Who is the Democratic Party?

[RiverStone]

The DNC website says this:

The late Ron Brown — former Chairman of the Democratic Party — put it best when he wrote, "The common thread of Democratic history, from Thomas Jefferson to Bill Clinton, has been an abiding faith in the judgment of hardworking American families, and a commitment to helping the excluded, the disenfranchised and the poor strengthen our nation by earning themselves a piece of the American Dream. We remember that this great land was sculpted by immigrants and slaves, their children and grandchildren."

http://www.democrats.org/a/party/history.html


I'm seeking a manifesto, a bill of rights, anything that reminds us what our party really stands for. Recent votes of The Hill (enter Kyle-Lieberman, MoveOn censure, approving more war $$$ for Shrub) suggest that the party elite wants to shift our agenda more and more to the right.

Reading DK's word's yesterday, I fear the lines between what makes us a uniquely Democratic Party and what makes them a Republican party are blurring. Just look at the YEA's and NAY's.

“We do not have to fund the war. The Democratic leadership must tell the President NO to any additional funding. We can separately appropriate money to bring the troops home. The only thing required is honesty, integrity and a willingness to end the war,” Kucinich said.

“The Democratic leadership is playing into the Bush Administration’s hands by continuing to fund the war. What this Congress must realize is that we do not have to fund this war. We must leave Iraq now. That is what the American people want. That is why they voted for Democrats to take control of Congress last November.

http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=75364

I have no intention of abandoning the party I have worked for, canvassed for, met-up for, and voted for the last 30 years! Though with each passing week, I wonder if that same party is abandoning me?

So who is the Democratic Party and what do we stand for? Show me the best definition you have....


peace~

[H2O Man]

1. The Grassroots.

When I think of the democratic party, I think of the men and women at the grass roots' level.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. The lesser of two evils.

"Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one." Thomas Paine

I've been a Democrat since 1965. My first vote for president was for a 3rd Party candidate. I've been willing to hold my nose many times since, but refused to do so on a couple of other occasions.

As I grow older my inclination to support candidates simply because they have a (D) after their names and are "not as bad" has diminished to the point, lately, of non-existence.

"I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever, in religion, in philosophy, in politics or in anything else, where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent. If I could not go to Heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all." - Thomas Jefferson

[Vilis Veritas]

3. This is the best I got...it is why I came to the party.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1907257&mesg_id=1907257

Peace.

[bigtree]

4. I support our party, mainly because it defends the primacy of the federal government

in facilitating social change and development, as well as facilitating support for those citizens who are unable without independent means.

Those instigations have to be constantly defended with our own advocacy and activism. That's what I believe our party is good for; as a coalition of concern and opposition to those who stand in the way of bringing about that social change and support.

[Ganja Ninja]

5. It's what passes for a left wing party in this country.

In other countries it would be considered right wing or right of center. Unfortunately until the Green Party becomes a viable and competitive political party it's our only hope as sad as that may be.

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. The Party's Platform:

