Proposed Democratic Platform

I came across this quote a while back, and thought it was really neat then – but I wasn’t blogging yet, so I never got to share it. Since it came back up in discussion lately – why not share it now?

I’m on the Progressive Delaware Democrats mailing list – and Tom Vincent posted it again as follows:

And I *still* think the Democratic Party should adopt FDR's proposed Second Bill of Rights as their official platform:

·The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation.
·The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation.
·The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living.
·The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad.
·The right of every family to a decent home.
·The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health.
·The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident and unemployment.
·The right to a good education.

I totally agree. The democrats should adopt this long-waiting promise as their platform… “The Promise for the Future”, maybe?

Whatever you want to call it, we need to use this to reframe the political arguments in this country.

The current administration has lost sight of the individual American; Her hopes and dreams, his needs and wants. It is up to the Democrats to use this time in our political history to lay claim to the values of the everyday American.

There is a great interchange in one of my favorite movies – The American President – where the president is talking to one of his staff, and they are arguing over the American populace looking for leadership. They use the imagery of an oasis. The staff member says that the people are so thirsty for leadership that in its absence they will come to an oasis and drink the sand. The president replies that they don’t drink the sand because they are thirsty – they drink the sand because they don’t know the difference.

The Values Voters are voting for Republicans because the Republicans have defined for our country what “values” the average American should have.

We need to redefine what real American values are – and lead the charge on behalf of the NEW Values Voters!

-Emily