Hello, Kossacks! This is my first diary, hopefully of many.
I want to build a progressive platform, a collection of progressively framed policy statements on the issues that government addresses (or should). Big Media's political discussions are typically couched in exclusively conservative terms, with formats limiting responses to very short answers. Progressives MUST develop a set of policy statements (short and long versions) that evoke the cooperative vision we see, and expose the hypocritical greed behind the conservative agenda.
I've decided to post my story and drafts here because ... well, I can't imagine a better set of colleagues to check my work.
Backstory:
Last fall, I was complaining that my Republican State Rep ran unopposed in 2012, and grumbled that SOMEBODY ought to step up in 2014. My buddy turned the tables on me by asking "So why aren't YOU running?" After a moment to reflect upon my recent upsurge of free time, it became clear this really was the perfect solution. After a quick survey of my nearest & dearest, I started the official paperwork.
Four weeks after the filing date, questionnaires began arriving in the mail from groups I'd mostly never heard of, demanding I choose Yes or No on their litmus test questions. Once I had a nice collection, I spread them out and did them all at once. It was kind of fun ... writing long answers in the whitespace, correcting their science, pointing out their false logic, and explaining my nuanced position in light of these corrections. I was so pleased with my answers, I copied them all into a single document for future reference; the first draft of my platform.
My friends have sent me lists of issues they think I should be prepared to speak on, and I appended those lists to my platform, and began pondering how to address them. It's harder when it's just a topic, and not a question (surprise!). Eventually it occurred to me that I should check to see what my party's platform says.
Unfortunately, Texas Democratic Party's platform was not at all what I expected; it felt like a loose pile of single planks! The Congressional Progressive Caucus doesn't have a platform at all (too bad). However, they do have a set of principals which I will use as the top level of my platform:
1. Fighting for economic justice and security for all;
2. Protecting and preserving our civil rights and civil liberties;
3. Promoting global peace and security; and
4. Advancing environmental protection and energy independence
Copied from http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/...
So ... I'll be researching and reporting back here, as I find good progressive policy statements to add to my campaign platform. Feel free to point me at your favorite sources of wisdom, or compose your own; I'll keep attributions as footnotes if I use anything.