http://www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf

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Strong at Home, Respected in the WorldThe 2004 Democratic NationalPlatform for America(As approved by the 2004 Democratic National Convention July 27, 2004)
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Copyright © 2004 by the 2004 Democratic National Convention Committee, Inc.For more information, contact:Democratic National Committee430 South Capitol St., SEWashington, DC 20003202-863-8000www.democrats.org
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2004 Democratic National Platform – iCONTENTSPREAMBLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1A STRONG, RESPECTED AMERICA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3DEFEATING TERRORISM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4KEEPING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION OUT OF THE HANDS OF TERRORISTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6PROMOTING DEMOCRACY, PEACE, AND SECURITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7STRENGTHENING OUR MILITARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12ACHIEVING ENERGY INDEPENDENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14STRENGTHENING HOMELAND SECURITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16A STRONG, GROWING ECONOMY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21CREATING GOOD JOBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21STANDING UP FOR THE GREAT AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24STRONG, HEALTHY FAMILIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29REFORMING HEALTH CARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29IMPROVING EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34A STRONG AMERICAN COMMUNITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
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Strong at Home, Respected in the WorldThe 2004 Democratic National Platform for AmericaPREAMBLEAs we come together to declare our vision as Democrats, we are mindful that the challenges of ourtimes are new and profound. This November, the choice we face as Americans may have more impacton our people and our place in the world than any in our lifetimes. We approach this task with aseriousness that matches the challenges before us, but also with a profound optimism about our future –an optimism that springs from our great faith in America, and our great pride in what it means to beAmericans.We know the stakes are immeasurably high.For the first time in generations, we have been attacked on our own shores. Our brave men andwomen in uniform are still in harm's way in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the war against terror. Our alliancesare frayed, our credibility in doubt.Our great middle class is hard-pressed. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and millions moreare struggling under the mounting burden of life's everyday costs. In Washington, the President and his allies stubbornly press on, without regard to the needs of ourpeople or the challenges of our times.It is time for a new direction.John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party bring a new vision for America – strong athome, respected abroad. An America that offers opportunity, rewards responsibility, and rejoices indiversity.We have a plan to build a strong, respected America: protecting our people, rebuilding our alliances,and leading the way to a more peaceful and prosperous world.We have a plan to build a strong, growing economy: creating good jobs, rewarding hard work, andrestoring fiscal discipline. We have a plan to help our people build strong, healthy families: securing quality health care, offeringworld-class education, and ensuring clean air and water.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 2And we will honor the values of a strong American community: widening the circle of equality,protecting the sanctity of freedom, and deepening our commitment to this country.In offering this vision, we affirm our faith in the greatness of America. We recommit to the ideal of apeople united in helping one another, an ideal as old as the faiths we follow and as great as the countrywe love. To those who are threatened, we pledge protection; to those who are victims, we promisejustice; to those who are hopeless, we offer hope. And to all Americans who seek a better future forthemselves, for their loved ones, and for our country, we say: your cause is our own.That is the America we believe in. That is the America we are fighting for. That is the America wewill build together – one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 3A STRONG, RESPECTED AMERICAAlone among nations, America was born in pursuit of an idea – that a free people with diverse beliefscould govern themselves in peace. For more than a century, America has spared no effort to defendand promote that idea around the world. And over and over, that effort has been marked by theexercise of American leadership to forge powerful alliances based on mutual respect with longtime alliesand reluctant friends; with nations already living in the light of democracy and with peoples struggling tojoin them.The might of our alliances, coupled with the strength of our democratic ideals, has been a drivingforce in the survival and success of freedom – in two World Wars, in the Korean War, in the ColdWar, in the Gulf War and in Kosovo. America led instead of going it alone. We extended a hand, not afist. We respected the world – and the world respected us. As Americans, we respect and honor our veterans. We are indebted to all those courageous menand women who have answered our country's call to duty. Their service and sacrifice, their dedicationand love of country advance our cause of freedom and uphold our finest traditions as a nation.That is the America we believe in. That is the America we are fighting for. And that is the Americawe can be.But the Bush Administration has walked away from more than a hundred years of Americanleadership in the world to embrace a new – and dangerously ineffective – disregard for the world.They rush to force before exhausting diplomacy. They bully rather than persuade. They act alonewhen they could assemble a team. They hope for the best when they should prepare for the worst.Time and again, this Administration confuses leadership with going it alone and engagement withcompromise of principle. They do not understand that real leadership means standing by your principlesand rallying others to join you.John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party believe in a better, stronger America – anAmerica that is respected, not just feared, and an America that listens and leads. Our vision has deeproots in our Declaration of Independence and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Four Freedoms, and in thetough-minded tradition of engagement and leadership—a tradition forged by Wilson and Roosevelt intwo world wars, then championed by Truman and Kennedy during the Cold War. We believe in anAmerica that people around the world admire, because they know we cherish not just our freedom, buttheirs. Not just our democracy, but their hope for it. Not just our peace and security, but the world's.We believe in an America that cherishes freedom, safeguards our people, forges alliances, andcommands respect. That is the America we are going to build.Our overriding goals are the same as ever: to protect our people and our way of life; and to helpbuild a safer, more peaceful, more prosperous, more democratic world. Today, we face three greatchallenges above all others – first, to win the global war against terror; second, to stop the spread of
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 4nuclear, biological and chemical weapons; and third, to promote democracy and freedom around theworld, starting with a peaceful and stable Iraq.To meet these challenges, we need a new national security policy guided by four new imperatives:First, America must launch and lead a new era of alliances for the post-September 11 world. Second,we must modernize the world's most powerful military to meet the new threats. Third, in addition to ourmilitary might, we must deploy all that is in America's arsenal – our diplomacy, our intelligence system,our economic power, and the appeal of our values and ideas. Fourth and finally, to safeguard ourfreedom and ensure our nation's future, we must end our dependence on Mideast oil. DEFEATING TERRORISMToday, the Bush Administration is waging a war against a global terrorist movement committed toour destruction with insufficient understanding of our enemy or effort to address the underlying factorsthat can give rise to new recruits. This war isn't just a manhunt. We cannot rest until Osama bin Ladenis captured or killed, but that day will mark only a victory in the war on terror, not its end. Terroristslike al Qaeda and its affiliates are unlike any adversary our nation has ever known. We face a globalterrorist movement of many groups, funded from different sources with separate agendas, but allcommitted to assaulting the United States and free and open societies around the globe. Despite histough talk, President Bush's actions against terrorism have fallen far short. He still has nocomprehensive strategy for victory. After allowing bin Laden to escape from our grasp at Tora Bora,he diverted crucial resources from the effort to destroy al Qaeda in Afghanistan. His doctrine ofunilateral preemption has driven away our allies and cost us the support of other nations. We must put in place a strategy to win – an approach that recognizes and addresses the many facetsof this mortal challenge, from the terrorists themselves to the root causes that give rise to new recruits,and uses all the tools at our disposal. Agents of terrorism work in the shadows of more than 60 nations,on every continent. The only possible path to victory will be found in the company of others, notwalking alone. With John Kerry as Commander-in-Chief, we will never wait for a green light fromabroad when our safety is at stake, but we must enlist those whose support we need for ultimatevictory. Victory in the war on terror requires a combination of American determination and internationalcooperation on all fronts. It requires the ability and willingness to direct immediate, effective militaryaction when the capture or destruction of terrorist groups and their leaders is possible; a massiveimprovement in intelligence gathering and analysis coupled with vigorous law enforcement; a relentlesseffort to shut down the flow of terrorist funds; a global effort to prevent failed or failing states that canbecome sanctuaries for terrorists; a sustained effort to deny terrorists any more recruits by conductingeffective public diplomacy; and a sustained political and economic effort to improve education, workfor peace, support democracy and extend hope.Improving intelligence to find and stop terrorists. We will train and equip the military to enhanceits capabilities to seek out and destroy terrorists. We will strengthen the capacity of intelligence and law
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 5enforcement around the world by forging stronger international coalitions to provide better informationand communication. We must also improve our intelligence here at home. From the failure to uncover the September 11thplot to the deeply misguided reports about Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction, we haveexperienced unprecedented intelligence failures in recent years. We must do what President Bush hasrefused to do – reform our intelligence system by creating a true Director of National Intelligence withreal control of intelligence personnel and budgets. We must train more analysts in languages spoken byterrorists. And we must break down the old communications barriers between national intelligence andlocal law enforcement, taking care to fully preserve our liberties. Cutting off terrorist funds. We will move decisively to cut off the flow of terrorist funds. We willimpose tough financial sanctions against nations or banks that engage in money laundering or fail to actagainst it. We will strengthen our anti-money laundering laws to prevent terrorists from using hedgefunds and unregulated institutions to finance terror. We will launch a "name and shame" campaignagainst those that are financing terror. If nations do not respond, they will be shut out of the U.S.financial system. And in the specific case of Saudi Arabia, we will put an end to the BushAdministration's kid-glove approach to the supply and laundering of terrorist money.Preventing Afghanistan and other nations from becoming terrorist havens. Nowhere is theneed for collective endeavor greater than in Afghanistan. The Bush Administration has badly mishandledthe war's aftermath. Two years ago, President Bush promised a Marshall Plan to rebuild that country.Instead, he has all but turned away from Afghanistan, allowing it to become again a potential haven forterrorists.We must expand NATO forces outside Kabul. We must accelerate training for the Afghan army andpolice. The program to disarm and reintegrate warlord militias into society must be expedited andexpanded into a mainstream strategy. We will attack the exploding opium trade ignored by the BushAdministration by doubling our counter-narcotics assistance to the Karzai Government andreinvigorating the regional drug control program. Beyond Afghanistan, terrorist attacks from Saudi Arabia and Indonesia to Kenya, Morocco, andTurkey point to a widening network of terrorists targeting this country and our friends. Failed and failingstates like Somalia or countries with large areas of limited government control like the Philippines andIndonesia need international help to close down terrorist havens.Increasing public diplomacy to promote understanding and prevent terrorist recruitment. Atthe core of this conflict is a fundamental struggle of ideas: democracy and tolerance against those whowould use any means and attack any target to impose their narrow views. The war on terror is not aclash of civilizations. It is a clash of civilization against chaos. America needs a major initiative in public diplomacy to support the many voices of freedom in theArab and Muslim world. To improve education for the next generation of Islamic youth, we need a
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 6cooperative international effort to compete with radical Madrassas. And we must support human rightsgroups, independent media, and labor unions dedicated to building a democratic culture from thegrassroots up. Democracy will not blossom overnight, but America should speed its growth bysustaining the forces of democracy against repressive regimes and by rewarding governments that worktoward this end.KEEPING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION OUT OF THE HANDS OFTERRORISTSThere is no greater threat to American security than the possibility of terrorists armed with weaponsof mass destruction. Preventing terrorists from gaining access to these weapons must be our numberone security goal.Containing this massive threat requires American leadership of the highest order – leadership thatbrings our allies, friends, and partners to greater collaboration and participation – and compels problemstates to join and comply with international agreements and abandon their weapons programs.Unfortunately, this Administration's policies have moved America in the opposite direction. They haveweakened international agreements and efforts to enforce non-proliferation instead of strengtheningthem. They have not done nearly enough to secure existing stockpiles and bomb-making materials.They have failed to take effective steps to stop the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs. Wemust change course now.Defending America against attack at all costs. First, the world should be on notice that we willtake every possible measure to defend ourselves against the possibility of attack by unconventionalarms. If such an attack appears imminent, we will do everything necessary to stop it. If such a strikedoes occur, we will respond with overwhelming and devastating force. But we should never wait to actuntil we have no other choice but war. We must build and lead an international consensus for earlypreventive action to lock up and secure existing weapons of mass destruction and the material tomanufacture more.Locking away existing nuclear weapons and material. The first step is to safeguard all bombmaking material worldwide. We need to find it, catalog it, and lock it away. Our approach should besimple: treat the nuclear materials that make bombs like they are bombs. More than a decade after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Russia still has nearly 20,000 nuclear weaponsand enough nuclear material to produce 50,000 more. For most of these weapons and materials,cooperative security upgrades have not been completed. The world is relying on whatever measuresRussia has taken on its own. At the current pace, it will take 13 years to secure potential bomb materialin the former Soviet Union. We cannot wait that long. We will do it in four years. Stopping the creation of new nuclear material for nuclear weapons. We will lead aninternational coalition to put an end to the production of new materials – highly enriched uranium andplutonium – for use in nuclear weapons. And we will reduce excess stocks of existing nuclear materials
