The 2008 Democratic National Committee Platform

[Hope And Change]

Obama's Democratic Platform Includes New Governance Planks, Emphases On Women, Fatherhood

07 Aug 2008 03:33 pm

Here it is -- the draft of the 2008 Democratic National Committee platform. You're looking at it the version that was sent to platform committee members this morning. They'll amend and ratify it before the convention.


http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/08/obamas_democratic_platform_inc.php">Read more here

[Divine Discontent]

1. thank you, H&C

can't wait to gander at it!


More McLame & McSame at www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable

[babylonsister]

2. Rec'd, and look at 'Governance'-a breath of fresh air...

We will lift the veil of secret deals in Washington by publishing searchable, online information about federal grants, contracts, earmarks, loans, and lobbyist contacts with government officials. We will make government data available online and will have an online video archive of significant agency meetings. We will put all non-emergency bills that Congress has passed online for five days, to allow the American public to review and comment on them before they are signed into law. We will require Cabinet officials to have periodic national online town hall meetings to discuss issues before their agencies.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Renew Deal]

3. It says "reinstating the assault weapons ban"

"We can work together to enact and enforce common-sense laws and improvements, like closing the gun show loophole, improving our background check system and reinstating the assault weapons ban,"

Reinstating AWB should not be in the platform.

[elehhhhna]

5. better they not mention it at all

[benEzra]

6. That is idiotic. More Americans own "assault weapons" than hunt, dammit...

and half of us are Dems and indies.

Goes to show that the DLC still has an inordinate influence on the platform, IMO. But they need to take the "assault weapon" bait-and-switch OUT of the platform before the convention, or it is going to bite us, IMO.

[Hope And Change]

7. Democrats debate party platform

August 9, 2008

Democrats debate party platform

Posted: 09:00 AM ET

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Democrats debated a platform Saturday that seeks to rally the party behind Barack Obama's policies and satisfy supporters of his vanquished rival for the nomination, Hillary Clinton.

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The 51-page draft shows the influence of Clinton's supporters not only in the extensive section on health care but in its assertions about the treatment of women. Some of her backers believed sexism dogged her campaign for the nomination.

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Even so, the proposed platform is thoroughly tuned to Obama's proposals.

It reasserts his promise of energy rebates to struggling families, pension subsidies, a crackdown on predatory lenders, higher taxes for families earning over $250,000, tax breaks for others, billions for economic stimulus and "direct high-level diplomacy, without preconditions," in the case of Iran.

<snip>

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On trade, it promises a multilateral approach to improving the North American Free Trade Agreement, without saying specifically what those changes should be. Obama criticized NAFTA when
campaigning in states that felt disadvantaged by it, but the platform offers no suggestion he would take unilateral action against the deal.

Instead, it says: "We will work with Canada and Mexico to amend the North American Free Trade Agreement so that it works better for all three North American countries."

<snip>

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Four years ago, when John Kerry held the reins going into the convention that affirmed his nomination, the party resisted efforts by some Democrats to have the platform declare the Iraq war a mistake.

Now, under the influence of a candidate who opposed the invasion from the start, the draft calls the war "ill-considered" and "unnecessary."

<snip>

<snip>

The Democratic draft:
– Promises "tough, practical, and humane immigration reform in the first year of the next administration."
– Favors restoration of the ban on assault-type weapons and other "reasonable regulation" that recognizes the constitutional right to own and use firearms.
– Favors helping religious groups provide social services as long as "public funds are not used to proselytize or discriminate."
– Promises to close the Guantanamo detention center.
– Promises to double the Peace Corps.

<snip>

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/09/democrats-debate-party-platform/">Full article here