2020 Democratic Platform Part 1: Preamble and Recovering from COVID

2020 Democratic Party Platform

The platform begins with a land acknowledgement, which I thought was so respectful that I will quote the entire thing here.

“The Democratic National Committee wishes to acknowledge that we gather together to state our values on lands that have been stewarded through many centuries by the ancestors and descendants of Tribal Nations who have been here since time immemorial. We honor the communities native to this continent, and recognize that our country was built on Indigenous homelands. We pay our respects to the millions of Indigenous people throughout history who have protected our lands, waters, and animals.” They then list out a number of tribes. I thought it was so interesting to include this.

Preamble

1.       America is an idea

a.       diversity is our greatest strength

b.      protest is among the highest forms of patriotism

c.       we will always keep trying to build a more perfect union

2.       Character is on the ballot in this election

a.       character of our president but also the character of our democracy, our society, and our leadership in the world

3.       Challenges we are facing include the pandemic, economic downturn, climate change, and racial injustice

a.       COVID has shown us we have problems with a fragile economy, our social safety net, growing inequality, the impacts of racial and economic disparities on health and well-being, consequences of deepening polarization

b.      Trump has sidelined experts, rejected science, underinvested in research, and abused power. He has not done his duty with this pandemic

                                                              i.      One recent example of him rejecting science… https://www.npr.org/2020/09/14/912799501/i-don-t-think-science-knows-visiting-fires-trump-denies-climate-change

c.       “America First” policy has turned into America standing alone – friends and foes alike are dismissive and ridicule Trump’s leadership

d.      Democrats will fight to repair the soul of this nation

e.       We have to stop this recession from turning into a depression

                                                              i.      GOP has rigged the economy in favor of the wealthiest few and biggest corporations

1.       This is actually a very interesting point to me because I’ve been seeing some very conservative people on Facebook accusing the Democrats of doing this very thing. So it seems like we’re in agreement that we shouldn’t let all the money go to the top and stay there?

4.       We must guarantee health care as a right for every American

5.       Restore the full power of Voting Rights act

6.       We will protect the integrity of our elections from all enemies

a.       This is well worth the read https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/putin-american-democracy/610570/

7.       We will never accept political gridlock as our fate

8.       We will root our structural and systemic racism and reform our criminal justice system because we believe Black lives matter.

9.       We will create a humane immigration system

10.   We will protect and promote the equal rights of all citizens

11.   We will lead the world in taking on the climate crisis

12.   We will provide a world-class education in every ZIP code.

a.       believe in universal early childhood education and affordable, high-quality child care

                                                              i.      I’ll talk about this more later when it comes up in the platform, but universal preschool is not a thing I’m a fan of.

b.      shut down the school-to-prison pipeline

c.       make college affordable again

Protecting Americans and Recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic

1.       Trump Administration missed multiple opportunities to protect the American people

a.       Trump lied about its severity, its transmissibility, and the threat it posed to lives and livelihoods

                                                              i.      This is absolutely true, and it comes straight from the horse’s mouth. There are RECORDINGS of Trump saying that he knows how serious it is while at the same time telling Americans we have nothing to worry about. https://www.npr.org/2020/09/09/911109247/trump-admitted-to-playing-down-the-coronaviruss-severity-per-new-book

b.      Trump’s failure to lead makes him responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans

c.       Failed to pay attention to early intelligence reports and wasted critical weeks of preparation

d.      failed to lay out clear, consistent guidelines and this created widespread confusion

e.       disregarded advice of public health experts and made it harder to mayors and governors to protect American people

f.        held life-saving resources hostage for political obeisance

g.       Instead of bringing Americans together Trump tried to divide us, using racist and xenophobic rhetoric that has contributed to an increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans

h.      working to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, which would take away healthcare coverage from so many who desperately need it right now.

                                                              i.      I agree with every single thing in this section. He did not do his job.

2.       Also failed to drive an economic response

a.       acted like the recession will correct itself

b.      given too much to large corporations while small businesses fail

c.       failed to adequately support school systems, colleges, and local governments

d.      failed to enact workplace safety standards

3.       Democrats will save lives by using every available tool to beat back this pandemic

a.       will lead a global effort to prevent, detect, and respond to future pandemic threats

b.      make COVID-19 testing widely available, convenient, and free to everyone

c.       expand funding so local health departments can hire enough people to conduct contact tracing

d.      make testing, treatment, and eventual vaccines free to everyone – we are only as safe from this disease as are the most vulnerable among us.

