What Do Democrats Stand For? - An Open Message to Obama, Clinton, and the other candidates

[ronleslie]

While talking about policy positions is important, we need to get beyond a laundry list of specific policies, step back, and look at the bigger picture to see who we are as opposed to the Republicans ... and be true to that. For a fresh look at what the Democratic Party should stand for, what principles should govern its domestic and foreign policy choices, and how it should differentiate itself from the Republicans, look at the new video, “What Do Democrats Stand For?” on YouTube, which is based on my book, "We Still Hold These Truths."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6JX-W4iIkw

OR, you can continue reading ... or do both. By the way, the video is NOT a talking head video.

Our nation stands at a crossroad. It’s not just the Iraq war. The Bush-Cheney administration and a radicalized Republican Conservative movement have been seeking to fundamentally alter the balance that our system has struck between private rights, the public good, and government. They are attacking the very heart of our democracy, our historic values every day.

And what do the Democratic presidential candidates do in the face of this? They talk about Iraq. They talk about this policy and that. But they don’t discuss what the Republicans are fundamentally up to. And they are failing again, like they did in 2004, to define what the Democraticc Party stands for … to provide an overarching vision.

To regain the White House decisively, the Democrats have to come up with a cohesive vision and communicate it forcefully in a way which resonates with the American people and wins their hearts and minds.

Luckily, there is at hand an overarching perspective at once so simple and familiar yet profound that it will be immediately grasped by the American people … the words of the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, … Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, ...”

These words are the core morality, the heart, the soul of American democracy. This is America’s common faith.

Our Declaration of Independence made a promise to the American people. And it should be the declared mission statement of the Democratic Party to build a country of greater opportunity where each and every American has the best chance to pursue those rights, where government meets its responsibility to secure that opportunity, and where all citizens have a shared responsibility to support the government’s efforts to promote the public good, each according to his ability. We must restore government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

All the domestic policies of the Party naturally flow from this mission statement. It is these policies that make the Democratic Party “life-affirming” and “pro-family”. It is these policies, which respect the value of all human life and the environment, that make the Democratic Party a party of faith – not Christian, not Jewish, not Muslim, not Buddhist … but deep faith. And while rooted in our past, this perspective compels policies that meet the needs of our economy now and in the future, in a world where many of the assumptions of the past are no longer valid.

It is this ethic that should also guide our foreign policy. In his farewell address, President Eisenhower, a Republican and an army general, made the following observation:

“America's leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched . . . strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment. ... Any failure traceable to arrogance, or our lack of comprehension or readiness to sacrifice would inflict upon us grievous hurt both at home and abroad.”

Those words were enormously prophetic, for during the Bush administration, arrogance, lack of comprehension of the Muslim world, and a failure to ask the broader public, not just those fighting in Iraq, to sacrifice have resulted in this failed and misguided war and in greatly damaging us at home and abroad.

Fifteen years ago at the Republican National Convention, Pat Buchanan made the now famous statement, “There is a religious war going on in our country for the soul of America. It is a cultural war ...” I put it to you that there is indeed a war going on for the soul of America, but it is a very different war than the one painted by Pat Buchanan. The soul of America that is being attacked is the very heart of American democracy. And defending that heart is the Democratic Party, as well as moderate conservatives of the old school.

The fight is not about the fine points of a multitude of policy proposals. The issue is what must the role of government be in order to live up to the words in the Declaration of Independence and what is the role of each of us under the American social contract.

Bush and company are not bad people … I have compassion for them, but they are very misguided people. What use is it if a man declares that he is born again if he goes on to betray basic tenets of his savior? Would Jesus do what George Bush has done. I think not!

To learn more about how I use the Declaration of Independence as a touchstone for analyzing the issues facing our country, read my book, "We Still Hold These Truths." James Fallows of The Atlantic Monthly endorsed the book saying, “Agree or disagree with his specific conclusions, the questions he is asking are the right ones for the public this year.” The book is available online through all the major sources, you can order it from your local bookstore, or you can go to the book’s website, www.westillholdthesetruths.com.

I urge you to let the Democratic Party know that you support this vision.

Thank you.

[jody]

1. Democrats stand for the Party Platform, the most recent is 2004 at the link below.

See http://www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf

Candidates running as Democrats may or may not support our party platform.

[ronleslie]

2. You need something more to rally the people

The platform is generally pretty good on policy. The problem is that it's just a laundry list. It is not something that the average person connects to at all or will take the time to look at. To really appeal to people, you have to reach their heart and mind, and for most, that takes something more values oriented ... unless their really upset with something. The Democrats would have it so easy because the underlying value statement is right under our noses and is familiar to every child and adult in the country. Plus, it would enable the Democrats to reclaim the image of patriot and wrap the flag around themselves for a change ... instead of letting the Republicans do that exclusively!

[Eric Esad]

3. Iraq vote

I would like to think that a party's platform matters. For a party like the Green Party it matters because it's simple & you always know that a Green candidate will support it. But you are right that nobody out here cares about all the details that Republicans & Democrats argue about that end up in their platforms. At least people don't vote based on a party's platform. I think it would be nice to know that when I vote for a party that I'm voting for a consistent set of ideals that I believe in. So it takes a bit more effort - you have to try to predict how people would act based on what they've done, rather than what they say.

