At Demwing's request, a compendium of stands and beliefs

[Eleanors38]

This discussion thread was locked by demwing (a host of the Populist Reform of the Democratic Party group).

Last edited Fri Nov 14, 2014, 03:42 PM - Edit history (1)

DU members think should be advanced by PRG. This is not in stone, and only reflects threads posted by time of this writing; you may wish to add, modify or reject some.

Stands and Issues:
1) Right to Roof, Right to Eat, Right to Health
2) Living wage
3) Protect our water
4) Renew protection of individual rights
5) Aggressively reduce college debt
6) Strengthen right to unionize
7) Free higher education
8) Bridges, utils, roads repaired Now
9) Strengthen Social Security
10) End child hunger, end poverty
11) End War on Drugs, medically treat addicts
12) End prejudice & discrimination
13) End pay inequality, voter suppression
14) Support gay & immigrant rights
15) Modernize government, esp. IRS
16) Single-payer health care
17) Tax code simplification, close loop holes
18) Capital gains taxed at same rate
19) Lower IRS taxes for new, small start-ups
20) Candidates receive $ only from constituents
21) Sovereignty over your body
22) Nat'l voting rights act for fed elections.
23) Provide for national referenda
24) End Electoral College
25) Strengthen public schools, end privatization
26) Freedom from monopolies. Open I-net
27) Restore habeus corpus
28) Speak out on climate change
29) Support alternative energy
30) Fund public elections

International issues:
1) Speak out against "Costly Trade Agreements"
2) Smart & Just foreign policy

Suggested Strategies:
A) Open lines with DFA, WFP & others
B) Start organizing around local issues
C) Get DU "celebs" to speak out
D) Never use oppositions' frame, use our own
E) Democrats should use stories, not "positions"

Actions now:
a) Living wage on all state ballots
b) Sign all correspondence using PRG & locale
c) Promote pop. Dems for 2016 Sen. elections

Some names for PRG:
I Second Bill of Rights
II People's Democratic Party
III Roosevelt Democrats

WillyT and EEO also have summations in the works.

[NYC_SKP]

1. Bravo!

Nicely done!

[Lady Freedom Returns]

2. Sounds like you covered it!

[Enthusiast]

3. Preserve and protect the internet as it now exists.

Maybe that would fall under #26) Freedom from monopolies.

[Eleanors38]

5. Will "open I-net" do? (edited to include in #26)

[jwirr]

4. Looks like we just wrote the platform! Would like to add reestablish Glass-Steagle. (Sorry about the

spelling.)

I am in favor of calling ourselves Roosevelt Democrats but then everyone is going to think we are over 70 which some of us are.

[truedelphi]

6. Glass Stegall - an idea whose time had come back in 1930's - and

which continually protected the American people. Then it was revoked by the Banking Reform Act that 99 Senators and a Democratic President signed off on, right before Bill left office.

Within nine years, the economy had imploded.

It needs to be brought back.

[jwirr]

7. Thank you for the spelling correction. I usually forget how even though it is one of the things we

really need to restore.

[truedelphi]

8. You have no idea how many times people corrected me - and

I am still not sure if it is the right spelling!

[demwing]

9. thanks Eleanors38

I'm going to lock this thread while WillyT and EEO compile the suggestions from their threads.

After that happens, we'll filter out the duplicates, refine the language, and post it to the group for final review.

[Cosmic Kitten]

10. That's quite a laundry list

I agree with much of what is on
the shopping list, and why it's relevant.
However there is redundancy
and a lack of internal coherence.

For example:
13) End pay inequality, voter suppression
20) Candidates receive $ only from constituents
22) Nat'l voting rights act for fed elections.
24) End Electoral College
30) Fund public elections

And these are all essentially
"Reforming the Election Process" issues.
Pay inequality, voter suppression
are not normally connected.
#20 and #30 seem contradictory

For "average voters" these issues are relevant.
It is unrealistic and overwhelming for average voters to
follow policy and comprehend a patchwork quilt of legislation.
There needs to be some internal coherence that UNIFIES
why these issues "should" be important to voters.

Take Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as an example.
In order for a human to "THRIVE" there is a
hierarchy needs that must to be fulfilled and maintained
to ensure health, well-being and growth.
ANYONE can understand that access to food, water,
and shelter are necessities.

The following bullet points are the base of the pyramid, "survival".
1) Right to Roof, Right to Eat, Right to Health
2) Living wage
3) Protect our water
10) End child hunger, end poverty

The Following bullets points are the "safety/security" needs
11) End War on Drugs, medically treat addicts
16) Single-payer health care
21) Sovereignty over your body
27) Restore habeus corpus

Connecting basic human needs to policy
provides a coherence and easily relate able
platform for just about any voter.

