2008 Democratic Platform Look Like? No Candidates-Just Ideas.

One thing unites all of us, and that is returning majority control of Congress and the White House to Democrats.

Another truth is that there are many fine candidates vying to be the 2008 Democratic nominee for President.

So without 'choosing' a candidate, we should be assembling the very best ideas being put forth by those 'running' and those 'not running' to create a Democratic Platform that will put our country back on the right track, and serve the people of our country rather than the special interests of corporations and the wealthy who have been catered to by this Administration.

IF we channel our common interests in this manner, rather than attack one another because we all do not prefer the same Democratic Presidential Nominee, we can accomplish our goals and begin to fix our badly broken government, its ideals, and bring our troops home.

So place your candidate's ideas, and your non-candidate's ideas, out here in the 'marketplace of ideas' and let's see what has the support of the people, what is best for everyone, and begin to construct a platform made of ideas that will be unassailable in 2008 regardless of which fine candidate becomes our nominee.

Let's be positive, tone down the criticism within the party, and realize what is important --increasing majority control in the Congress and retaking the White House in 2008. To do otherwise is to hand Republicans the opportunity to regain power and further oppress us all.

1) Out of Iraq (& Iran if we've gotten ourselves into that mess by then)
2) Universal health care
3) A Manhattan Project on global warming & a sane energy policy.

On Health Care it should be universal single payer fee for service, but it won't be.

And on global warming it will be long on problem and short on active solutions (like switch to mass transit to achieve greater efficiencies.)

Imagine if we spent on health care what we spent on the war?

Imagine if we spent 500 billion dollars on health care and another 500 billion on mass transit, for a total of 1 trillion dollars?

But we probably won't. There will be a lot of good reasons put forth why we won't commit the funds.

Instead we will most probably continue to spend it on empire.

Every person who want to go to school should be able to go to school, and it is in our national interest to have the best educated population on the planet.

1) bring Pell grants up to where they should be inflation adjusted and make them COLA - everyone should be able to afford to go to school.

2) all college expenses tax deductible - repeal the estate tax repeal and use that to subsidize real middle class tax relief.

3) low cost subsidized student loans - remember them? They go to the student, not the parent, are deferred payment and interest until you are out of school and interest partially subsidized afterwards.

4) loan forgiveness for students who go into targeted service careers in designated areas (for example urban teachers, rural doctors.)

5) a new GI bill guaranteeing that anyone who serves honorably can go to college.

Those were my top three. I would also explain 3 as Energy Independence--I could see how it could appeal even to conservatives, who, after all, don't want our money to go overseas when it could be used to bolster business at home.

And I do mean all.

I like the idea that we immediately bring 40,000 troops home, then redeploy our remaining troops to the perimeter of Iraq while actively bringing the rest home over the next 12-18 months. I believe this puts the responsibility for security and stability upon the Iraqis themselves, it takes our troops out of the crossfire of a sectarian civil war that is going on today. It demonstrates we are leaving.

Couple this with an appeal to the UN to send in peacekeeping forces as we leave, and open direct talks with Iran, Syria, and all the major regional powers to end the violence in the region.

Basically this is the 'opposite' of what the Bush Administration is doing today with its 'surge' and indefinite 'occupation.' And it would be embraced by the people who voted in the last election, and are polled week after week.

getting corporation influence out of government. This country was never founded on how much its citizens could enrich the wealthy few. As it is, the corporations are telling government how they would like things done. Time to change that.

The CIA is basically a society of incompetents -- that sit around reading International newspapers, so close it down.

In addition, it is time to follow the rule of law accepted Internationally -- called the Kellogg-Briand Pact which outlaws war.

Kellogg-Briand Pact
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellogg-Briand_Pact

The Kellogg-Briand Pact, also known as the Pact of Paris after the city where it was signed on August 27, 1928, was an international treaty "providing for the renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy." It failed in its purpose but was significant for later developments in international law. It was named after the American secretary of state Frank B. Kellogg and French foreign minister Aristide Briand, who drafted the pact.

The 1927 Kellogg-Briand Pact was concluded outside the League of Nations, and remains a binding treaty under international law. In the United States it remains in force as part of the supreme positive law, under Article Six of the United States Constitution.

Banning the lobbying system
Getting out of debt to foreign countries
A fair tax system based on US median income
Stiffer penalities for ethics violations
A TOTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE BUSH MACHINE
Repeal of the Patriot Act

:headbang:
rocknation

Bring US troops home
Increase health care for veterans and institute new GI Bill
Sign on to International Court
Restore Gulf Coast
Revise trade policies to eliminate the Trade Deficit and Outsourcing

Secure the electronic voting machines.

