The Most Progressive Democratic Party Platform Ever?

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

10 July 16

 

f Bernie Sanders hadn’t received 13 million votes and won 45% of the pledged delegates, the Democratic Party platform would not be as progressive as it is. That being said, I don’t think the platform goes far enough on health care, trade, or the environment.

Do Democrats want universal health care? I can’t tell. Do Democrats oppose the TPP? They refuse to come out and say it.

On Saturday during a conference call with the media, Senator Sanders praised the progress made on health care: “The goal of health care reform in America should be to do what every other major country on earth does, and that is to guarantee health care for all as a right. The proposal brought forth today by Secretary Clinton, working with our campaign, is an important step forward in expanding health care in America – and expanding health insurance and health care access to tens of millions of Americans.

However, one of the senator’s staunchest supporters, National Nurses United, signaled that they didn’t think it went far enough. Chuck Idelson, the communications director for Nurses United, told RSN, “Too many Americans continue to suffer lack of access and denial of needed care. Nurses will never stop fighting for full transformation of our broken health care system that can only be achieved with real guaranteed care through an expanded and improved Medicare for all/single payer system.” Union President RoseAnn DeMoro tweeted, “Today the #DemPlatform denied us healthcare & outsourced our jobs. #SeeYouInPhilly.”

The Clinton proposal will increase funding to community health centers, a move that Sanders described as an important step forward in granting access to primary care physicians.

“This proposal, in a very significant way, addresses the crisis we now face in primary health care – the understanding that many millions of Americans today are unable to access a doctor, dental care, mental health counseling or low-cost prescription drugs,” Sanders said. “As part of this proposal, Secretary Clinton is committed to doubling the funding for primary care services at community health centers over the next decade. In doing so, we will dramatically expand access to millions more people.”

The proposal also called for a public option in all 50 states and expanding Medicare to people age 55 and older. If you remember, both of these proposals were defeated during the original fight for Obamacare. They are significant steps forward, but this is the platform, not legislation. We need to ask for what we really want, not just steps forward. Steps forward come after negotiations, not as our initial proposal. If Hillary Clinton and the Democrats really want universal health care they should say it, clearly.

It’s the same on trade. The Democratic Platform committee voted down an amendment from Ben Jealous to add the words “That is why we oppose the TPP.” An amendment came to the floor from labor that set standards for trade deals that they themselves said the TPP could not meet. Labor leader after labor leader took to the floor and shouted how they opposed the TPP – but they still opposed the Jealous amendment.

“The majority of Democrats, like the majority of Americans, are against the TPP,” said Jealous. “Hillary is against the TPP. Bernie is against the TPP. Let’s not be bureaucrats – let’s be leaders.”

We all know why they opposed directly saying they opposed the TPP. They were leaving President Obama and Hillary Clinton wiggle room. Remember Bill Clinton campaigning against NAFTA but then signing it after cosmetic changes? I am actually stunned that organized labor led the fight against adding “that is why we oppose the TPP” to the Democratic Party Platform.

Following that battle there was another effort to express the party’s position on a vote on the TPP in Congress. Jim Hightower brought the amendment and argued passionately for it. It was also defeated.

Another shameful vote was one against an amendment to strike saber rattling language when it comes to Iran. The amendment would have removed wording that stated that we would not hesitate to use force to enforce the nuclear agreement with Iran. We should always hesitate before using force. Progress was made on the platform concerning Palestine, but the party’s refusal to call the occupation illegal was again a mistake.

So now it’s time for Clinton supporters who are probably ready to burn me at the stake to calm down. My critiques were based on my positions on the issues. I support single payer, oppose the TPP, and oppose saber rattling just to appear to be strong on the military. There were other votes I disagreed with, but those were the ones that stuck out to me. I long for the day the Democratic Party represents what we believe and doesn’t pass its platform based on politics.

I applaud the efforts made by Senator Sanders and all those who fought for what is the most progressive platform in US history. When I started to write this article I expected to conclude that the platform was too weak. I thought the language on the environment to be too weak, but I will trust Josh Fox, Bill McKibben, and the other Sanders delegates who negotiated the language that passed. I would have liked the simple words “We oppose fracking,” but we moved much closer to that language.

While the plan does not ban fracking nationally as Sanders has called for, it will significantly limit fracking by forcing companies to disclose the chemicals they pump into the ground by eliminating the Halliburton Loophole. It also protects the right of states and localities to ban fracking.

“I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished tonight. This is the most aggressive plan to combat climate change in the history of the Democratic Party. As a result of this plan natural gas is no longer regarded as a bridge to the future. The future of America’s energy system now clearly belongs to sun and wind power. But we are not finished. We have got to follow through on the promise of this agreement, to put people before the profits of polluters and solve the global crisis of climate change before it’s too late,” Warren Gunnels, Sanders’ policy director said.

There were other victories. The platform supports a $15 minimum wage. The platform calls for removing marijuana from the list of schedule one narcotics.

“We have made enormous strides,” Sanders said. “Thanks to the millions of people across the country who got involved in the political process – many for the first time – we now have the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party.”

I believe that in the end the voice of our movement was heard and the platform reflects many of our goals. It is a step forward, progress that we should celebrate. The struggle for a truly progressive platform continues, and we have to keep organizing to move our nation forward. A truly progressive Democratic Party is in reach if we stay engaged and continue to fight. The fight moves to Philly in two weeks. I do not know if the TPP, single payer health care and other issues we fell short on in Orlando will be reopened or not. We are still waiting for reforms in the nominating process. That happens in another committee.

“While we have made great progress in the Democratic platform advancing the issues that have inspired millions of Americans in this campaign, the fight is just beginning,” Sanders said.

“If we are going to transform America and create a government which works for all and not just the 1 percent we need to elect candidates who will fight for these principles. We need to elect a Democratic Congress and president and make certain that the language in the Democratic platform is translated into law. We must ensure that progress for working families in America does not end on the pages of the Democratic platform but becomes reality.”

We have a way to go, but if we give up now we can guarantee that the Democratic Party will go back to business as usual. Together, if we continue the struggle, we can build a new Democratic Party.

---

Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.