Most people were born into a political party. I think today’s kids are smart enough to choose what political party truly represents them.
Here is a brief history of the Democratic Party, as well as their platform.
Brief History of The Democratic Party
At the start of the 21st Century, the Democratic Party can look back on a proud history — a history not just of a political organization but of a national vision. It is a vision based on the strength and power of millions of economically empowered, socially diverse and politically active Americans. Over two hundred years ago, our Party’s founders decided that wealth and social status were not an entitlement to rule. They believed that wisdom and compassion could be found within every individual and a stable government must be built upon a broad popular base. The late Ron Brown — former Chairman of the Democratic Party — put it best when he wrote:
“The common thread of Democratic history, from Thomas Jefferson to Bill Clinton, has been an abiding faith in the judgment of hardworking American families, and a commitment to helping the excluded, the disenfranchised and the poor strengthen our nation by earning themselves a piece of the American Dream. We remember that this great land was sculpted by immigrants and slaves, their children and grandchildren.”
As found in the Democratic Party website.
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Today’s Democratic Party is trying to be more connected to the Republicans. As noted in the TIMESONLINE on March 2, 2008:
“Barnstorming Obama Plans To Pick Republicans For Cabinet”
March 2, 2008
“The first true test of President-elect Obama’s willingness to reach across the aisle…”
“Okay. Enough euphoria. The first true test of President-elect Obama’s willingness to reach across the aisle — and of whether he’s going to keep his promises to do that — will come long before he’s sworn in. We’ll know when we see how many Republicans he includes in his cabinet.”
“The bar, it should be noted, is not all that high. Usually just having one member of the other party in the 14 statutory cabinet positions or the handful of cabinet rank slots — such as trade representative or head of the Environmental Protection Agency — has been the norm.”
“President Kennedy had a bona fide Republican, Douglas Dillon as his Treasury secretary and independent Robert McNamara as Pentagon chief. (And he only had 10 cabinet positions to fill then.) But most presidents have gotten by with one token representative from the other party.”
“For example, President Nixon had conservative Democrat John Connolly in his administration and union official Peter Brennan. President Johnson had liberal Republican John Gardner. President Reagan had neo-con Democrat Jeanne Kirkpatrick at the United Nations. President George H.W. Bush had Reagan holdover Lauro Cavasos. President Clinton had liberal GOPer William Cohen, and President Bush had Norman Y. Mineta at Transportation.”
“Obama insiders say he’s serious about this bipartisan thing and about bringing in people from the high tech world or some other business sector. If so, then he’s going to have to do better than his predecessors, probably putting at least three non-Ds in the cabinet ranks or it will look much like same-old, same-old.”
“One likely suspect, Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) took himself out of the running a while ago — though he keeps getting mentioned for Secretary of State. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) or current Defense Secretary Robert Gates are obvious picks for the Pentagon. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is mentioned for Energy czar.”
“There are numerous, relatively bipartisan places to put Republicans, such as at Transportation or Commerce. But the Democratic frenzy for these few posts is already at fever pitch. Obama will be under intense pressure to find places for minorities as well, especially Latinos. (Think 46 electoral votes in battleground states Florida, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada.)”
“And we’ll see how he fulfills his pledges by next month.”
By: Al Kamen
Washingtonpost.com
But still, party lines are party lines, as Senator Joseph Lieberman is learning after endorsing Republican John McCain in the 2008 election. As noted in Salon.com on October 21st, 2008:
Say it Ain’t So, Joe!
Lieberman, on left, with McCain in 2008.
“Democrats are furious over Joe Lieberman’s cheerleading for McCain-Palin. But would punishing the powerful senator be a smart move?”
Oct. 21, 2008 | WASHINGTON — “Joe Lieberman has gone to some pretty far lengths on behalf of John McCain this year, but even for him, this past Sunday morning must have been tough. As Lieberman shepherded his pal through a “virtual town hall” teleconference with Jewish supporters, McCain found himself defending — as he often does these days — his running mate, Sarah Palin. At one point he decided to toss the question to Lieberman: “I’d love for Joe to — are you still there Joe? — weigh in on this, because he’s been to a lot of the rallies,” McCain said. “Go ahead, Joe.”