Break up the major news monopolies. Make it easier for new, competing new organizations to start.

1)Universal Health Care for ALL; HMO's abolished with wall street out of our health care!!!
2)Green Power Proliferation; drastic increase in wind turbines, hydrogen powered vehicles, abolish the use of SUVs except for actual proven need, introduction of high mileage/gallon vehicles, energy efficient smaller residential architecture, rebirth of nuclear power faculties.
3)Abolish NAFTA, CAFTA, etc.
4)End Iraq and Afghanistan 'wars'
5)Abolish DHS
6)Institute an 'American Content' requirement
7)Drastically Reduce Foreign Imports from Slave Wage nations
8)Abolish Lobbying and Lobbyists
9)Re-institute a system of government with checks and balances
10)Restore Social Security by NOT capping contributions for higher wage earners

Wonderful list! From your lips to all candidate's ears, let's hope!

8)Abolish Lobbying and Lobbyists.

That's covered under right to petition your governemnt. Do not confuse your right with the problems of big money influence on our government.

If you were to abolish lobbying and lobbiests you would also abolish groups such as NORMAL, NOW, PFAW, Velvet Revolution, and many other grass roots groups who lobby our elected officials.

The goal is to get the big money out of lobbying, in terms of access and candidate financial support. But outlawing lobbying per se would mean the local historical society couldn't send a representitative to ask for the inclusion of a local property on the National Hisorical Places Registary.

Outlawing lobbying is impractical, anti-democratic, and against the constitutional right to petition your government.

Getting the financial disparities out of the system will require some radical solution, such completely and totally outlaw business contributions to parties and candidates.

and -- I personally think it is time to throw the bums out, and burn the constitution and write a new one.

And what I mean by throw the bums out, is to fire the entire government structure, and by non-violent anarchist means create and orderly transformation of society -- by democratic means, such as write a new constitution, that deals with modern day realities.

A lobbyist of today is just a professional briber: a bribe is a bribe is a bribe -- no matter how many lawyers, make it sound legal.

Do you know any lobbyists? I know a few. They work for do gooder 501C3s such as environmental groups, social change groups, human rights groups, human development groups, and they lobby our state legislature and they lobby our US Congressional delegation to pass laws that are helpful for the environment, that contribute to positive social change, that promote respect for human rights, that promotes enlightened public policy on health care, etc.

They are by legal definition professional lobbyists. Many such organizations hold and promote public lobby days when their members and coalition partners turn out to lobby their representatives.

Though I know of none who have the money to distribute bribes. The best they can do is send a favorable or negative recommendation to their members.

So I hear you on the bribes. But I'm not willing to change the constitution on petitioning our government. I'd rather change laws governing corporations to reflect that they do not and should not, enjoy the same political rights as humans.

not do gooder non-profit organizations -- the do gooder organizations are in reality paper tigers, that do not address the problems they seem to be addressing.

As a liberal, I have a simply philosophy -- if I cannot do something well, then I won't do it all, and so then when people rely on them to seek (lobby) for the changes they want -- they are disappointed, because they are not doing a good job.

It was not 501C3s that kicked the British out of India, it was Gandhi a great individual liberal.

product of any 501C3 in particular.

You can read about India here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_independence_movement

in general -- to make the point that it is not the amount of groups (lobby organizations) that are doing good -- but it is the quality of the work done for liberal causes.

Especially, in a propaganda media system, the do good organizations simply cannot buy the ads to compete, with the Repuke machine. What difference does a million dollar ad make for environmental rights make, when it is not seen -- because the Repuke machine simply drowns out the liberal message?

Case in point Ralph Nader; in the 2000 election, the Repuke media system actually buys liberal ads from Nader that are anti-Gore -- because it drowns out the liberal message.

Ever hear of the expression, the road to hell is paved with good intentions?

If Nader had run a professional liberal cause campaign in 2000 -- he would of dropped out -- and made a deal with Gore to make himself head of the Federal Trade Commission, and he would of achieved more then his wildest dreams for consumer rights.

Have you been screened for ADD?

I'm having a hard time following exactly what it is that you are discussing.

because no one reads it, and because it was written at a time when the world was not dominated by a technological world -- out of control.

In fact -- I think all forms of government should be eliminated -- and be replaced with anarchistic self governing groups, because the sole purpose of creating countries is to establish grounds for war.