4.       Democrats will take immediate action to preserve and expand health insurance coverage

a.       expand Medicaid

b.      if people lose their jobs during the pandemic, the federal government should pay for COBRA

c.       reopen Affordable Care Act marketplaces

                                                              i.      add to the marketplace a public option administered through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which includes a platinum-level choice, with low fees and no deductibles. Low-income Americans will be automatically enrolled in the public option at zero cost.

5.       We had equipment shortages that could have been avoided and should never happen again.

a.       Democrats will dramatically scale up our domestic manufacturing capacity for PPE and essential medicines

b.      medical supplies should be distributed according to need, not political favoritism

6.       aggressively enforce non-discrimination protections in the Americans with Disabilities Act and other civil rights laws

a.       prohibit unjustified segregation of patients with disabilities

b.      prohibit rationing of health care based on a patients’ disability

c.       expand protections for residents and staff at nursing homes

d.      expand support for telemedicine

7.       we must follow the informed advice of scientists and public health experts, and take steps to protect federal scientists from political influence

8.       recruit at least 100,000 contact tracers

a.       This is key. In order to contain this, we need to seriously ramp up the method of testing, tracing, and isolating.

b.      https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30457-6/fulltext

c.       https://www.vox.com/2020/7/29/21345590/covid-19-coronavirus-us-testing-contact-tracing-jobs

9.       increase funding for the CDC and for state and local public health departments

a.       give them sufficient resources to address pandemic diseases and other public health crises

b.      support medical and public health research grants for those looking at minority groups and those who tend to be underrepresented.

10.   Solving the public health crisis caused by COVID-19 is the best way to get our economy back on track

a.       https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/05/theres-only-one-way-out-of-this-mess/611431/

11.   reform current unemployment insurance system and expand it to include more workers, including gig, part time, and tipped workers

a.       raise wage replacement rates

b.      expand nutrition assistance and food security programs

c.       upgrade and modernize unemployment system technology

12.   extend significant aid to state and local governments, school districts, colleges and universities, to address budget shortfalls and secure jobs

13.   need to make child care affordable and widely available so parents don’t have to choose between keeping their jobs or keeping their kids safe.

14.   support state and local measures to freeze rent increases, evictions, utility shutoffs and late fees for rent.

15.   Make grants and loans available for small businesses to help them survive the pandemic

a.       prioritize help for marginalized groups

b.      expand funding for Community Development Financial Institutions

16.   Ensure that federal dollars are keeping workers on payroll, not enriching CEO’s or shareholders.

a.       Taxpayer money should not be used to pay out dividends, fund stock buybacks, or give raises to executives

17.   Paid sick leave is a necessity – immediately enact it

a.       issue and enforce effective infectious disease workplace safety standards through OSHA

18.   Everyone needs access to the internet

a.       prevent states from blocking municipalities and rural co-ops from building publicly owned broadband networks

b.      restore net neutrality

c.       offer low income Americans subsidies for internet service

Out of curiosity, I looked up the White House plan for COVID. Surprisingly, it’s quite similar to what is listed above in a lot of ways, but the thing is…I don’t see this actually HAPPENING. Instead, there’s confusion, a president who doesn’t follow the guidelines as far as mask wearing and social distancing, who appointed Scott Atlas, a RADIOLOGIST, to be his new coronavirus advisor, a man who thinks we should go for the herd immunity approach, which is NOT AT ALL what the advice of public health experts say (and the white house page says their plan is based on the advice of public health experts, so now I’m confused) and there’s still no really clear approach or leadership. As I said, you can click the link and look at what it says, it’s actually pretty decent, but I don’t actually see evidence of this happening OR the president making it particularly clear that this is what the plan is or even being willing to follow the guidelines himself! https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/

I posted this article above, but here it is again, for a nice look at the disconnect between what the “plan” is and what is actually happening. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/05/theres-only-one-way-out-of-this-mess/611431/

 

 

2020 Republican Platform Part 6: America Resurgent

 

Part 6: America Resurgent

1.       A Dangerous World

a.       “Our country faces a national security crisis and only electing a Republican to the White House will we restore law and order to our land and safety to our citizens.”

b.      “We are the party of peace through strength”

                                                              i.      We believe that American exceptionalism requires the US to retake its natural position as leader of the free world

c.       “The oppressed have no greater ally than the US, backed by the strongest military on the planet”

                                                              i.      But…not the oppressed people in our own country, I guess.

d.      We will rebuild the military into the strongest on earth – because it’s a dangerous world

e.       Obama weakened our military

f.        support maintaining and possibly increasing sanctions against Russia unless they restore Ukraine’s sovereignty

2.       Confronting the Dangers

a.       We must move from a budget-based strategy to one that puts the security of our nation first.

b.      We need a “Reagan-era force”

c.       abandon arms control treaties that benefit our adversaries

d.      fund, develop, and deploy a multi-layered missile defense system

e.       modernize nuclear weapons, and end the policy of Mutually Assured Destruction

f.        Our nation’s immigration and refugee policies are placing Americans at risk

                                                              i.      Renew National Security Entry-Exit Registration System

                                                             ii.      I talked about this in the immigration section before, but no…they’re not.