That's why I'm so bothered by Clinton's Iraq vote. When she voted for the war, it was after the largest world-wide protests in the history of the planet trying to stop Bush's war. She & other members of Congress had received more emails against the war than on any subject ever. She's smart. She knew better. The way she tries to say that she didn't know Bush would actually go to war and that she did the best with the intelligence she had, etc., just infuriates me. She voted for the war because it was politically expedient to do so. She didn't want Republicans running ads against her saying she was weak on terrorism or on Iraq. Most of the Democrats at that time were governing out of fear that they would be labeled weak on national security. So it's easier for me to forgive a Republican who voted for the war because they thought it was the right thing to do than a Democrat who put aside their values to vote for a war that the whole world was trying to prevent.

So that's the reason I can't vote for her in the primary. I mean, I remember before Bush even took office seeing an ad for a TV special on Bush's "upcoming" war in Iraq. EVERYONE knew he was planning to invade Iraq.

Other than that, I'm sure she's eminently qualified & will make a decent president (though I think that Obama would have a better chance of beating a Republican in November).

[lanesharon]

4. Global Considerations For the Party Platform

I would like to see wording in the party platform that considers the fact that we are not the 'Lone Ranger' anymore. The economy is global, job growth and movement is global, business development is global, etc..... So, we need to step up the 21st century and adopt a party platform that considers this change to the basic structure of how we stand in economy, business, foreign affairs.....

[Esya]

5. What we ought to be considering before we vote

Democratic brothers and sisters:

All of us are here to help remodel America. To rebuild our Constitutional ideals, work for world peace and prosperity, and deliver our communities from poverty, sickness, violence, and hopelessness. We are unified in our goals. We know that our political vehicle has taken a wrong turn, and it will take all of us to return our country to its rightful quest. The question is how we are to map a course to map that course.

Many of us are new to the task, and full of ideas and energy. Do not consider us naive simply because we have an idea that others are afraid to speak. Do not mock our enthusiasm because that enthusiasm will carry those whose hope or health has died. Do not stonewall our voices because you are tired and discouraged. Encourage us to articulate our vision.

Many of us have been working on these ideals a lifetime. Look to the past to see our progress and effort. We may not support current international policies, its corporatized economy, or the load on our healthcare system. In a spirit of appreciation, be respectful to those of us who raised the educational rights, voting rights, and employment rights of a generation of U.S. citizens. Let us continue to work together, young and old, rich and poor.

I want to pose three questions that need to be resolved now, before we face the Republicans.

1. How and when are we going to absorb the costs of caring for the disabled, the elderly and the sick If we adopt a healthcare system that is voluntary? What are we to do with the accidental victims of that voluntary system? The last seven years in Colorado, health expenses has gone up over 10% and raises, less than 5%. This money is coming from our savings accounts, our home equity, our expendible income—your future. Wealthier members of the community, or older ones, now pay more for health care and hospitialization, and sometimes subsidize the rates given to the poor uninsured. We won’t get government health insurance until we are 65 or 68. Leaving a job is not an option. Employer provided insurance encourages our employers to dump us when we get ill or elderly. Euthanasia is not an option. We must address this gap for the next 20 years one way or another. National health is a matter of national self defense. Hillary Clinton understands this issue. If we do not pay now we will pay later, in jobs.

2. How are we going to compete with nations that have a younger or growing workforce? Currently we are victimized by our need for large goods that can only be acquired overseas. We need to invest in capital production facilities that stay within our shores. This is the secret to many of our national competitors—they build things that cannot move overseas, thereby creating more secure jobs for their citizens. We have embarked on a system of sending our workers all over the world to be a profit center for other countries. While NAFTA is a realitiy, and I am glad that our Canadian neighbors have profited, we must also consider whether our trade and tax policies are benefiting the U.S. or the world corporations, just as Colorado needs to consider why it is the carpetbagger state in terms of employer investment and providing longterm jobs for its residents.

3. Are we using our natural resources in the most conservative, productive manner over the long term? Our natural resources require longterm renewal investments. They require a rate of use that is slower than the rate of natural or artificial renewal. This country has failed these tests since its inception and that is the reason it’s now cheaper to go overseas for wood, fuel, food, and all the rest. This is an absurd situation that benefits only those people who want to move around the world chasing economies. We must act now to stablize our resource plans.

4. Is there an more economic alternative to college for all—and isn’t it well paying jobs for all? We need to look at whether or not our educational dollar is achieving the first priority, which is a well-educated and well-employed citizenry. We need to give everyone a job that leaves them enough energy and money left over to continue their own education in the way they wish. College may not be the only or best way to achieve this for everyone.

History is an inspiration on how much work is required to make an impact. Let’s agree now to a new Democratic plan for that impact. We have grown stronger and more complex by our ability to attract people from all over the world to our cause. Take that as a sign of our Democratic progress and a resource for our growth. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Professor Dumbledore guided Harry away from the Mirror of Erised, where Harry could see his strongest desires. Why? Because our dreams, without action, can consume our energy. We must recall the dream and go forward into reality with our strength.

We are all strong enough to stop putting the immediate reward, the goodie bag, as our priority or we would not be here. We can recognize that challenging times require committed measures. Let’s commit ourselves to pooling our resources for the benefit of our futures, next year and for the next 100 years. Let’s elect the ticket of Senator Cllinton and Senator Obama as Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates for 2008. Thank you.