Fellow Kossack mataliandy and I have been tapped to (and since agreed to) be on the Vermont Democratic Party's 2006 "Platform Content Committee." I was approached after posting
this diary at Green Mountain Daily and encouraging blogger-types to weigh in with their own views (a companion
diary at Daily Kos didn't stir any excitement, alas).
I said that if it included on the committe, I would spread the word far and wide in the blogosphere to encourage input and creative thinking - and this diary is part of that effort. If you are a Vermonter, a Vermontophile, or just have some strong feelings on what a platform should be, here's a chance to have your say. At the risk of being tacky, I hope this gets recommended, as I'd like to see this discussion take off. You have my word that all suggestions will be read and considered by the committee...
The 2004 VDP Platform
can be found here for reference. It's 6045 words long - which is actually rather short for one of these documents. Like all Platforms, it follows the "preamble...plank-plank-plankety-plank...etc" format, where the planks are a laundry list of issues.
I say let's through it all on the table, even the format. Look - we all know how irrelevant these things are. The public pays no attention to them, the candidates don't the press doesn't - even the Republicans ignore the Platform. So the question is, how to make it relevant?
I say throw out the format and see how close to fitting on a postcard we can get it. Laundry lists of issues are never truly complete, and as such become a point of needless argument. Why not make it an accessible document that's a clear statement of our principles, perspectives and concerns as a coalition party?
If I ran the zoo, I'd go with something along this line ... a mere 632 words:
The Democratic Party platform is based on the following fundamental moral tenets:
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" - Jesus Christ
"Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law." - Chief Joseph
"Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor" - Ephesians 4:25
"Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek." - Martin Luther King Jr.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." - Thomas Jefferson
"The great question is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with failure" - Chinese Proverb
The Democratic party believes that government should be the smallest sized possible to still be able to meet those responsibilities that a good, just and moral government has to its citizenry. Those responsibilities include:
- Providing necessary assistance and support to citizens when they are unable to care for themselves or their families.
- Guaranteeing that no class of citizens gets special rights or status over another.
- Providing for a vibrant, modern civil infrastructure that minimizes our carbon footprint
- The Security of our nation through a smart and efficient national defense and a rational foreign policy that builds the alliances necessary to promote peace and stability
- Supporting healthy communities through just law enforcement, sustainable growth and healthy downtowns
- The protection of most basic rights of all citizens within it's jurisdiction and borders including the fundamental human rights to clean water, clean air, health care, free association, privacy, a fair trial, public education, and equal treatment under the law regardless of one's race, class, gender, ability, sexual preference, religion or political viewpoints
Based on the above, the Democratic Party stands firmly against:
- Torture
- Forced Childbirth
- The establishment of of a prefered, state-supported religion or religious doctrine
- Activist judges that ignore history and the Constitution to force acceptance of any of the above
In addition, the Democratic Party stands firmly in support of:
- The US Constitution, including all provisions for:
- checks and balances and the seperation of powers (including the expectation that elected officials will exercise their responsibility to perform oversight and defend the Constitution)
- The expectation of equal protection under the law
- The right to be secure against unreasinable searches, including surveillence without warrants or just cause
- The right to associate with whoever you choose
- The expectation that the laws of the land apply equally to the president and the executive branch as to the average citizen
- Individual liberties, including the freedom of dissent
- The responsibility to dissent in the face of injustices committed in our name
- The expectation that citizens and government will acknowledge and learn from mistakes
- Socially and environmentally sustainable communities
- International law
The Democratic Party recognizes great the great social progress that has been made over the last decades towards a more just society, but accepts the clear, quantifiable reality that the goals of the feminist movement, the civil rights movement, the gay rights movement, the environmental movement and the labor movement have not been realized. The Democratic Party therefore rejects any effort to undo the gains made towards a more just society and commits itself to promoting government that works toward continued progress on these fronts, acting affirmatively only if absolutely necessary, but unapologetically doing so when it is absolutely necessary.
Furthermore, the Dem Party believes that all elected officials of any party should be expected to fully adhere to their oaths of office and defend the Constitution at all times, and through whatever means are available to them through their office, as we should expect no less from each other as responsible citizens of this great state and this great nation.
Okay - your turn. Scrap what I said and come up with your own. Or bounce off the 2004 platform, or do comment on my version.... I want this to be as much of an open-source Platform as the powers that be will allow, so mataliandy and I need your input!