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 7and weapons. We will conduct a global cleanout initiative to remove stockpiles of vulnerable highlyenriched uranium at research reactors and facilities in dozens of countries around the world within fouryears. Leading international efforts to shut down nuclear efforts in North Korea, Iran, andelsewhere. We must show determined leadership to end the nuclear weapons program in North Koreaand prevent the development of nuclear weapons in places like Iran. North Korea has sold ballisticmissiles and technology in the past. The North Koreans have made it clear to the world – and to theterrorists – that they are open for business and will sell to the highest bidder. But while thisAdministration has been fixated on Iraq, the nuclear dangers from North Korea have multiplied. TheNorth Koreans allegedly have made enough new fuel to make six to nine nuclear bombs.We should maintain the six-party talks, but we must also be prepared to talk directly with NorthKorea to negotiate a comprehensive agreement that addresses the full range of issues for ourselves andour allies. But we should have no illusions about Kim Jong Il. Any agreement must have rigorousverification and lead to complete and irreversible elimination of North Korea's nuclear weaponsprogram. Even as we have scoured Iraq for signs of weapons of mass destruction, Iran has reportedly beenworking to develop them next door. A nuclear-armed Iran is an unacceptable risk to us and our allies.The same is true for other countries that may be seeking nuclear weapons. This is why strengtheningthe Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is so critical. We must close the loophole that lets countriesdevelop nuclear weapons capabilities under the guise of a peaceful, civilian nuclear power program. Wealso need to strengthen enforcement and verification and make rigorous inspection protocolsmandatory.We must work with every country to tighten export controls, stiffen penalties, and beef up lawenforcement and intelligence sharing. That way we can make absolutely sure that a disaster like the AQKhan black market network, which grew out of Pakistan's nuclear program, can never happen again.We must also take steps to reduce tension between India and Pakistan and guard against the possibilityof their nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands.PROMOTING DEMOCRACY, PEACE, AND SECURITYWe know that promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law is vital to our long-termsecurity. Americans will be safer in a world of democracies. We will work with people and non-governmental organizations around the world struggling for freedom, even as we work with theirgovernments to protect our security from weapons of terror. We will restore America's credibility andcommitment as a force for democracy and human rights, starting in Iraq. We believe that upholding international standards for the treatment of prisoners, wherever they maybe held, advances America's national security, the security of our troops, and the values of our people.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 8And we believe torture is unacceptable. America should abide by its own laws and the treaties it hasratified, including the Geneva Conventions. We will also support international efforts to address theproblem of landmines, while at the same time ensuring that our troops are protected.Winning the peace in Iraq. More than a year ago, President Bush stood on an aircraft carrier undera banner that proclaimed "mission accomplished." But today we know that the mission is not finished,hostilities have not ended, and our men and women in uniform fight almost alone with the target squarelyon their backs.People of good will disagree about whether America should have gone to war in Iraq, but this muchis clear: this Administration badly exaggerated its case, particularly with respect to weapons of massdestruction and the connection between Saddam's government and al Qaeda. This Administration didnot build a true international coalition. This Administration disdained the United Nations weaponsinspection process and rushed to war without exhausting diplomatic alternatives. Ignoring the advice ofmilitary leaders, this Administration did not send sufficient forces into Iraq to accomplish the mission.And this Administration went into Iraq without a plan to win the peace.Now this Administration has been forced to change course in order to correct this fundamentalmistake. They are now taking up the suggestions that many Democrats have been making for over ayear. And they must – because having gone to war, we cannot afford to fail at peace. We cannot allowa failed state in Iraq that inevitably would become a haven for terrorists and a destabilizing force in theMiddle East. And we must secure more help from an international community that shares a huge stakein helping Iraq become a responsible member of that community, not a breeding ground for terror andintolerance.As a first step, we must create a stable and secure environment in Iraq. To do this right, we musttruly internationalize both politically and militarily: we cannot depend on a US-only presence. Othernations have a vital interest in the outcome, and we must bring them in to commit troops and resources.The Bush Administration has missed three great opportunities to do that. First, the President broke hispromise to build a legitimate coalition in Iraq by exhausting diplomacy before resorting to the use ofmilitary force. Second, when the statue fell in Baghdad, Kofi Annan invited the United States to cometo the table to discuss international support – but we rejected his offer. Third, when the Presidentaddressed the United Nations last fall, he once again refused to acknowledge the difficulties we faced inIraq and failed to elicit support from other nations.The President has not given our troops the clarity of mission, the equipment or the internationalsupport they need and deserve. We have a different approach based on a simple commitment: Troopscome first. Our helicopter pilots have flown battlefield missions without the best anti-missile systems. Ina Democratic Administration, that will change. Too many of our nation's finest troops have died inattacks, because tens of thousands were deployed to Iraq without the best bulletproof vests, and thereis a shortage of armored vehicles on the ground. In a Democratic Administration, that will change.Thousands of National Guardsmen and reservists have been forced to leave their families and jobs for
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 9more than a year – with no end in sight – because this Administration ignored the pressing need for atrue coalition. In a Democratic Administration, that will change. To succeed, America must do the hard work of engaging the world's major political powers in thismission. We must build a coalition of countries, including the other permanent members of the UNSecurity Council, to share the political, economic, and military responsibilities of Iraq with the UnitedStates. To win over allies, we must share responsibility with those nations that answer our call, and treatthem with respect. We must lead, but we must listen. The rewards of respect are enormous. We mustconvince NATO to take on a more significant role and contribute additional military forces. As othercountries, including Muslim majority countries, contribute troops, the United States will be able toreduce its military presence in Iraq, and we intend to do this when appropriate so that the militarysupport needed by a sovereign Iraqi government will no longer be seen as the direct continuation of anAmerican military presence. Second, we need to create an international High Commissioner to serve as the senior internationalrepresentative working with the Iraqi government. This Commissioner should be backed by a newlybroadened security coalition and charged with overseeing elections, assisting with drafting aconstitution, and coordinating reconstruction. The Commissioner should be highly regarded by theinternational community, have the credibility to talk to all the Iraqi people, and work directly with Iraq'sinterim government, the new U.S. Ambassador, and the international community.At the same time, U.S. and international policies must take into consideration the best interests of theIraqi people. The Iraqi people desperately need financial and technical assistance that is not swallowedup by bureaucracy and no-bid contracts, but instead goes directly into grassroots organizations. Theyneed to see the tangible benefits of reconstruction: jobs, infrastructure, and services. They should alsoreceive the full benefits of their own oil production as quickly as possible, so as to rebuild their countryand help themselves as individuals, while also reducing the costs of security and reconstruction on theAmerican taxpayer and the cost of gasoline to American consumers. And they need to be able tocommunicate their concerns to international authorities without feeling they are being disrespected intheir own country.America also needs a massive training effort to build Iraqi security forces that can actually providesecurity for the Iraqi people. It must be done in the field and on the job as well as in the classroom.Units cannot be put on the street without backup from international security forces. This is a task wemust do in partnership with other nations, not just on our own. And this is a task in which we mustsucceed. If we fail to create viable Iraqi security forces – military and police – there is no successful exitfor us and other nations.The challenges in Iraq are great, but the opportunity is also significant. Under John Kerry and JohnEdwards, we will meet those challenges, win the peace in Iraq, and help to create new hope andopportunity for the entire Middle East.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 10Africa. U.S. engagement in Africa should reflect its vital significance to U.S. interests and the moralimperative to help a continent struggling with the scourge of HIV/AIDS and under the long shadow ofchronic poverty. The HIV/AIDS pandemic in southern and eastern Africa is a massive human tragedy.It is also a security risk of the highest order that threatens to plunge nations into chaos. Chronic anddebilitating hunger also threatens the very survival of communities where investment in agriculture hassuffered for over a decade. We are committed to bringing the full weight of American leadership tobear against this crisis. We must also work with the United Nations and Africa's regional organizationsto address Africa's persistent, disproportionate share of the world's weak, failing states and chronicarmed conflicts, and to promote effective relief efforts when there is a humanitarian crisis – particularlyat this moment in Sudan. We value our deepening economic ties with Africa, including Central andWest Africa's rapidly rising position as a major source of non-Gulf oil. We recognize Africa's promiseas a trade and investment partner and the importance of trade policies that reduce poverty and promotegrowth in Africa. We will continue to promote policies to support newly democratic states that haveshown a commitment to economic reform and respect for human rights. Asia. In Asia, we must better engage with China to secure Chinese adherence to international trade,non-proliferation and human rights standards. We are committed to a "One China" policy, and willcontinue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-Straits issues that is consistent with the wishes andbest interests of the Taiwanese people. We must maintain our strong relationship with Japan, andexplore new ways to cooperate further. And we will actively seek to enhance relations with our historically South Korea in order to advance our collaborative efforts on economic and security issues. Wemust also work with our friends, India and Pakistan, in their efforts to resolve longstanding differences.Europe. Throughout the 20th century, America's most trusted and reliable allies were thedemocracies of Europe; together, the two sides of the Atlantic ensured that democracy and freemarkets prevailed against all challenges. The Bush Administration has allowed the Atlantic partnershipto erode, leaving the United States dangerously isolated from its indispensable allies.The Democratic Party is committed to revitalizing the Atlantic partnership. The international goalsthat the United States pursues will be easier to attain if Europe and America are working together. Wewill ensure that NATO remains strong, continuing to consolidate peace in Europe even as the alliancetakes on new tasks in Afghanistan and Iraq. We look forward to the evolution of the European Unionand to a prosperous and unified Europe that joins the United States in meeting today's securitychallenges and expanding the global economy. Latin America and the Caribbean. We believe that it is time to create a new Community of theAmericas that reflects our close relationship with our regional neighbors. We will return U.S.-LatinAmerican relations to a place marked by dialogue, consensus and concerted action to address commonconcerns. We understand that our collective security and prosperity are furthered by mutual efforts topromote democracy, generate wealth, reduce income disparities, and provide sound environmentalstewardship. We are committed to strong and steady support for democratic processes and institutionsin our hemisphere. We believe that democratic governments deserve our support, and that we should