3.       Supporting Our Troops: Resources to do Their Job

a.       US defense budget has suffered and we want to lift the budget cap for defense

b.      Competitive acquisition and maintenance of weapon systems will benefit the economy and taxpayers

                                                              i.      Increased competition will enable new Department of Defense suppliers to participate in the defense sector and will create more jobs

4.       Supporting Our Troops: Standing by Our Heroes

a.       National Defense Authorization Act of 2016 corrects shortfalls in military readiness

                                                              i.      Gave troops a pay raise

b.      Military families should be taken care of

c.       Extend more support for those who have been in combat

d.      Obama administration tried to silence Christian chaplains

                                                              i.      we want to increase the size of the Chaplain Corps

                                                             ii.      we can’t allow Bibles or religious symbols to be barred from military facilities

e.       Oppose reinstating the draft except in dire circumstances

                                                              i.      also oppose compulsory national service and selective service registration of women

5.       Citizen Soldiers: National Guard and Reserves

a.       oppose cuts to the Guard and Reserves

b.      recommend a permanent line item for National Guard affairs

6.       Honoring and Supporting Our Veterans: A Sacred Obligation

a.       The VA has failed and needs to be held accountable

                                                              i.      we will seek changes in senior leadership of the VA

                                                             ii.      Should strengthen and improve its efforts through partnerships with private enterprises, veteran service organizations, technology and innovation, and competitive bidding.

b.      Veterans deserve better medical care

                                                              i.      they should be allowed to choose to access care in the community and not just in VA facilities

c.       VA has a shortage of physicians and that needs to be remedied

d.      private sector should make hiring vets a priority

e.       we will halt the Obama Administration’s unconstitutional automatic denial of gun ownership to returning members of our Armed Forces who have had representatives appointed to manage their financial affairs

                                                              i.      Here’s a source looking at what Trump has done to make good on his promises to the VA. Sorry if it’s not that great, I don’t have time to really look into it deeply. https://www.propublica.org/series/inside-trump-va

f.        Promote the hiring of qualified veterans as teachers in public schools

                                                              i.      Their proven abilities and life experiences will make them more successful instructors and role models for students than would any teaching degree.

                                                             ii.      I do not like this at all. Life experience does not make you a good teacher. Sure, there are probably some people who are natural teachers, but I think anyone who wants to become a teacher needs to go through some sort of training and certification, no exceptions.

7.       America: The Indispensable Nation

a.       Democrats do not stand by allies or stand strong against our foes. They “pander to world opinion and neglect the national interest” they cannot be trusted with our national security

b.      America is the world leader and we should be super strong to show everyone we are in charge

8.       Challenges of a Changing Middle East

a.       “The Middle East is more dangerous now than at any time since the Second World War”

b.      Obama Administration made a bad deal with Iran and it shouldn’t have treaty status

c.       ISIS is a huge problem and we will destroy them

                                                              i.      Hezbollah must be isolated and Lebanon’s independence restored

d.      We will support the transition to a post-Assad Syrian government that contributes to peace and stability in the region

e.       We should continue to partnership with Iraq as long as ISIS is still around.

f.        Concern about Christian communities in the Middle East

g.       We need to aid those who are suffering

h.      continue to support Kurdish people

i.        The US government should create a safe haven in northern Iraq to protect ethnic and civil minorities who are facing genocide at the hands of ISIS

9.       Our Unequivocal Support for Israel

a.       Israel stands out among the nations as a beacon of democracy and humanity

                                                              i.      It is the only country in the Middle East where freedom of speech and freedom of religion are found

b.      Support for Israel is an expression of Americanism

c.       America is committed to Israel’s security

                                                              i.      support Israel’s right to defend itself against terror attacks

d.      Reject the notion that Israel is an occupier

e.       want to assist in establishing peace in the Middle East

10.   U.S. Leadership in the Asian Pacific

a.       Continue to demand a dismantlement of N Korea’s nuclear weapons program

b.      We are friends with Taiwan

c.       China is a problem and Obama was complacent

                                                              i.      They are returning to Maoism

d.      We are friends with Pakistan, Burma, Vietnam, and India

11.   Renewing the European Alliance

a.       demand that fellow members of NATO fulfill their commitments and invest more fully in their militaries

b.      Lots of support for Europe, we’re friends

c.       we respect Russian people and want to maintain a friendship

                                                              i.      worried about erosion of personal liberty under the Kremlin

d.      help out Eurasian countries that used to be part of the Soviet Empire, bring them into the global economy