In light of the huge technological advances that are destructive, if man removes the reason for the existence of the bombs (the country), then man will live in peace, because -- peace -- is natural to humanity. Humanity does not need a country to live in peace, all he needs is some land, and the means to produce wealth.

We don't need lobbyist to defend us or even countries to defend us, all the bums should be thrown out, and replaced with a non-violent democratic form of government, in which the Department of Defense is renamed to the Department of non-Violence, the CIA is shut down, the Defense budget cut by 95%, remove all troops from offshore bases.

Eliminate the death penalty, forgive all debts domestic and International), increase International welfare spending, make the advocation of War a crime, Eliminate Global warming by banning all ownership of Cars, etc., close down all McDonald's as a health hazard, free quality health care for all, people would be entitled to free land in the country, eliminate corporate ownership of land, outlaw all Genetically modified food, outlaw all hunting and gun ownership, outlaw the NRA etc.

...and this ain't gonna cut it.

in ANY form; the current 'good ol' boy' lobbying and patronage network on K Street must be abolished. Lobbying and Lobbyists must have strict oversight as I believe the current lobbying practices are nothing but fraud and conspiracy.

The way to abolish gas guzzlers is to do so at the pump via a carbon use tax. When gas went over three bucks you couldn't give an SUV away and you couldn't buy a prius.

The revenue should go directly toward carbon set asides, with a capped deduction on income taxes to offset the negative effects on low income consumers.

we will be heading in the direction that the corporate masters choose for us. lobbyists have much more say about such things than mere citizens.

that shows RESPECT for the voters as CITIZENS, not just subjects to be manipulated for our votes.

A commitment to anti-corruption actions and open government that respects the citizens with the TRUTH.

I do NOT expect this from the Coverup wing of the Democratic Party that currently leads the polls.

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0511-29.htm

THis is not about CHOOSING a Democratic nominee, but rather finding out how they stand on these issues.

The more we know about their positions, and their proposed solutions, the better off we will be in crafting a strong Platform for our Nominee to stand on in the General Election.

There are so many good issues raised here.

One aspect that is rarely addressed is how do we pay for the proposals we put forward?

End the war in Iraq and you save $8billion/month. (However, we are going to pay a terrible price paying back what we already spent in Iraq).

I like the idea of rolling back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, and reinstituting the Estate and Gift taxes to the levels in place when Clinton left office. Also there is a need to up the capital gains tax with an index to income earned per year.

Any other ideas?

* Restoring America's Moral Leadership in the World
America's leadership role in the world has grown out of our compassion and moral strength, as well as our unparalleled economic and military strength. We can be proud of our long history of using our strength to fight for the freedom of others, but our standing in the world has been badly tarnished. America can once again be looked up to and respected around the world. The first step is by immediately withdrawing 40,000-50,000 troops from Iraq, with the complete withdrawal of all combat troops from Iraq within 12-18 months -- allowing the Iraqis to assume greater responsibility for rebuilding their own country. It also means working to restore our legitimacy by leading on the great challenges before us like the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the genocide in Darfur, extreme poverty, and living up to our ideals in the fight against terrorism.
* Guaranteeing Affordable, Quality Health Care for Every American
The 47 million uninsured Americans often do not get the care they need. Each year, about 18,000 die as a result. Despite the problems of the uninsured and unnecessarily low quality care, our health care system is the most expensive in the world and insurance premiums have grown faster than wages for almost 50 years. John Edwards believes we need to reform our health care system to provide truly universal coverage - not mere access to insurance - and get better care at lower cost.
* Eliminating Poverty
Every day, 37 million Americans wake in poverty. Our response to that reality says everything about the character of America. John Edwards has called for a national goal of eliminating poverty within 30 years, with policies rooted in the core American values of opportunity for everyone and responsibility from everyone. We can reach that goal by creating and rewarding work, strengthening families, helping workers save and get ahead, transforming our schools, expanding access to college, breaking up areas of concentrated poverty, reaching overlooked rural areas, and expecting people to help themselves by working whenever they are able.
* Strengthening America's Middle Class
The backbone of America is its middle class. But middle class families are struggling. Wages have fallen in recent years even as the economy has grown. At the same time, the costs of necessities like health care, child care, and education have grown. President Bush's tax policies have increased the share of the tax burden borne by middle-class workers. Our economic policies must reward work, help families save for the future, and fight the rising costs of middle-class life.
* Leading the Fight against Global Warming and Our Addiction to Foreign Oil
Our nation's dependence on oil and other fossil fuels is contributing to global warming and jeopardizing our national security. To protect our future, John Edwards believes that Americans must be patriotic about something other than the war. We must act now by investing in clean, renewable energies like wind, solar, and biofuels to create a new energy economy, developing a new generation of efficient cars and trucks, and putting new energy-saving technologies to work in buildings, transportation, and industry.

first, let me take issue with the following statement in the OP"

"Let's be positive, tone down the criticism within the party, and realize what is important --increasing majority control in the Congress and retaking the White House in 2008."