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 11exercise our considerable diplomatic and moral force in support of democratically elected leaders.Mexico has made steady progress toward building a mature democracy, and we will make relationswith Mexico a priority in order to best address economic, environmental and social issues of concern.We support effective and peaceful strategies to end the Castro regime as soon as possible and enablethe Cuban people to take their rightful place in the democratic Community of the Americas. We willwork with the international community to increase political and diplomatic pressure on the Castroregime to release all political prisoners, support civil society, promote the important work of Cubandissidents, and begin a process of genuine political reform. Within this framework the Democratic Partysupports a policy of principled travel to Cuba that promotes family unity and people-to-people contactsthrough educational and cultural exchanges. We will seek to reinforce democratic values in Haiti andthroughout the Caribbean. We will support economic development to increase employment andeconomic opportunity, reducing incentives for emigration by dangerous and life-threatening means. Wewill increase efforts to combat drug-trafficking throughout the Caribbean and ensure that those involvedin bringing drugs into the U.S. are brought to justice. We will assist in combating corruption so thatfunds made available for development are used appropriately.The Middle East. The Democratic Party is fundamentally committed to the security of our ally Israeland the creation of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace between Israel and her neighbors. Ourspecial relationship with Israel is based on the unshakable foundation of shared values and a mutualcommitment to democracy, and we will ensure that under all circumstances, Israel retains the qualitativeedge for its national security and its right to self-defense. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and shouldremain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths.Under a Democratic Administration, the United States will demonstrate the kind of resolve to endthe Israeli-Palestinian conflict that President Clinton showed. We will work to transform the PalestinianAuthority by promoting new and responsible leadership, committed to fighting terror and promotingdemocracy. We support the creation of a democratic Palestinian state dedicated to living in peace andsecurity side by side with the Jewish State of Israel. The creation of a Palestinian state should resolvethe issue of Palestinian refugees by allowing them to settle there, rather than in Israel. Furthermore, allunderstand that it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full andcomplete return to the armistice lines of 1949. And we understand that all final status negotiations mustbe mutually agreed.Northern Ireland. We are determined to help create a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. Wesupport efforts by the Irish and British Governments and the political parties to break the currentimpasse, and we stand ready to assist in any way to achieve full implementation of the BelfastAgreement.Russia. Democrats will pursue a Russia policy that recognizes that country's importance andadvances the core U.S. security interests at stake in Russia's historic transformation, beginning withcooperative work to secure vulnerable stockpiles of nuclear weapons and materials. We reiterate thatrespect for human rights, the rule of law and Russia's fledgling democratic institutions and independent
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 12media outlets are essential to Russia's continued integration into international institutions and the globaleconomy.Global health. Addressing global health challenges – including the AIDS pandemic – is ahumanitarian obligation and a national security imperative. We are committed to a coordinated effort tocombat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States and in all other regions throughout the world.Epidemics can decimate societies and contribute to failed states which can become bases for terroristsand other criminal elements. And a strong global public health system is essential to effectivelycombating bio-terror threats. Our global health policy will bring the best of our scientific knowledge,financial resources, management skills, and compassion to the challenge of improving health conditionsaround the world. And we will restore America's leadership in global health by rejecting policies drivenby ideology instead of science.International development. We understand that promoting international economic development is astrategic imperative of the United States. We will use American economic power to extend security andprosperity – which leads to peace – around the world. And we will work with poor countries to helpstabilize and diversify their economies, including through the consideration of sensible debt reliefmeasures where appropriate. We will support efforts to reach universal basic education and the otherMillennium Development Goals.Supporting America's foreign affairs community. We are committed to the best training, facilitiesand support for America's diplomats, the men and women of America's foreign affairs community, whorepresent our country and work to promote our values around the world.STRENGTHENING OUR MILITARY We need a new military to meet the new threats of the 21st Century. Today's American military isthe best in the world, but tomorrow's military must be even better. It must be stronger, faster, betterarmed, and never again stretched so thin. John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party will send a clear message to every man andwoman in our armed forces: We guarantee that you will always be the best-led, best-equipped andmost respected fighting force in the world. You will be armed with the right weapons, schooled in theright skills, and fully prepared to win on the battlefield. You will never be sent into harm's way withoutenough troops for the task, and never asked to fight a war without a plan to win the peace. You willnever be given assignments which have not been clearly defined and for which you are notprofessionally trained. The Bush Administration was right to call for the "transformation" of the military. But their version oftransformation neglected to consider that the dangers we face have also been transformed. TheAdministration was concerned with fighting classic conventional wars, instead of the asymmetricalthreats we now face in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the war against al Qaeda. To rise to those challenges, we
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 13must strengthen our military, including our Special Forces, improve our technology, and task ourNational Guard with homeland security.Expanding active duty personnel. As a first step, we will expand America's active duty forces. Thewar in Iraq has overextended our armed services. The vast majority of the Army's active duty combatdivisions are committed to Iraq—currently there, preparing to go, or recently returned. That is adangerous and potentially disastrous strain that limits our capacity to respond to other crises. To pick up the slack, we've called up our Guard and Reserves at historic levels. Some have been onthe ground in Iraq for as many as 15 months, much longer than was expected or promised. Many ofthese units are being pushed to the limit and stretched far too thin. The Administration's answer has justbeen to stretch further. They have extended tours of duty, delayed retirements, and prevented enlistedpersonnel from leaving the service – effectively using a stop-loss policy and recall of Individual ReadyReserve members as a back-door draft. We will add 40,000 new soldiers – not to increase the number of soldiers in Iraq, but to sustain ouroverseas deployments and prevent and prepare for other possible conflicts. This will help relieve thestrain on our troops and bring back more of our soldiers, guardsmen and reservists. We are dedicatedto keeping our military operating on a volunteer basis. We are committed to management reform bothto ensure that our defense funding is spent effectively and to help pay for these new forces. Doubling Special Forces capability. Next, we need to create a "New Total Force," a militaryprepared to defeat any enemy, at any time, in any place. We will double the capacity of our SpecialForces, the troops who took the fight to the Taliban with remarkable creativity after September 11th.These troops conduct counter-terrorism operations, perform reconnaissance missions, and gatherintelligence. They also train local forces and build the relationships that are vital for our victory in thewar on terror. We will increase our civil affairs personnel – those who arrive on the scene after the major conflictends to work with local leaders and officials to get the schools back in shape, the hospitals reopened,and the banks up and running. We also need more military police, because public order is critical toestablishing the conditions that allow peace to take hold.State-of-the-art equipment. Third, we need the best possible equipment. We can't have a 21stcentury military unless we're using 21st century technology and preparing our forces for 21st centurythreats. That means educating, training, and arming every soldier with state-of-the-art equipment,whether body armor or weapons. It also means employing the most sophisticated communications tohelp our troops prevail and protect themselves in battle. Every soldier in every unit should have accessto technology that can mean the difference between life and death. We will make sure every soliderdoes.And we will build and train new forces equipped with the most-sophisticated technology to specializein finding, securing, and destroying weapons of mass destruction and the facilities that build them.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 14The best training. Fourth, we must match our commitment to innovation with a commitment to thetraining, education, and facilities necessary to make the most of it. Standing up for military families. Fifth, we will make sure that America's commitment to the menand women of our armed forces (our active duty, our reservists, and our national guard) and theirfamilies is ironclad. We will enact a Military Family Bill of Rights to ensure that our men and women inuniform and their families receive the benefits and respect they deserve: competitive pay and qualityhousing, decent health care and dental care, quality education for their children, and timely deploymentinformation. And we will ensure that America will care for them and their families if the worst shouldhappen. Better use of the National Guard. Finally, we need to make better use of a key asset in homelanddefense – our National Guard. The National Guard has served in every war, and they're serving now.They were the first ones called to line city streets, guard bridges, and patrol our airports afterSeptember 11th. We will make homeland security one of the Guard's primary missions, and assignGuard units to a standing joint task force commanded by a General from the Guard. ACHIEVING ENERGY INDEPENDENCENo strategy for American security is complete without a plan to end America's dependence onMideast oil. Today, the American economy depends on oil controlled by some of the world's mostrepressive regimes. This leaves our economy dangerously vulnerable to nations that do not share ourinterests. America too often is silent about the practices of some governments because we depend onoil they control.John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party believe a strong America must no longer relyon the cooperation of regimes that do not share our values. We believe a strong America must movetoward energy independence. In the Bush Administration, energy independence doesn't get a thought. Their energy policy is simple:government by big oil, of big oil, and for big oil. This Administration let oil industry lobbyists andexecutives write our nation's energy policy in secret. They even went to the Supreme Court to stop thepublic from learning what they were doing. They've done nothing as gas prices have soared to recordlevels. Even the Administration's own economists have found that their energy plan will do nothing toreduce gas prices. This President's approach to energy policy leaves America shackled to foreign oil,dependent, vulnerable, and exposed.John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party believe in a better, stronger, more independentAmerica. We are committed to achieving energy independence, and we know we can do it. Ouringenuity and determination built the cars we drive and the bridges we use. It electrified rural America inthe 1930s, and took us to the moon in the 1960s. Our resolve helped conquer polio.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 15It's this simple: When we see a problem, we roll up our sleeves and solve it. And that's what wepledge to do now.Achieving energy independence will improve our ability to protect our values and interests in theworld. It will reduce energy costs for our families. It will create high-paying new jobs. And it willimprove our environment and make our people healthier.Harnessing American ingenuity to create renewable energy. Our plan begins with commonsenseinvestments to harness the natural world around us—the sun, wind, water, geothermal and biomasssources, and a rich array of crops—to create a new generation of affordable energy for the 21stcentury. By mobilizing the amazing productivity of America's farmers, we can grow our own cleaner-burning fuel. We support tax credits for private sector investment in clean, renewable sources ofenergy, and we will make ethanol credits work better for farmers. And we will ensure that billions ofgallons of renewable fuel are part of America's energy supply while striving for strong, nationalrenewable energy goals. Creating the energy-efficient vehicles of tomorrow. We support creating more energy-efficientvehicles, from today's hybrid cars to tomorrow's hydrogen cars. We support the American people'sfreedom to choose whatever cars, SUVs, minivans, and trucks they choose, but we also believeAmerican ingenuity is equal to the task of improving efficiency. We support improving fuel standards,and because of the challenges this poses, we will offer needed incentives for consumers to buy efficientvehicles, and for manufacturers to build them. We are also committed to developing hydrogen as aclean, reliable domestic source of energy. Our economy cannot convert to hydrogen overnight, so wewill fund research to overcome the obstacles to hydrogen fuel and continue our other efforts to achieveenergy independence. Moving beyond OPEC. We can improve our energy security in other ways. We will seek morediverse sources of oil around the world and here at home. We support balanced development ofdomestic oil supplies in areas already open for exploration, like the western and central Gulf of Mexico.We support the expansion of new infrastructure to develop supplies from non-OPEC nations likeRussia, Canada, and nations in Africa. We will increase efficiency of natural gas use, develop theAlaska natural gas pipeline, and enhance our nation's infrastructure to help supply natural gas moreeffectively. Electricity. We will work to create new technology for producing electricity in a better, moreefficient manner. Coal accounts for more than one-half of America's electric power generation capacitytoday. We believe coal must continue its important role in a new energy economy, while achieving highenvironmental standards. Working with the coal industry, we will invest billions to develop andimplement new, cleaner coal technology and to produce electric and hydrogen power. We will alsowork to make sure that our people have access to an affordable, secure, and reliable supply ofelectricity at all times. We support mandatory, enforceable reliability standards. We also supportpublic-private partnerships to make our power systems more flexible, resilient, and self-healing—andmore environmentally friendly than ever before.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 16Government as a role model. The federal government is the largest single consumer of energy in theworld. We will cut the federal government's energy use and challenge local governments, corporations,universities, small businesses and hospitals to do the same.Our commitment to conservation. A balanced energy policy must create real incentives for energyconservation in our homes, our offices, our factories, and our infrastructure, saving money andimproving security even as it creates good jobs and rebuilds our communities.With sixty-five percent of the world's oil reserves in the Middle East, we cannot drill our way toenergy independence. But we can create, think, imagine, and invent our way there. And we will createjobs, help our environment, and build a stronger country as we do.STRENGTHENING HOMELAND SECURITYThe first and foremost responsibility of government is to protect its citizens from harm. Unfortunately,Washington today is not doing enough to make America safe.We have made some progress since the terrible attacks of September 11th. We have taken steps tosecure our airports. After resisting Democratic efforts for months, the Administration finally agreed tocreate the Department of Homeland Security. But we have not done nearly enough. Our intelligence services remain fragmented and lackcoordination. Millions of massive shipping containers arrive at American ports every year without beingsearched and without even a reliable list of their contents. Our borders are full of holes. Our chemicalplants are vulnerable to attack. Across America, police officers, firefighters, and other first respondersstill lack the information, protective gear, and communications equipment to do their jobs safely andsuccessfully. The Bush Administration, full of tough talk about terror, has no coherent plan for domestic defense.John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party believe America can do better. We believeAmerica must do better. We believe America will do better.A comprehensive strategy to protect America. We need a new strategy for homeland security thataddresses five major challenges. We need to improve our ability to gather, analyze, and shareinformation so we can track down terrorists and stop them before they cause harm. We need to do abetter job securing our airports, seaports, and borders. We need to harden likely terrorist targets. Weneed to improve domestic readiness. Finally, we must win the war on terror without losing the values offreedom and justice for all that make us so proud to be Americans. Better intelligence. The war on terror begins with good intelligence. Shockingly, many of the sameflaws in intelligence-sharing that allowed terrorists to slip in and out of America before September 11thstill exist. The government has missed its own deadlines for upgrading and integrating security
