know who decides on the new Democratic Platform?

[ithacan]

Don't the delegates to the convention do something besides choose the candidate?

Don't they vote on the final platform?

Isn't this a good reason to vote your "heart" , even if it seems a "done deal" in terms of the candidate?

In other words, the more representation from progressive candidates, the more likely that the platform will reflect that position, rather than the DLC republican lite position.

Is this true?

[seventhson]

1. I think it is and it is a damn good point

Kerry is short on issues. Very short.

He is only big on one thing IMHO: status (alleged electability)

and you know I believe that is ONLY because he is the elitist of the candidates, the richest, the most privileged, and the most self-intereested.

Therefore it is critical that we get DK, Dean, Edwards and even Sharpton in the door at the convention.

[MaineDem]

2. States are working on the platform now

Each state, I believe, will be holding public meetings on the platform.

The Platform Committees that I know about have been soliciting input for months now. It would be a good idea to get in on the ground floor of these discussions.

Edited for bad spelling.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[polpilot]

8. God I hope Dean leaves the party and starts The Real Democratic Party!

.

[Taeger]

10. National parties are NOT the answer

National parties will NEVER be the answer to ensuring the freedom of citizens. The answer are alliances of local and regional parties that cooperate on common goals.

Only in this way can we avoid having the GREATER interest of the poeple divided into opposing camps while the puppeteers cynically manipulate the process to their own advantage.

The Democratic leadership is corrupt. They aren't as bad as the GOP. Formation of a new top-down hierarchy will only result in it's corruption.

Look at what happened to "United We Stand". It was largely a grass roots organization with generous support from Ross Perot. Then the politicos got involved. It became a top-down organization instead of a bottom-up organization.

The only TRUE answer to national democratic organizations are chaotically materialization of alliances between regional parties. In this way, no one can really control the will of the people because it has NO static organization. It is a moving target that the people control instead of the politicos.

The notion of "soft-money" has ruined our political system. It meant that part "leaders" could annoint WHO they wanted with large amounts of party money. It's top-down, not bottom-up. It's the Reagonomics of politics. Trickle down ideology.

[paulk]

4. progressive candidates

The liberal rating organization, Americans for Democratic Action, rates John Kerry, the presummptive nominee, highest among the candidates running, with a lifetime rating of 93%.

If your interest is a progressive, liberal party platform, vote for John Kerry.

[pansypoo53219]

5. the primary is always a freebee

i vote who i want in the primary. in 88', Harkin was already out and i voted for Jesse J.
better luck with Clinton.

[arewethereyet]

6. they "vote" on the final platform and drink

the party is already working on the final platform

[Nazgul35]

7. It doesn't matter....

what the platform is. The eventual nominee will ignore those parts of the platform and choose their own policies to run on....

The platform is nothing more than a straw poll, our party's lame attempt to try and act like a real party (in the terms of Parliamentary parties).....

Conventions are nothing more than drinking, whoring, connection-making, flag waving TV reality shows that meet every four years....

Don't pin your hopes on what the Party does at the convention, you live in a country that is candidate driven when it comes to elections...

The people who will decide what issues to run on have already been hired and are working on the eventual nominee's election committee....

You want to know what Kerry, Edwards, Dean, Kucinich or Sharpton's issues will be....look at their staffs....

[TexasDem]

9. In Texas starts at Precinct caucus meeting after

.. the polls closed. The individual precincts have their meeting and submit proposed resolutions to be considered to be placed in the platform. You get a large number of different precincts with similar resolution and that how it makes it into the platform (much like the religious right did with the pro-life resolution).

In Texas the major resolution being circulated for consideration by all precincts to submit in resolution form is on having in the platform that democrats want audit/backup paper to electronic voting. I'd love to see that in our platform.

[Taeger]

11. Platforms ...

Platforms should be constrained to only those items which can gain SUPER majorities. In this way, the parties platform can be focused and consistent. Their core mission is defined.

The individual partisans would be free to work the rest of the details out.