Two things are important here; not just one. We cannot be only about "making electoral gains". If we set winning as the only priority, we fail in many ways. We fail to put the country ahead of politics. We fail to speak out as citizens and voters when our party is NOT on the right track. And, we fail to help our party gain and sustain an "inter-generational majority". The right "what is important" is a combination of electoral politics with policies that are in the national interest. To focus on either at the expense of the other is a critical error.

Having said that, here are just a few key planks I would like to see:

1. US foreign policy has, for far too long, been conducted for the exclusive benefit of private, commercial interests. It is time that we recognized that an imperial foreign policy will result in the eventual destruction of our country. Democrats cannot allow their candidates to be paid for by massive corporate interests and their wealthiest shareholders.
2. We have to have publically funded campaigns. What is happening right now WITHIN THE PARTY around this issue is an absolute disgrace. This is not democracy in action; it's commerce in action and it is unconscionable.
3. We need massive reforms to re-establish our democracy. Money, both in campaigns and in the halls of Congress, has replaced WE THE PEOPLE. Paid lobbyists used to be called bribers and blackmailers. Today, it's become the dominant ingredient in how our government is run.
4. We cannot pretend that we can "technology" our way out of global warming. Alternative fuels are very worth pursuing but we need to do much more. It will hurt politically but Democrats need to call for a substantial curtailment of our planet-threatening lifestyles.
5. We need to do a much better job balancing the staggering imbalance between the power of shareholders versus the power of workers. When our tax laws and other institutions reward profits over labor, something has gone terribly wrong.

These changes cannot happen overnight. Many of the ideas here are critically necessary but may not be politically feasible yet. The job of the party should be to lay the groundwork to make voters more receptive to these platform planks. I hold out almost no hope that Democrats are up to the task. I'm very saddened to have reached this conclusion.

Universal, single-payer, not-for-profit health CARE. As a right.

Universal public developmental preschool - college or trade school as a right, without top-down political manipulation/mandates of the process. Fully funded in every way. "Research based" in that research on smaller schools and lower class sizes are what gets the funding, and testing mandates are repealed.

Repeal NAFTA/CAFTA, withdraw from WTO.

Repeal Patriot Act.

Exit Iraq, stay out of Iran.

Ratify the Kyoto Treaty and join the world in efforts to address global warming.

Massive investment in domestic infrastructure to support sustainable economy, sustainable energy, sustainable agriculture, sustainable communities.

(1) All compensation (salary, benefits, deferred compensation, etc.) of OFFICERS of the Corporation to be treated as "post-tax" expenses. That is, such compensation should not be tax deductible.

(2) Institute an "Exempt Payroll Surtax" of 10% and credit 50% of the proceeds to the Social Security Trust Funds, 10% to Employment Security ("unemployment compensation") and 40% to general funds. "Exempt" employees are those employees not protected/covered by Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and typically include executives, managers, and (nominal) supervisors as well as (alleged) professionals. These are people for whom overtime premiums are not mandated and typically include the highest paid workers in the company as well as people so-categorized by the corporation for predatory reasons.

For too long we have allowed Republicans to frame the debate about the massive gap between the ultra-rich/corporate interests and the middle/working poor/poor.

Republicans have been doing all they could to expand the gap, and at the same time accusing Democrats of engaging in 'class warfare.'

I would like to see the Democratic Party come out and say yes we are taking on 'class warfare' and we intend to bring some sanity and commonsense to the discussion as we begin to restore policies that benefit those left behind by this Administration. It is their country too, and the fact they work for a living does not mean Governmental policies should discriminate against them.

We need to take the term 'class warfare' and substitute 'class fairness' as we roll back the tax breaks and benefits given to the ultra-rich and corporate interests by the Bush Administration, and make them pay their fair share.

We need a way to call out the corporatists and make sure they don't waffle on this and answer to this badly needed reform that once in place will help us on many other issues that have been so screwed up by corruption up to this point.