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 17databases, and still fails to share information with the state and local law enforcement agencies on thefrontlines. This must change.We will ensure that our watch lists are accessible when and where they are needed. We will alsogive security clearances to appropriate state and local officials so they can get critical information at thecritical times. Our intelligence apparatus needs significant reform, and so creating a true Director ofNational Intelligence is critical. More secure borders. We will improve security at our borders and entry-points to block theindividuals and weapons that would harm us. We will strengthen container security rules, improve thedetection equipment in our shipping systems, ensure that private companies are providing adequateinformation about the goods they are shipping, and work with other nations to increase inspection levelsabroad. We will put an end to political delays in adopting tighter controls on air cargo, tons of which goesuninspected every day. We will increase perimeter inspections at U.S. airports and work withinternational aviation authorities to make sure the same standards are in place overseas. Working withour Northern and Southern neighbors, we will strengthen controls at border crossings, and use moderntechnology and better staffing to improve the quality of border inspections while enhancing commerce. Hardened targets. We will launch a major effort to harden our most vulnerable targets – fromchemical and nuclear plants to rails and tunnels – and better protect them from attack. Securityupgrades at some nuclear weapons facilities are a shocking three years behind. That is unacceptable,and we will fix it. We must better protect nuclear facilities and waste sites which today are toovulnerable to attack. We will improve transit rail and subway security, by adding chemical releasedetectors to deter attacks like we saw in Tokyo, and taking other steps.There are more than 100 chemical plants where an attack could endanger more than one millionpeople, and the FBI has warned that al Qaeda may target our chemical industry. The BushAdministration was actually moving toward a commonsense solution that would set minimum standardsfor safety at chemical plants. But dangerously true to form, after heavy lobbying by the chemicalindustry, they backed down. We will make these plants secure; by requiring more guards, morefencing, and the use of less dangerous chemicals when possible. Domestic readiness. We need to improve domestic readiness so people on the frontlines have thetraining and equipment to respond to any attack with all the speed, skill, and strength required.Our first responders are the first ones up the stairs in the event of the emergency, and it is wrong thattoday they are last in line when it comes to this administration's budgets. Under the BushAdministration, police departments in small cities have lost more than 15 percent of their full-time paidpolice and employees. And today, two-thirds of our nation's fire departments are not fully staffed. Wecan do more for the heroes of 9/11 and we can do more for our fellow citizens. And we will. We willprovide direct assistance to our police officers and firefighters on the frontlines. They'll have the
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 18equipment and manpower they need to protect us. We will also ensure that front line workersthroughout our transportation system receive the security training necessary to respond to terroristthreats. We also need to modernize our emergency warning system to provide localized warnings, treatthe fighters on the frontlines as partners, and give families all the information they need. ThisAdministration may think that homeland security is about changing the alert from yellow to orange.They're wrong; the colors of safety are firefighter red, EMT white, and police officer blue.We will dramatically improve our ability to respond to a biological attack. We will appoint oneindividual to oversee all bioterrorism programs, budgets and strategic priorities. We will set nationalbenchmarks for state and local preparedness so community leaders aren't flying blind. We will harnessAmerica's bioscience genius to increase drug and vaccine development. We will revitalize our publichealth system, improving monitoring capabilities and coordination. And we will strengthen hospitals,which today cannot prepare for a bio-terrorism emergency because they are overwhelmed by theeveryday emergencies of people without insurance.We also will encourage all Americans to do their part to make America safer. We support thedevelopment of a new community defense service grounded in neighborhoods and comprised ofordinary Americans from across the country. Like a 21st Century Neighborhood Watch, memberswould work within their communities to make a contribution—helping health professionals, assistingwith evacuation plans, and standing ready in emergency. Crime and violence. While terrorism poses an especially menacing threat to our nation, a strongAmerica must remain vigilant against the scourge of homegrown crime as well. We are proud thatDemocrats led the fight to put more than 100,000 cops on the beat through the COPS program, andwe will continue our steadfast support for COPS and community policing. To keep our streets safe forour families, we support tough punishment of violent crime and smart efforts to reintegrate formerprisoners into our communities as productive citizens. We will crack down on the gang violence anddrug crime that devastate so many communities, and we will increase drug treatment, includingmandatory drug courts and mandatory drug testing for parolees and probationers, so fewer crimes arecommitted in the first place. We support the rights of victims to be respected, to be heard, and to becompensated. We will help break the cycle of domestic violence by punishing offenders and standingwith victims. We will protect Americans' Second Amendment right to own firearms, and we will keepguns out of the hands of criminals and terrorists by fighting gun crime, reauthorizing the assault weaponsban, and closing the gun show loophole, as President Bush proposed and failed to do. Guarding liberty. We must always remember that terrorists do not just target our lives; they targetour way of life. And so we must be on constant guard not to sacrifice the freedom we are fighting toprotect. We will strengthen some provisions of the Patriot Act, like the restrictions on moneylaundering. And we will change the portions of the Patriot Act that threaten individual rights, such as thelibrary provisions, while still allowing government to take all needed steps to fight terror. Ourgovernment should never round up innocent people only because of their religion or ethnicity, and weshould never stifle free expression. We believe in an America where freedom is what we fight for – notwhat we give up.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 19Together, we can make America safer, stronger, and more respected. We can do it in a way thatsafeguards all the greatness of America by protecting our people, securing our homeland, andreinforcing our values – faith and family, duty and service, individual freedom and a common purpose tobuild one nation under God. We can do it in a way that keeps faith with the best measures of Americanleadership around the world – the builder of alliances, the defender of freedom, the champion of humanrights. We can do it, and we will.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 21A STRONG, GROWING ECONOMYThe great promise of America is simple: a better life for all who work for it. No matter who you are,where you come from, or what you believe, as an American, you live in a land that offers you all thepossibilities your hard work and God-given talent can bring.The opportunity to build a better future starts with a good job. It has always been that way. From thetime when most people worked in the fields, through the Industrial Revolution and into the InformationAge, the opportunity for work, the rewards from work, and the dignity of work have made Americanssuccessful and America strong.CREATING GOOD JOBSWe offer America a new economic plan that will put jobs first. We will renew Americancompetitiveness, make honest budget choices, and invest in our future.A strong America keeps the promise of opportunity for all and heeds the warning of specialprivileges for none. That's the America we believe in. That's the America we're fighting for. And that'sthe America we can build together.In President George Bush's America, unfortunately, too often you need special privileges if you wantopportunity. This White House values wealth over hard work, lavishes special treatment upon afortunate few at the expense of most businesses and working people, and defends policies that weakenAmerica's competitive position and destroy American jobs. Instead of meeting the challenge ofglobalization by strengthening our workers' ability to compete and win, this Administration usesglobalization as an excuse not to fight for American jobs.John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party believe in a better America—a strongAmerica. We believe that a strong America begins at home, with good jobs that support families and an equalchance for all our people.We believe in progress that brings prosperity for all Americans, not just for those who are alreadysuccessful. We believe that good jobs will help strengthen and expand the strongest middle class theworld has ever known.We believe the private sector, not government, is the engine of economic growth and job creation.Government's responsibility is to create an environment that will promote private sector investment,foster vigorous competition, and strengthen the foundations of an innovative economy.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 22We believe Americans are the smartest, toughest competitors in the world. Our products and ideascan compete and win anywhere, as long as we're given a fair chance. And our companies can keep andcreate jobs in America without sacrificing competitiveness. We will fight for American jobs and we will fight for American workers. Under John Kerry and JohnEdwards, we will revive America's manufacturing sector, create new jobs and protect existing ones byending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and cutting taxes for companies that createjobs here at home; by fighting for free, fair and balanced trade; by encouraging investment in smallbusinesses and helping companies deal with rising health care costs; by promoting new technologies,like energy, that will lead to the companies and jobs of tomorrow; and by ensuring that people of everyage learn the skills to succeed in today's economy.Tax reform to create jobs. Today's tax law provides big breaks for companies that send Americanjobs overseas. Current "deferral" policies allow American companies to avoid paying American taxeson the income earned by their foreign subsidiaries. John Kerry and John Edwards will end deferral thatencourages companies to ship jobs overseas, and they will close other loopholes to make the tax codework for the American worker. They'll use the savings to offer tax cuts for companies that producegoods and create jobs here at home. Under John Kerry and John Edwards, 99 percent of Americanbusinesses will pay lower taxes than today.A plan to reinvigorate manufacturing. Manufacturing has lost 2.5 million jobs under PresidentBush in its worst jobs crisis since the Depression. John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democrats willlaunch a concerted effort to revitalize American manufacturing. The measures outlined above areimportant components of our overall strategy. In addition, based on the model that has helped launchsome of America's most successful companies, we will establish new investment corporations to givesmall and medium-sized businesses access to capital. And we will support the growth of high-technology "clusters" that invest in new industries around research institutions. Free and fair trade that creates American jobs. Exports sustain about 1 in 5 American factoryjobs. Open markets spur innovation, speed the growth of new industries, and make our businessesmore competitive. We will make it a priority to knock down barriers to free, fair and balanced trade soother nation's markets are as open as our own.We will stand up for American workers and consumers by building on President Clinton's progressin including enforceable, internationally recognized labor and environmental standards in tradeagreements. We will aggressively enforce our trade agreements with a real plan that includes a completereview of all existing agreements; immediate investigation into China's workers' rights abuses andcurrency manipulation; increased funding for efforts to protect workers' rights and stop child laborabuse; new reforms to protect the innovations of high-tech companies; and vigorous enforcement ofU.S. trade laws. We will use all the tools we have to create new opportunities for American workers,farmers, and businesses, and break down barriers in key export markets, like the Japanese auto marketand the Chinese high-technology market. We will effectively enforce our trade laws protecting againstdumping, illegal subsidies, and import surges that threaten American jobs.