What do you mean, we don't have any ideas?

[Mythsaje]

Democratic Oath of Good Government

Sometime back someone mentioned the need to come up with our OWN "Contract with America," though it was pointed out that "Contract with" was easily replaced with "Contract on" which, while true in the Republican case, wouldn't work so well for us.

So. I've been pondering all day at work, and this is what I've come up with so far. I'm thinking of this as an oath a prospective Democratic Candidate might take as part of their campaign...their signature on a written oath, whatever...

_____________________________________________________________________________________

1. I will not vote to raise my own salary until I can guarantee that each of you has adequate healthcare and is at least moving toward a living wage

2. I will provide transparency of government, excepting where national security is TRULY at stake.

3. I will never vote for war without irrefutable evidence that it is necessary, and, should a war become necessary, promise not to vote for any military action without clearly defined goals and an exit strategy.

4. I will never take money from veterans or our retired citizens to provide funding for other government programs.

5. I will never make medical decisions for you, leaving that between you and your doctor.

6. I will never spend your money unwisely, nor silently stand by while others do so.

7. I vow to take your voice as seriously as I take the voice of any other citizen, individual or corporate.

In addition, these have been suggested by other Democratic Underground members...

8. I will fight to make higher education and job-training programs available to all, to provide anybody willing to work to better themselves access to a quality, well-paying job.

(Rephrased as) I will fight to make higher education and job training accessible to all.

9. I will fight for a clean environment because we all have to live here.

10. I will not vote for any legislation I have not read or at least understand well enough to explain it to others.

11. I will vote to fund innovations in renewable energy and strive to free America from our dependence on foreign oil.

12. I will strive to see that ALL Americans receive equal treatment under the law.

[opihimoimoi]

1. Damn good for starters....

The list is good for candidates...

We need one for the PARTY that is 10 points and SIMPLE

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. Getting them all on the same page is the problem.

[kittynboi]

3. Do we have IDEAS?

I get tired of people saying the left is lacking in ideas. As far as I can tell, we have more actual ideas than the right wingers do, but the MSM just buries their head in the sand and refuses to realize it.

[zanne]

4. We had ideas before the Bush 2000 campaign stole them.

Am I the only one who remembers this? The Republicans had nothing to run on until they stole our ideas. Al Gore's positions included the Health Insurance Crisis, better schools, a cleaner environment and a strong national defense. There were more, of course, but the Bush camp basically just stole these issues and made them their own during the campaign. They proposed weak, band-aid solutions for everything, but effectively took away these issues. So now they can claim that Democrats "don't stand for anything".

[eallen]

5. What they mean is: we don't have an ideology.

[mzmolly]

6. Great stuff. I don't know why Democrats don't refer people to our freakin

platform when they perpetuate the "democrats don't have ideas" BS?

Here is a brief summary from ontheissues.org:

The Democratic Platform for America: Strong at Home, Respected in the World, the Party Platform of the Democratic National Committee, approved July 2004

http://www.ontheissues.org/Dem_Platform_2004.htm

[cry baby]

7. Incredible start, now just try and get

that message out to the "We the People". Our beloved corporate media has too much fun saying we have no ideas so they won't actually cover the wonderful ideas that we do have.

We need to make a "Contract w/ America" kind of thing with your list on it and have Dem pols sign it, as well as Dems that are running for office. Then we publish it again and again in newspapers and TV.

[Surya Gayatri]

8. Excellent work there, Myth--

This should be forwarded to Howard Dean to be used in all Dem campaign efforts between now and Nov. '06 & '08.

All Dem candidates should be encouraged (if not required) to use this pledge as an integral part of their election literature. SG

edit typo