“And so it fell to Lieberman, who might well have been McCain’s number 2 if not for threats of a conservative revolt in the Republican Party, to talk up the hockey mom who presumably took his place on the ticket. ‘She’s touched something very, very positive and optimistic,’ Lieberman intoned. ‘Part of it is exactly what John had in mind when he chose her: This is a typical, capable, middle-class American woman who didn’t like what her government was doing, and instead of just complaining about it, ran for the city council, got to be mayor, ran against the incumbent Republican governor, got to be governor.’ (It may be a measure of how far Lieberman has strayed from his Democratic past that he didn’t mention his own unique perspective on what it takes to be a vice presidential candidate.)”
“By the time Washington settles down to look at the election results next month, there may not be many more lines left for Lieberman to cross. Endorse the GOP nominee? Check. Blast Barack Obama at the Republican National Convention? Check. Defend embattled Republican incumbent Norm Coleman of Minnesota in one of the country’s most contested Senate races? Check. Yet, despite all that, top Senate Democrats like Harry Reid still aren’t willing to say they’ll kick Lieberman out of the caucus next year. In fact, they’re still not willing to say they’ll move against Lieberman at all, even if things break their way and the party winds up in control of more than 60 seats. ‘We truly are in a spot where [Reid] will talk to the members of the caucus after the elections about what — if anything — to do,’ said Jim Manley, Reid’s spokesman, regarding Lieberman’s role. (Since becoming an Independent, Lieberman has continued to caucus with Democrats in the Senate and regularly votes their way on domestic policy.) ‘We’re going to have to wait and see how this thing plays out.’”
“Lieberman’s future is partly a question of math — as in, will Democrats win enough Senate seats to gain a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority, and if they do, will Lieberman represent that 60th vote? But it’s also partly a question of clubby intangibles inside the Senate. The guy may have irritated a lot of liberals in 2008, and even a lot of Democrats in the Senate, but he’s been on Capitol Hill for 20 years, and, although people may wish they could forget it now, he was on the party’s national ticket in 2000. In the end, how far will longtime friends want to push him to hold him accountable for supporting McCain?”
“What isn’t in doubt is how fervently Lieberman has been out there pushing the Republican ticket. He hops on and off McCain’s campaign plane and bus constantly these days, in between trips to suburban areas in swing states with lots of Jewish voters — south Florida, the Philly suburbs, the Cleveland area. During Sunday’s tele-town hall, he tried to make the case that McCain is the real heir to the legacy of Bill Clinton. ‘The eight Clinton years were good years, but the Democratic Party is not where it was eight years ago on a lot of issues,’ Lieberman said, citing trade and “government reform,’ without specifying exactly what that is. Addressing McCain, he continued: ‘You are more in that tradition on those issues than a lot of the Democrats are today.’ (McCain may be pretty sure he’s not George Bush, but he didn’t sound like he wants to be Bill Clinton, either. “Yeah,” he muttered. “Next question, please.’)”
“This kind of shtick is what drives many Democrats crazy. ‘I think that Sen. Lieberman feels much more comfortable in the Republican Party,’ said Ned Lamont, who beat Lieberman in Connecticut’s Democratic primary race for the Senate in 2006, but then lost the general election when Lieberman ran as an independent. ‘I got in the race two and a half years ago because I thought he had left a lot of Democratic principles a long time ago.’ Blogger and activist David Sirota says he hopes Reid and other leaders will punish Lieberman: ‘I hope that there is some personal animus toward the guy.’”
“Lieberman’s friends, however, say they don’t think he’s worried about the future. ‘Joe’s position is, this is free speech,’ said John Droney, a former Connecticut Democratic Party chairman who is one of Lieberman’s close backers (though Droney supports Obama for president). Droney said Lieberman basically figures ‘if you want to come and get me for helping a friend, for doing what I thought was in the best interest of my country, for putting principle ahead of politics, well, then go ahead.’ It’s clear where Droney’s sympathy lies, even if he disagrees with Lieberman on who belongs in the White House. ‘When the crowd of enraged liberals — still flushed with an Obama victory, if such is to be the case — show up at the Capitol with pitchforks and lanterns demanding that [Lieberman] be thrown off the Rotunda, then the people in the Senate are going to have to decide’ what to do, he said.”