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 23New trade agreements must protect internationally recognized workers' rights and environmentalstandards as vigorously as they now protect commercial concerns. We will build on and strengthen theprogress made in the Jordan agreement to include strong and enforceable labor and environmentalstandards in the core of new free trade agreements. And no trade agreement should stop governmentfrom protecting the environment, food safety or the health of its citizens. Nor should an agreement givegreater rights to foreign investors than to U.S. investors, require the privatization of our vital publicservices, or limit our government's ability to create good jobs in our communities.Investing in technology to create good jobs. We will invest in the technologies of the future, fromrenewable energy to nanotechnology to biomedicine, and will work to make permanent the researchand development tax credit. We will achieve universal access to broadband services, which could add$500 billion to our economy, generate 1.2 million jobs, and transform the way we learn and work. Andwe will put science ahead of ideology in research and policymaking. Enhancing Our Transportation System. Our nation's transportation network is an integral part ofour economy and an engine for economic expansion that must be strengthened. We are committed tovigorous federal highway and transit initiatives that put Americans to work, relieve traffic congestion,and foster long-term projects at state and local levels.Free markets and honest competition. Economic growth and job creation depend on free marketsand competition, but competition and free markets depend on trust, transparency, and integrity. We arecommitted to requiring honesty in corporate accounting effective corporate governance, a fair shake forsmall investors and worker pension funds, a level playing field and competitive bidding practices forthose who wish to transact business with the government, and vigorous prosecution of criminal conductin executive suites. Promoting small businesses. Small businesses and entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of our economy.We will encourage small business growth with a plan to make it easier for small businesses to securecapital and loans. We support tax credits and energy investments that slash overall operating costs forsmall businesses and encourage them to grow and expand here in America. For America's 350,000small manufacturers, which account for over half the total value of U.S. industrial production andemploy 11 million people in high-skill, high-wage jobs, we will double funding to use technology togrow. We will help businesses cope with the skyrocketing cost of health care by reforming our health caresystem and cutting taxes to help small businesses pay for health insurance. Retiree health costs imposemajor burdens on many employers, particularly manufacturers, and we will push for reform so thatcompanies are not forced to choose among retirees, current workers, and their own ability to compete. Fiscal Relief in an economic downturn. When states are the thrust into a fiscal crisis due to anational economic downturn, we should support Federal fiscal relief to states as an effective tool tojumpstart growth and job creation, and to prevent harmful tuition and tax increases, as well as painful
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 24cuts to vital education, health, homeland security, and other critical services; and to preventunderfunded mandates.Standing up for workers. We will ensure that the right to organize a union exists in the real world,not just on paper, because that's how we create more jobs that can support families. That meansreforming our labor laws to protect the rights of workers (including public employees) to bargaincontracts and organize on a level playing field without interference. It also means barring the permanentreplacement of legal strikers. And we will of course reverse this Administration's cuts in wages forworking people by restoring overtime protections for hard-working Americans. We will strengthenhealth and safety protections as well.Lifelong learning. We will make sure that Americans are the best-skilled, best-trained workers inthe world. In addition to reforming K-12 education, we will expand training and opportunities forAmericans of all ages. We will support regional skills alliances, workforce development conducted atcommunity colleges, and other initiatives that prepare workers for high-skills jobs that offer family-sustaining wages and benefits. And we will support high-quality distance learning so that Americanseverywhere can use a keyboard to learn from experts anywhere.Unlike the Bush administration, we will always stand by workers who lose their jobs as the economychanges. We will require companies to give employees at least three months notice before a plannedshutdown. We will expand efforts to help manufacturers, workers, the long-term unemployed, andcommunities hurt by imports, including extending trade adjustment assistance to workers in the servicesectors and making health insurance more affordable for workers who lose their jobs due to trade.Through our jobs plan, we will bring hope and jobs back to the cities and small towns devastated bythe shuttering of factories. STANDING UP FOR THE GREAT AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASSThe heart of the American promise has always been the middle class, the greatest engine ofeconomic growth the world has ever known. When the middle class grows in size and security, ourcountry gets stronger. And when more American families save and invest in their children's future,America grows stronger still. But in President George Bush's America, where everyday costs are soaring and ordinary incomesare sinking, the middle class is struggling, and our economy is suffering.Today, the average American family is earning $1,500 less than in 2000. At the same time, healthcare costs are up by nearly one-half, college tuition has increased by more than one-third, gas and oilprices have gone through the roof, and housing costs have soared. Life literally costs more than everbefore – and our families have less money to pay for it. Three million more Americans have fallen intopoverty since 2000. Average family debt is higher than ever. And as they lose the struggle to makeends meet, one out of every seven middle class families may be bankrupt by the end of the decade.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 25President Bush and the Republicans in Congress have ignored the middle class since day one of thisAdministration. They have catered to the wealth of the richest instead of honoring the work of the restof us. They have promised almost everything and paid for almost nothing. And the middle class isshouldering more taxes, earning less money, and bearing higher costs. The bottom line for the middleclass under President Bush and the Republican Party is this: Instead of working hard to get ahead, themiddle class is working hard just to get by.John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party believe in a stronger, more prosperousAmerica for all our people. We believe in an America where the great American promise of upwardmobility is alive and well. We believe in an America where the middle class is growing, our economy isthriving, and America is strong. And we have a plan to build that America.Cutting taxes for middle class Americans. First, we must restore our values to our tax code. Wewant a tax code that rewards work and creates wealth for more people, not a tax code that hoardswealth for those who already have it. With the middle class under assault like never before, we simplycannot afford the massive Bush tax cuts for the very wealthiest. We should set taxes for families makingmore than $200,000 a year at the same level as in the late 1990s, a period of great prosperity when thewealthiest Americans thrived without special treatment. We will cut taxes for 98 percent of Americansand help families meet the economic challenges of their everyday lives. And we will oppose taxincreases on middle class families, including those living abroad. Helping families cope with rising costs. We must help Americans deal with the staggering increasein everyday costs of living, from insurance premiums to child care to the price of gas.Today, thousands of businesses that would otherwise provide raises are using that money to payclimbing health care premiums. That is cutting wages for working people. Reforming health care,offering tax credits to pay for it, and cutting health costs will raise wages for working people. College tuitions rose by 35 percent between 2000 and 2003, and this year, 220,000 Americanswere priced out of college by its high costs. We will make college affordable for every qualified studentwith a tax credit for four years of college.Child care costs are rising twice as fast as inflation, and millions of working parents worrydesperately how to care for their children between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day. Other families mustcare not only for their children, but also for loved ones who are older or have disabilities. We willincrease tax credits to pay for child care and eldercare, and make sure those credits are available tolower-income families and stay-at-home parents. We will expand after-school opportunities, helpschools stay open until 6 p.m., and offer good transportation so young people can take advantage of it.We support expanding family and medical leave to help parents meet the growing challenge ofbalancing work and family responsibilities.The price of gas is at an all time-high, placing an enormous burden on millions of Americans whohave no choice but to drive to work. We will help cut costs in the short-run by halting additional
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 26stockpiling of oil reserves and working more effectively to ensure that OPEC increases production. Forthe long-run, we offer a detailed plan for energy independence. Protecting retirement security. We must protect the retirement security of America's workers andtheir families. Workers should never lose all their savings because their employer locked those savingsinto the company's own stock. We will bar that practice. We need to require honest information andfull disclosure, and protect older workers from unfair treatment when their benefits are converted tocash balance plans. At the same time, we will strengthen and promote both defined-contribution anddefined-benefit pension plans, and increase the portability of retirement savings and help all familiessave.We are absolutely committed to preserving Social Security. It is a compact across the generationsthat has helped tens of millions of Americans live their retirement years in dignity instead of poverty.Democrats believe in the progressive, guaranteed benefit that has ensured that seniors and people withdisabilities receive a benefit not subject to the whims of the market or the economy. We opposeprivatizing Social Security or raising the retirement age. We oppose reducing the benefits earned byworkers just because they have also earned a benefit from certain public retirement plans. We willrepeal discriminatory laws that penalize some retired workers and their families while allowing others toreceive full benefits. Because the massive deficits under the Bush Administration have raided hundredsof billions of dollars from Social Security, the most important step we can take to strengthen SocialSecurity is to restore fiscal responsibility. Social Security matters to all Americans, Democrats andRepublicans, and strengthening Social Security should be a common cause. Expanding the middle class. The dream of the middle class should belong to all Americans willingto work for it. We still have work to do as long as millions of Americans work full-time, fulfill theirresponsibilities, and continue to live in poverty. We will offer these Americans a ladder to the middleclass. That means raising the minimum wage to $7.00, increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit andextending child credits so that parents who work full-time don't have to raise their children in poverty. Itmeans working to eliminate hunger in our rural and urban communities. It means using our tax code andsavings incentives to help families build their savings, become homeowners, and start businesses. And itmeans continuing on the path of welfare reform. We must match parents' responsibility to work with thereal opportunity to do so, by making sure parents can get the health care, child care, and transportationthey need. And we must expect increased responsibility from fathers as well as mothers by increasingchild support enforcement and promoting responsible fatherhood together with religious and civicorganizations. Strengthening our cities. We will invest in the businesses, schools, and hospitals that metropolitanareas need to thrive. We will support quality housing opportunities and a balanced housing policy for allAmericans, defending good rental housing and extending the American Dream of homeownership tomore families. At a time when so many families are losing their homes and life savings to unscrupulouslenders, we will rein in predatory lending and expand access to mainstream financial services for urbanfamilies. And we will redouble our nation's commitment to closing the "digital divide."
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 27Revitalizing rural and small-town America. Small towns are at the heart of America, but today,they are often losing people, jobs, and hope. We will use new technologies like distance learning andtelemedicine to link our towns with cutting-edge advances and bring back investment to our smalltowns. We will ensure that American farmers have a strong safety net and can achieve profitability inthe marketplace, and we will support incentives for farmers to use conservation practices andsustainable farming methods. Americans should be able to make the choice to raise their children in thetowns and rural communities where they grew up. Fiscal discipline. We must restore responsibility to our budget, or we will strangle opportunity forthe next generation of middle class Americans. Over the last three years, record surpluses have turnedinto record deficits. Not once has this Administration tried to balance new spending with new savings orpay for new initiatives – including its enormous tax breaks for the wealthy. Today, we faceunsustainable foreign borrowing and rising interest rates.Fiscal discipline helped create 23 million new jobs in the 1990s. Fiscal discipline frees up money forproductive investment. And over time, fiscal discipline saves families thousands of dollars on theirmortgages and credit cards. We will roll back the Bush tax cuts for those making more than $200,000. We will restorecommonsense budget rules that this Administration has abandoned, like "Pay-As-You-Go" rules thatrequire the government to pay for new initiatives. We will commit to living within tough budgetcaps—real and enforceable limits on what the government can spend. We will enact a Constitutionalversion of the line-item veto to make it easier to root out pork-barrel spending. And we will make ourgovernment more efficient by cutting the waste of taxpayer dollars in the federal budget, from unneededtravel budgets to crony contracting. We are committed to cutting the deficit in half over the next fouryears. Ending corporate welfare. Many American corporations today pay less than ever in taxes becauseof tax loopholes secured by powerful lobbyists. We will end corporate welfare as we know it. We willeliminate the indefensible loopholes in our tax code— from tax deals that have no purpose but avoidingtaxes to the very shelters that Enron used to drive so many lives toward financial ruin. And we willeliminate the corporate subsidies that waste taxpayer dollars and undermine fair competition.The Democratic Party understands that working people built modern America. We understand thattoday's global economy requires new rules, new skills, and new approaches, and we believe that thetime-honored values of equal opportunity, fair play, and good rewards for hard work still apply. That'show we give all our people the chance to succeed. That's how we keep on building the America webelieve in. That's how we keep the promise of America.