There is loads more so this is just a very brief
and very rough sugestion.
IOW, 2 cents worth

[demwing]

11. Funny you mentioned Maslow!

I edited the list a bit using Maslow's hierarchy as my inspiration. I broke down all the ideas into categories of needs (defined in this list as Rights). The OP will reflect the change in post #1 later this evening, but here's a preview:

A Platform to Affirm Basic Human Rights:

1. Right to Live
   
   
   • Food-Water-Air-Environment
     
     
     • Strengthen Environmental Protections/Regulations
     
     
     • Abolish Fracking
     
     
     • Protect ANWAR
     
     
     • End Subsidies for big Agro Companies
     
     
   • Shelter
     
     
     • Affordable housing
     
     
     • Foreclosure Protections
     
     
     • Regulate Property Tax Seizure
     
     
   • Health
     
     
     • Medicaid for all/Single Payer
     
     
     • Treat Drug Addicts as Patient, not Criminals
     
     


2. Right to Equal Justice
   
   
   • Marriage Equality
   
   
   • Immigration Reform
   
   
   • Wage Equality
   
   
   • Restore habeas corpus
   
   
   • Sovereignty over our bodies
   
   
   • Sovereignty over our identities
   
   


3. Right to Economic Opportunity
   
   
   • Living wage
   
   
   • Free Higher Education
   
   
   • College Debt Jubilee
   
   
   • Strengthen Union Protections
   
   
   • National Jobs Corps
     
     
     • Rebuild our Roads & Bridges
     
     
     • Rebuild our Telecommunications & Power Grids
     
     
     • Rebuild our Dams, Levees, & Waterways
     
     
     • Rebuild our Public Schools, Libraries, Hospitals, & Community Centers
     
     
     • Rebuild our National, State, & Local Parks
     
     


4. Right to a Strong Social Safety Net
   
   
   • Protect Social Security
     
     
     • Repay the Debt
     
     
     • Increase the Cap
     
     
     • No Chained CPI
     [/il]
     
   • Expand Medicaid/Universal Health Care
   
   
   • Expand SNAP (food stamps)
     
     
     • Children
     
     
     • Elderly
   
   
   • Protect Public K-12 Education
   
   


5. Right to a Responsible Government
   
   
   • Taxes
     
     
     • Tax US Corporations that off-shore jobs
     
     
     • Tax Capital gains as regular wages
     
     
     • Expand tax credits for small-business start-ups
     
     
     • Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit
     
     
   • Spending
     
     
     • Top to Bottom Overhaul of Defense Budget
     
     
     • End No-Bid Federal Contracts
     
     
     • End Subsidies for Big Oil, Big Agro, and Big Banks
     
     
     • Invest in Renewable Energy Resources
     
     
   • Oversight
     
     
     • Restore the Glass-Steagall Act
     
     
     • Restore Fairness Doctrine
     
     
     • Return to Trust Busting
     
     
     • Mandate an Aggressive, Populist Justice Department
     
     
     • Classify Internet as a Public Utility
     
     
   • Environment
     
     
     • Strengthen the EPA
     
     
     • Acknowledge and act on climate change
     
     
6. Right to Democracy
   
   
   • Constitutional Right to Vote
     
     
     • Restore All Elements of the Voting Rights Act
     
     
   • Abolish Citizens United
   
   
   • Abolish Corporate Personhood
   
   
   • Campaign Finance Reform
     
     
     • No Foreign donations
     
     
     • Publicly Funded Elections
   
   
   • End Electoral College

[hr]

[Cosmic Kitten]

12. Maslow, baby! Third wave psychology ;~)

That list is much more streamlined.

My greatest reservation about this
push for a Populist agenda is that
it still subscribes to the current framework.

Doing the same things over and over is
playing into the establishment game.
And the game is rigged...
At least according to Ms. Warren :~)

There is a need to re-frame the game
and pull the opposition out of it's comfort zone.
Right now Populists are the visiting team.
It's essential to spin the frame and become the "home team".
Where's G. Lakoff when ya need him?

[demwing]

13. "The game is rigged" is a very populist sentiment

Right now, Republicans are the only pols trying to wave the populist flag. The Tea Party pretends to be populist, but is 120% astroturf.

There us a hunger and a need for real populist reform. Progressives would be fools to allow the Repukes to claim the crown.

I can't watch your video right now, but will check it after work.

thanks!

[demwing]

14. Thread Locked

please continue conversation here:

A Platform to Affirm Fundamental Human Rights
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1277809