“But booting him from the caucus altogether is another story. For one thing, he’s already skipped most meetings of Senate Democrats this fall — he’s effectively taken himself out of the caucus anyway. On Sunday’s call, he referred to himself as an Independent, not a Democrat. And while punishing Lieberman would please the party’s base, if the leadership needs his vote, that could be counterproductive. ‘The need to satisfy Daily Kos is not as important as making sure you have the votes you need,’ said a consultant close to some Senate Democratic leaders. Voters might not be that impressed by punishing Lieberman, either. ‘At the end of the day, who gives a shit if Joe Lieberman is allowed to be chairman or do X, Y and Z for the Democrats? People care about if there’s going to be an effort to get them healthcare, and do something about energy and all that … It might be gratifying in the short term to get him, but in the long run what does it really get you?’”
“Whatever happens, Lieberman is surely destined for the political trivia books, considering how quickly he went from Al Gore’s running mate to John McCain’s best buddy. Lieberman’s spokesman, Marshall Wittmann (who once worked for McCain), wouldn’t comment on his future beyond saying, in an e-mail to Salon, that his boss was only focusing on ‘helping to elect John McCain’ and not ‘post-election Washington politics.” On Sunday, closing out the “town hall’ conference call, Lieberman suggested there was more at stake in the election than whether McCain wins and Lieberman gets to be secretary of defense. ‘What is on the line,’ he said, ‘is no less than the future of our families and our values and everything we care about.’
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DEMOCRATIC FUNDAMENTALS
Democratic Party on Abortion
* Invest in stem cell and other medical
research.
* Pursue embryonic stem cell research.
* Support right to choose even if mother
cannot pay.
* Choice is a fundamental, constitutional
right.
Democratic Party on Budget & Economy
* Restore the budget discipline of the
1990s.
* Cut the deficit in half over the next four
years.
* Democrats reversed economic stagnation
of previous years.
* Democrats must continue to lead Americans
to prosperity.
* G.O.P. creates debt, Dems create surpluses.
* Democrats will eliminate publicly held
debt by 2012.
* Policy should encourage home ownership
& affordable housing.
* Restore the budget discipline of the
1990s.
* Cut the deficit in half over the next four
years.
* Democrats reversed economic stagnation
of previous years.
* Democrats must continue to lead Americans
to prosperity.
* G.O.P. creates debt, Dems create surpluses.
* Democrats will eliminate publicly held
debt by 2012.
* Policy should encourage home ownership
& affordable housing.
Democratic Party on Civil Rights
* Racial and religious profiling is wrong.
* Keep marriage at state level; no federal
gay marriage ban.
* Strengthen some parts of Patriot Act
and change other parts.
* Support affirmative action to redress
discrimination.
* Police should have zero tolerance of
racial profiling.
* Pass hate crime legislation including
gays.
* Democrats lead fight for ERA and
equal employment.
Democratic Party on Corporations
* Transparency in corporate accounting.
* End corporate welfare as we know.
* Tax credits and investment support
for small business.
Democratic Party on Crime
* Crack down on gangs and drugs.
* Fight crime with prevention, community
police.
* Tougher punishments, including the death
penalty.
* DNA testing & post-conviction reviews
in death penalty cases.
Democratic Party on Drugs
* Bring to justice those bringing drugs
to America.
* Drugs in prison: get clean to get out.
* Dry up drug demand via more
enforcement plus more treatment.
* Fight drugs and economic hopelessness
that fuels it.
Democratic Party on Education
* Make college tuition tax deductible.
* Standardized tests to advance learning,
not bureaucracy.
* Charter schools OK, vouchers not.
* Support lifelong learning and Distance
Learning.
* Bush broke promise of NCLB by not
funding it.
* Education is top priority in Democrat
presidency.
* Character education is an important
aspect of education.
* Accountability is a key to public school
success.
* Reduce class size, modernize facilities,
hire new teachers.
* Enact new tax programs to enable more
life-long learning.
* U.S. needs public school accountability,
not vouchers.
Democratic Party on Energy & Oil
* Transfer billions in oil & gas subsidies to
alternative R&D.
* We cannot drill our way to energy
independence.
* Energy independence to avoid dealing
with repressive regimes.
* Develop renewable energy and efficient
vehicles.
* Invest in technology & transportation
friendly to earth.