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 29STRONG, HEALTHY FAMILIESFamily is the center of everyday American life. Our parents are our first protectors, first teachers,first role models, and first friends. Parents know that America's great reward is the quiet butincomparable satisfaction that comes from building their families a better life. Strong families, blessedwith opportunity, guided by faith, and filled with dreams are the heart of a strong America.REFORMING HEALTH CAREWe believe not just that a strong America begins at home, but that a strong America begins in thehome. And just as government's first responsibility is the health and safety of its people, parents' firstresponsibility is the health and safety of their children. We believe that health care is a right and not aprivilege.Today, a family's ability to ensure that all its members get the quality health care they deserve ischallenged like never before. For the most fortunate, America offers the best health care in the world.But tens of millions of Americans pay too much and get too little from our health care system, and tensof millions more have no health insurance at all.Skyrocketing health care costs not only hurt our families; they hurt our economy. Americanbusinesses pay more than their competitors for health care, reducing their competitiveness. Americanincomes suffer because raises are stifled by rising insurance premiums.We will attack the health care crisis with a comprehensive approach. Our goal is straightforward:quality, affordable health coverage for all Americans to keep our families healthy, our businessescompetitive, and our country strong.In President George Bush's America, drug company and HMO profits count for more than familyand small business health costs. Health care costs increased four times as fast as wages in the last yearalone. Prescription drug spending has more than doubled during the past five years. Nearly 82 millionAmericans went without health care coverage at some point in the last two years. And the President hasdone nothing to bring costs down or lift these burdens. The few small proposals he has offered wouldfurther divide our health system between one that is affordable for the healthy and wealthy, and one thatis unaffordable for the elderly, the sick, and increasingly, for America's broad middle class. John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party believe in a better, stronger, healthier America.Our resolve to fix the health crisis is stronger than ever. In the wealthiest country in the world, everyexpectant mother should get quality prenatal care; every child should get regular check-ups; everysenior should be able to get safe, affordable prescription drugs; and no hard-working family should everlose everything because illness strikes a loved one.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 30Ensuring health care for children. The job begins with our children. It is a disgrace that nearly 8.5million children still lack health insurance. We will strengthen Medicaid for our families and expand thechildren's health program created under President Clinton so no child goes without medical care. Expanding coverage. Under the leadership of John Kerry and John Edwards, we will offerindividuals and businesses tax credits to make quality, reliable health coverage more affordable. We willprovide tax credits to Americans who are approaching retirement age and those who are between jobsso they can afford quality, reliable coverage. We will expand coverage for low income adults throughexisting federal-state health care programs. And we will provide all Americans with access to the samecoverage that members of Congress give themselves. Cutting health care costs. At the center of our efforts will be a plan to reduce health costs. We willlift a financial burden on families, businesses, and the self-employed by picking up the tab for thehighest-cost medical cases. That will save America's families up to $1,000 on their premiums. We will improve the quality of care and the efficiency of the medical system by using Americantechnological know-how to cut billions of dollars wasted in administrative processing and paperwork.Today, about a quarter of all health-related spending is not even medical. We can do better. We willensure that all Americans have secure, private electronic medical records by 2008, and we will givemedical providers incentives and resources to simplify their paperwork so patients spend more timewith doctors and less time filling out forms. We recognize that our health care system is substantiallystrengthened by the daily efforts of the men and women in a variety of health professions and wesupport fair treatment for all health professionals.We will enact a real Patient's Bill of Rights to put doctors and nurses back in charge of makingmedical decisions with their patients – instead of allowing HMO bureaucrats to decide what a patientneeds.Helping seniors by protecting Medicare and cutting prescription costs. We oppose privatizingMedicare. We will not allow Republicans to destroy a commitment that has done so much good for somany seniors and people with disabilities over the past 39 years. Instead, we want to strengthenMedicare and make it more efficient. We will ensure that seniors across the country, particularly in small-town and rural America, nolonger suffer from geographic discrimination.We will end the disgrace of seniors being forced to choose between meals and medication. Today,our seniors are paying too much for prescription drugs, while options abroad are far cheaper and justas safe. We will allow the safe reimportation of drugs from other countries. The current Medicare drug program serves drug companies more than seniors. It allows thesecompanies to change the price of prescriptions more frequently than seniors can change their plans. Itdoes virtually nothing to bring down prescription drug costs. It forces seniors into HMOs. Elderly
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 31Americans deserve a real prescription drug benefit – one that uses the government's purchasing powerto lower costs and ensures access to new therapies for their illnesses. We will cut the waste and abuse that cost Medicare billions each year, using competitive bidding tolower the costs of buying medical equipment, educating providers to file claims more efficiently, andincreasing penalties for those who bilk the system. Dignity for all. We will ensure that elderly Americans and people with disabilities can live in dignity,with quality options for long-term care. We need to expand alternative care options and provide betterassistance for those who give care. No one should be kept in a nursing home or institution if they preferliving in dignity elsewhere and can do so. And we will ensure that no person with a disability has tochoose between quality health care and the dignity of work. We will also work to ensure that peoplewith HIV and AIDS have the care they need, and we will support the community-based preventionprograms, built on experience with real life, that President Bush has cut. We are committed to passingthe Wellstone mental health parity legislation, ending discrimination against Americans with mentalillnesses, and ensuring equal treatment for mental illness in our health system.Eliminating health disparities. Millions of African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, PacificIslanders, and American Indians continue to live sicker and die younger in America. Cultural andlanguage barriers remain a particular problem for immigrant communities. We will fight racial and ethnichealth care disparities by increasing research and training in the medical profession, breaking downlanguage barriers, and ensuring good health care for all Americans. We will encourage and supportenabling more minority students to enter the sciences. We will also work to ensure that women haveaccess to the best medicines and state-of-the-art prevention and detection techniques to stop diseasesearly. We will also support prevention of illness through better nutrition and exercise.Investing in science to battle disease. We will push the boundaries of science in search of newmedical therapies and cures. The Bush Administration has put ideology over science, skewinginformation about everything from women's health to scientific research. Americans deserve access tothe best evidence available about illnesses, therapies, and cures. From new therapies to prolong life forpeople with AIDS, to new openings in the battle to cure cancer, the possibilities of medical research fillus with hope. We will secure more funding for aggressive biomedical research seeking affordable andeffective therapies based on real science.President Bush has rejected the calls from Nancy Reagan, Christopher Reeve and Americans acrossthe land for assistance with embryonic stem cell research. We will reverse his wrongheaded policy.Stem cell therapy offers hope to more than 100 million Americans who have serious illnesses – fromAlzheimer's to heart disease to juvenile diabetes to Parkinson's. We will pursue this research under thestrictest ethical guidelines, but we will not walk away from the chance to save lives and reduce humansuffering.Honoring our veterans. Finally, we will never forget the debt America owes our veterans.Patriotism means keeping faith with those who have worn the uniform of the United States. This
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 32Administration has broken its promises to our veterans – raising their health costs and reducing theiraccess to care. John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democrats will keep faith with our veterans. Wewill continue the fight for mandatory funding for veterans' health care and we will make sure thatdisabled veterans and military retirees are not penalized with reductions in their pension benefits. Andwe will aggressively address the inexcusable backlogs in veterans' compensation and pension claims.We believe in an America where health care is available and affordable. Where every family looks tothe future with hope and excitement, without worry that the cost of health care is becoming too great tobear. Where strong, healthy families build a stronger America.IMPROVING EDUCATIONThe simple bargain at the heart of the American Dream offers opportunity to every American whotakes the responsibility to make the most of it. That bargain is the great source of American strength,because it unleashes the amazing talent and determination of our people. And as our people seize theopportunity to build a better life, they build a stronger country.Today, our people compete with workers on every continent. Information flows across oceans.High-wage jobs are more dependent than ever on high-level skills.Now, as never before, education is the key to opportunity, essential to a strong America. So webelieve in an America that offers the best education to all our children – wherever they live, whatevertheir background. Period.We believe in an America where every child comes to school ready to learn. Where every student isheld to high standards, and every school has the resources and responsibility to meet those standards.Where every classroom has a great teacher, and every student gets enough personal attention to fostera talent or overcome a difficulty. We believe in an America where every teenager completes a rigoroushigh school curriculum. Where every qualified young person who wants to go to college can afford it.And where every adult who needs additional job training can get it.In President George Bush's America, our government ignores the shameful truth that the quality of achild's education depends on the wealth of that child's neighborhood. Our best public schools are thebest schools in the world, but too many children go to schools that just don't work. Too many childrenwho beat the odds and succeed in school can't afford to go on to college. And too many adults whoneed added training aren't able to get it.For this White House, education is an easy promise – easy come, and easy go. When PresidentBush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, he said the right things – asking more from our schools andpledging to give them the resources to get the job done. And then he promptly broke his word,providing schools $27 billion less than he had promised, literally leaving millions of children behind.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 33The President also gets a failing grade for higher education. Over the last three years, college tuitionshave risen by 35 percent, pricing 220,000 students out of college. Yet while then-Governor Bushpromised to increase college aid, President Bush tried to charge more for student loans and eliminatePell Grants for 84,000 students.John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party believe that a strong America begins at homewith strong families, and that strong families need the best schools. We believe schools must teachfundamental skills like math and science, and fundamental values like citizenship and responsibility. Webelieve providing resources without reform is a waste of money, and reform without resources is awaste of time. And we believe politicians who expect students to learn responsibility should start bykeeping their own promises.Meeting our responsibilities. Under John Kerry and John Edwards, we will offer high quality earlylearning opportunities, smaller classes, more after school activities, and more individualized attention forour students, particularly students with special needs, gifts, and talents. The federal government willmeet its financial obligations for elementary and secondary education and for special education.A great teacher in every classroom. Continuing the fight for reform, we will make an intensiveeffort to put a great teacher in every classroom. Nothing has a bigger impact than a teacher on thequality of a child's education. We need to do more to attract and retain teachers, more to encouragetheir excellence, and more to ensure that all teachers are offering high-quality teaching. We must raisepay for teachers, especially in the schools and subjects where great teachers are in the shortest supply.We must improve mentoring, professional development, and new technology training for teachers,instead of leaving them to sink or swim. At the same time, we must create rigorous new incentives andtests for new teachers. We need new rewards for teachers who go the extra mile and excel in helpingchildren learn. And teachers deserve due process protection from arbitrary dismissal, but we must havefast, fair procedures for improving or removing teachers who do not perform on the job.Parents are our children's first and most important teachers, and they have a responsibility toparticipate in their children's education. We will help them do so by offering information and resourcesto better teach their children, whether reminding them about homework or attending a parent-teacherconference. Securing high achievement for all. Vast achievement gaps persist in America. Nearly half ofAfrican-American, Latino, and American Indian youth don't graduate high school. We believe in thepotential of every child and we will not accept this loss of talent. Because education in the earliest yearsof a child's life is critical, we will expand and improve preschool and Head Start initiatives with the goalof offering these opportunities to all children. Because children need safe, loving, and disciplined homesin order to learn, we will work on a bipartisan basis to reform foster care. And we will undertake anational campaign to raise graduation rates by raising student achievement, expecting more fromschools, reaching out to troubled youth with mentoring and tutoring, and strengthening the basic highschool curriculum. We will meet these challenges together—parents, teachers, principals, educational