12.   Family of the Americas

a.       Partnership with Mexico and Canada

b.      Mexican people deserve our assistance as they resist drug cartels

c.       We will never embrace Marxist dictators as friends

                                                              i.      Obama let Venezuela become a narco-terrorist state

d.      friendship with Colombia

e.       welcome Cuba back to our family

                                                              i.      they were betrayed by the Obama Administration

                                                             ii.      support the work of the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba

13.   Africa: The Promise and the Challenge

a.       pledge to be the best partner of all African nations in their pursuit of economic freedom and human rights

b.      extended to 2025 the African Growth and Opportunity Act

c.       stand in solidarity with the countries under assault by radical Islam

14.   Sovereign American Leadership in International Organizations

a.       continued participation in the UN should be contingent upon the enactment of changes in the way it functions

                                                              i.      Don’t like the makeup of the Human Rights Council, and how it treats Israel

                                                             ii.      too complicit with China population control

b.      Do not support the UN Convention on Women’s Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the UN Arms Trade Treaty

c.       deep reservations about the Law of the Sea Treaty

d.      Reject UN Agenda 21

e.       oppose any form of Global Tax

f.        do not accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court

                                                              i.      service members should only be subject to American law

15.   Defending International Religious Freedom

a.       US Commission on International Religious Freedom was neglected by Obama

                                                              i.      religious minorities in the Middle East have been victims of genocide and persecution

b.      Call on leaders across the Middle East to ensure that all religious minorities are free to practice their religion without persecution.

c.       China has renewed its destruction of churches and Christian home-schooling parents have been jailed in parts of Europe

                                                              i.      Republican administration will return the advocacy of religious liberty to a central place in democracy

16.   America’s Generosity: International Assistance that Makes a Difference

a.       Foreign aid must serve America’s interests first

b.      Millennium Challenge Corporation has established a new model of foreign assistance that we must embrace

c.       the advance of political freedom and entrepreneurial capitalism is the only sustainable solution to poverty

d.      Obama Administration excluded faith-based groups in foreign assistance because they did not conform to their social agenda

17.   Advancing Human Rights

a.       Radical Islamic Terrorism poses a threat to the whole world.

b.      we will fight at home and abroad to destroy terrorist organizations

c.       “Republicans have led the way in promoting initiatives that have protected and rescued millions of the world’s most vulnerable and persecuted”

                                                              i.      For the umpteenth time…I really wish they had a source cited for some of these claims.

d.      human rights are more important than the economy, the climate, and security

18.   Liberty to Captives: Combatting Human Trafficking

a.       Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 was great, we should continue to punish traffickers

b.      prevent overseas labor contractors who exploit foreign workers from exporting goods to the US

c.       prevent the demand for trafficking victims, will prosecute “sex tourists”

d.      Work to make sure trafficking victims among migrants are identified and cared for

                                                              i.      The biggest problem here is that if we find victims of trafficking are illegal, we don’t actually take care of them, we just deport them. So they stay in trafficking situations because they don’t want to go back home either. It’s a problem.

e.       the goal of our anti-trafficking programs should be the rescue and safe return of victims to their homes

                                                              i.      I talked about trafficking in a previous section, but wanted to put in this little point here…the problem with the goal being to return victims to their homes is that MOST victims are being trafficked FROM their homes, or ended up in trafficking after escaping a dangerous home life. So returning them to their homes is not necessarily the safest or best end goal.

19.   Facing 21^st Century Threats: Cybersecurity in an Insecure World

a.       Russia and China see cyber operations as a part of warfare strategy during peacetime

                                                              i.      We should act decisively and weaken control over the internet by regimes that engage in cyber crimes

                                                             ii.      We need to go on offense to avoid the cyber-equivalent of Pearl Harbor

b.      Our cyber workforce should be expanded to better protect the country

c.       Russia meddled in the 2016 election. And they are set to do it again. This article is long but worth the read. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/putin-american-democracy/610570/

20.   Protection Against an Electromagnetic Pulse

a.       Nuclear weapons are a real threat

b.      Electrical utilities in the US must act to protect the national grid

21.   Confronting Internet Tyranny

a.       internet firewall circumvention and anti-censorship technology must become a national priority

b.      we must focus on internet freedom in authoritarian societies

c.       Republicans will champion an open and free internet