Democratic Party on Environment
* Honor hunting & fishing heritage via
more conservation lands.
* Reject choice of healthy economy vs.
healthy environment.
* Encourage open space and rail travel.
* We do not have to choose between
economy and environment.
Democratic Party on Families & Children
* Family is the center of American life.
* Expand Family and Medical Leave Law;
end marriage penalty.
* Improve child-care and fully fund Head
Start.
Democratic Party on Foreign Policy
* Commit to “One China” policy but
support Taiwan.
* Asia: Enhance relations with Japan,
South Korea, India, Pakistan.
* Bush bullies when he should instead
persuade.
* US leadership in Africa for economic
& humanitarian goals.
* Community of the Americas for
US-Latin American relations.
* Russia: work on nukes, human rights,
and democracy.
* End Castro regime, but allow travel.
* Forward Engagement must guide
proactive foreign policy.
* Work to close gap between richest
and poorest nations.
* Engage China; protest Tibet.
Democratic Party on Free Trade
* Knock down barriers to free, fair and
balanced trade.
* Review all trade agreements; investigate
China rights abuses.
* Free trade with safeguards will benefit all.
Democratic Party on Government Reform
* Meaningful campaign finance reform to
restore public trust.
* Line-item veto to root out pork-barrel
spending.
* Ensure accessible, independently auditable,
accurate voting.
* Support McCain-Feingold bill for campaign
finance reform.
Democratic Party on Gun Control
* Reauthorize assault weapons ban, close gun
show loophole.
* Strengthen gun control to reduce violence.
Democratic Party on Health Care
* Make sure everyone has access to affordable
health care.
* Bush’s Medicare Rx program helps companies
more than seniors.
* Expand coverage and cut healthcare costs.
* Every American should have affordable
health insurance.
* Add prescription drug benefit to Medicare.
Democratic Party on Homeland Security
* Lead the world by telling truth to our troops
& our citizens.
* We respect and honor our veterans.
* 3 challenges: War on Terror; WMDs, stable
world democracy.
* Reform intelligence community internationally
and locally.
* Safeguard nuclear material and stop creating
new material.
* Add 40,000 new soldiers and keep military
all-volunteer.
* Focus on cargo containers and border security.
* Equip military for new threats and missions.
* Encourage military careers with better pay
& benefits.
* Prepare military with advanced military
and technology.
* Develop limited missile defense system.
Democratic Party on Immigration
* Path for undocumented aliens to earn
citizenship.
* Reform the INS; reduce immigrant
backlog.
* Protect immigrants from exploitation
by employers.
Democratic Party on Jobs
* Create jobs that stay in America.
* A strong America begins with good
jobs that support families.
* Change tax system to not encourage
shipping jobs overseas.
* Protect workers’ right to organize.
* The rights of low income workers must
be protected.
* Democrats will strengthen safety net
for family farmers.
Democratic Party on Principles & Values
* Democratic promise to address 6 important
issues in Congress.
* New vision for America: strong at home,
respected abroad.
* Appoint judges committed to Constitutional
rights.
Democratic Party on Social Security
* Protecting the promise of Social Security is
absolute.
* Bar practice of keeping retirement funds in
company stock.
* Oppose privatization and oppose raising
retirement age.
* Strengthen Social Security for Baby Boomers.
Democratic Party on Tax Reform
* Cut taxes for middle class, not the wealthy.
* Cut taxes for working families, not richest 1%.
Democratic Party on Technology
* Put science ahead of ideology in research
and policy making.
* Vigorous federal highway and transit
initiatives.
* Every home should have Internet access.
* A big priority is to grow new economy.
* Electronic bill of rights will protect
privacy & kids.
Democratic Party on War & Peace
* “Name and shame” terrorist sponsors, tough
on Saudi Arabia.
* Focus on Afghanistan to avoid renewing
terrorist haven.
* Focus on preventing terrorism by education
in Muslim world.
* Need a plan to “win the peace” in Iraq.
* Internationalize Iraqi military and political
presence.
* Committed to Israel but support Palestinian
state.
* Commitment to Israel is unshakable.
Democratic Party on Welfare & Poverty
* Raise EITC & minimum wage to $7
& expand middle class.
* Harness power of faith-based
organizations PLUS government.