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 34support professionals and paraprofessionals, along with universities, community-based and faith-basedorganizations.Making schools work for children. We will use testing to advance real learning, not undermine it,by developing high-quality assessments that measure the complex skills students need to develop. Wewill make sure that federal law operates with high standards and common sense, not just bureaucraticrigidity. Instead of pushing private school vouchers that funnel scarce dollars away from the publicschools, we will support public school choice, including charter schools and magnet schools that meetthe same high standards as other schools. And at a time when so many schools charged with our futureare relics of the past, we will build new schools and offer the technology and equipment for a 21stcentury education.Making college affordable. With the leadership of John Kerry and John Edwards, we will makecollege more affordable, so that more young people get higher education, and more of those whograduate get relief from the crushing burden of debt. We will make student aid faster and simpler to getso students aren't scared off by the complicated process. We will offer generous tax credits to reducethe price of four years of college for all students, including those who pay their own way and can leastafford college now. We will strengthen our aid programs for students while eliminating wastefulsubsidies for lenders. At a time when all good jobs increasingly depend on advanced skills, we willstrengthen technical training for those who do not attend college. Finally, we must place a specialemphasis on expanding achievement in math and science. These are subjects where America hasalways led the world and must continue to lead in the 21st century. Teaching good citizenship and good values. We must remain committed to the moral and civicdimensions of education. Education requires the engagement of the whole community in order to teachthe whole child. Students should learn responsibility in our schools, and students who areirresponsible—using drugs or bringing violence into schools—must face strict discipline. We shouldsupport character education in our elementary and secondary schools and community service as acondition of graduation from high schools. We should also give back to those who give to America, inthe tradition of the G.I. Bill and AmeriCorps. The promise of America is the promise of opportunity. If we are going to keep that promise, everychild should have a great teacher and every high school graduate should have the chance to go tocollege. Nothing less is good enough for America.PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENTFor generations, Americans of all political beliefs have understood that the protection of ourenvironment and the stewardship of our land are vital to the strength of our nation. God gave Americaextraordinary natural gifts; it is our responsibility to protect them. The health of our families, the strengthof our economy, and the well-being of our world all depend upon a clean environment.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 35But in President George Bush's government, where polluters actually write environmental laws andoil company profits matter more than hard science and cold facts, protecting the environment doesn'tmatter at all. Even though 133 million Americans already live with unhealthy air, the Bush Administration bowed toenergy industry lobbying and rewrote rules to allow 20,000 facilities to spew more smog, soot, andmercury into the air. Even though public water systems in many cities are polluted, they have takenenvironmental cops off the beat and pushed to allow more arsenic in our water. Even though thePresident promised more than five billion dollars for our national parks, he has delivered a fraction ofthat, leaving trails closed, historic structures collapsing, and our parks losing luster. And even thoughoverwhelming scientific evidence shows that global climate change is a scientific fact, this administrationhas rewritten government reports to hide that fact.John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party believe in a stronger, safer, healthier America.A strong America depends on healthy families, and healthy families depend on fresh air, pure water,and clean neighborhoods. These are our commitments: we will make our air cleaner and our water purer. We will ensure ourchildren can safely play in our neighborhoods, our families can enjoy our national parks, and oursportsmen can hunt and fish in our lakes and forests. We will foster a healthy economy and a healthyenvironment by promoting new technologies that create good jobs and improve our world. And we willwork with our allies to achieve these goals and to protect the global environment, for this generationand future generations.We reject the false choice between a healthy economy and a healthy environment. We know insteadthat farming, fishing, tourism, and other industries require a healthy environment. We know newtechnologies that protect the environment can create new high-paying jobs. We know a cleanerenvironment means a stronger economy.Cleaner air. We will strengthen protection for our air by making our government and our marketswork together. We will strengthen the Clean Air Act, by controlling all of the top pollutants and offeringnew flexibility to industries that commit to cleaning up within that framework. We will reduce mercuryemissions, smog and acid rain, and will address the challenge of climate change with the seriousness ofpurpose this great challenge demands. Rather than looking at American industries only as polluters, wewill work with the private sector to create partnerships that make a profit and a cleaner world for us all.At the same time, we will plug Republican-created legal loopholes and renew public enforcement of thelaw.Cleaner water and healthier communities. We will work with communities to reduce waterpollution—not only from factories, but also from large corporate farms, storm water runoff, and seweroverflows. We will bring environmental justice to low-income, rural, and minority communities, usingfederal resources to improve public health and spur economic development by cleaning up pollutedsites. We will restore the "polluter pays" principle to fund the cleanup of the most polluted sites, so that
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 36those who cause environmental problems pay to fix them. We will protect Nevada and its communitiesfrom the high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca mountain which has not been proven to be safe bysound science.Protecting public lands. We will use our natural resources to fuel our economy, but end Republicangiveaways to special interests that exploit public lands without regard for environmental consequences.We will require companies to restore leased lands to their original state after their work is done. Andwe will make sure our government treats our national parks with the same respect and care that millionsof families show each year when they visit. Honoring our hunting and fishing heritage. We are committed to protecting the lands used byhunters and anglers, and we will open millions of new acres of land to public hunting and fishing. Wewill conserve and restore the habitats where wildlife flourish, expanding use of voluntary, incentive-based programs that target private landowners.International leadership to protect the global environment. We know that America's fight for ahealthy environment cannot be waged within our borders alone. Environmental hazards from around theglobe reach America through the oceans and the jet streams encircling our planet. And climate changeis a major international challenge that requires global leadership from the United States, not abdication.We must restore American leadership on this issue as well as others such as hazardous waste emissionsand depleted fisheries This great land has been placed in our hands for safekeeping. It is our responsibility to protect it. Wewill exercise that responsibility with the courage to take on special interests, the creativity to promotenew technologies, the determination to reassert our global leadership, and the commitment to achievereal results. That is how we will ensure that God's gifts of nature bless all of God's children forgenerations to come.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 37A STRONG AMERICAN COMMUNITYAmerican history is the story of a diverse people striving – sometimes fitfully, but in the end, faithfully– to realize our ideals: a common dream of equality, and opportunity, freedom and community. Eachstep along that path has made us stronger. This year we recall two of our country's greatest steps toward equality and inclusion – fifty yearsago, Brown v. Board of Education, and forty years ago, the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Those greatachievements of the civil rights movement strengthened America immeasurably—by breaking down thelegal barriers to equal citizenship for African-Americans and expanding the circle of equal opportunityfor all. This year, as we celebrate these anniversaries, we recommit to the spirit of service that securedthese breakthroughs and the values they embody: all of our people should have the opportunity to fulfillall of their potential, and each of us should be as equal in the eyes of the law as we are in the eyes ofGod.That is the America we believe in. That is the America we are fighting for. That is the America wewill build together.President Bush has a different vision – instead of searching for common ground to bring our peopletogether, he has sought political advantage in driving our people apart. He has neglected the opportunityof most Americans, choosing instead to lavish resources on those who need them least. He has rejectedthe American vision of greater equality, appointing judges more interested in rolling back rights thanprotecting them. Perhaps most striking of all, in a time of war, he has abandoned our great tradition ofasking Americans to meet shared challenges in a spirit of shared sacrifice. This President has regularlygoverned for the benefit of special interests, not the public interest. John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party believe in a better America, more equal, morefree – more American. We believe in common service to our commonwealth. And we will restore thecommitment to ethics in government.Our commitment to civil rights is ironclad. We will restore vigorous federal enforcement of our civilrights laws for all our people, from fair housing to equal employment opportunity, from Title IX to theAmericans with Disabilities Act. We support affirmative action to redress discrimination and to achievethe diversity from which all Americans benefit. We believe a day's work is worth a day's pay, and at atime when women still earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, we need stronger equal pay lawsand stronger enforcement of them. We will enact the bipartisan legislation barring workplacediscrimination based on sexual orientation. We are committed to equal treatment of all service membersand believe all patriotic Americans should be allowed to serve our country without discrimination,persecution, or violence. We support the appointment of judges who will uphold our laws andconstitutional rights, not their own narrow agendas.Voting is the foundation of democracy, a central act of civic engagement, and an expression of equalcitizenship. Voting rights are important precisely because they are protective of all other rights. We will
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 38call for legislative action that will fully protect and enforce the fundamental Constitutional right of everyAmerican to vote -- to ensure that the Constitution's promise is fully realized and that, in disputedelections, every vote is counted fully and fairly. To advance these goals, and to guarantee the integrity of our elections and to increase voterconfidence, we will seek action to ensure that voting systems are accessible, independently auditable,accurate, and secure. We will support the full funding of programs to realize this goal. Finally, it is thepriority of the Democratic Party to fulfill the promise of election reform, reauthorize the expiringprovisions of the Voting Rights Act, and vigorously enforce all our voting rights laws. Our voting procedures are observed by people and nations around the world. Every vote must countand every vote must be counted, including absentee ballots. To achieve all of our goals, we supportmoving toward a census that duly counts every American. And we support the election of candidateswho express the many voices of America.Because our democracy thrives on public access to diverse sources of information from multiplesources, we support measures to ensure diversity, competition, and localism in media ownership.We will defend the dignity of all Americans against those who would undermine it. Because webelieve in the privacy and equality of women, we stand proudly for a woman's right to choose,consistent with Roe v. Wade, and regardless of her ability to pay. We stand firmly against Republicanefforts to undermine that right. At the same time, we strongly support family planning and adoptionincentives. Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. Racial and religious profiling is wrong and we will work to stamp it out. Hate crimes desecratesacred spaces and demean good people, and we support a strong national law to punish them.We will extend the promise of citizenship to those still struggling for freedom. Today's immigrationlaws do not reflect our values or serve our security, and we will work for real reform. The solution isnot to establish a massive new status of second-class workers; that betrays our values and hurts allworking people. Undocumented immigrants within our borders who clear a background check, workhard and pay taxes should have a path to earn full participation in America. We will hasten familyreunification for parents and children, husbands and wives, and offer more English-language and civiceducation classes so immigrants can assume all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. As weundertake these steps, we will work with our neighbors to strengthen our security so we are safer fromthose who would come here to harm us. We are a nation of immigrants, and from Arab-Americans inCalifornia to Latinos in Florida, we share the dream of a better life in the country we love. We support full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of our nation and seek equalresponsibilities, benefits, and protections for these families. In our country, marriage has been defined atthe state level for 200 years, and we believe it should continue to be defined there. We repudiatePresident Bush's divisive effort to politicize the Constitution by pursuing a "Federal MarriageAmendment." Our goal is to bring Americans together, not drive them apart.
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2004 Democratic National Platform – 39We will honor our nation's tradition of equal justice under law. President Bush and Attorney GeneralAshcroft believe they can claim powers above and beyond the law of the land. As Democrats andAmericans, we yield to no one in our commitment to do everything necessary to win the war on terror.But we can and must win that war without sacrificing the values we are defending. America must bestrong and free. As we encourage democracy around the world, we must extend democracy here at home. Wesupport equal rights to democratic self-government and Congressional representation for the citizens ofour nation's capital. We believe that four million disenfranchised American citizens residing in Puerto Rico have the rightto the permanent and fully democratic status of their choice. The White House and Congress will clarifythe realistic status options for Puerto Rico and enable Puerto Ricans to choose among them. We support full self-government for the people of Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands,and their right to decide their future status. For all those who live under our flag, we support strong economic development and fair andequitable treatment under federal programs. We honor the sovereignty of American Indians and reaffirm our commitment to respectful andmeaningful government-to-government relations. We must renew the trust obligations that thisAdministration has disregarded, and must improve the education, health, and job opportunities forAmerican Indians who too often face terrible poverty. We honor the central place of faith in the lives of our people. Like our Founders, we believe that ournation, our communities, and our lives are made vastly stronger and richer by faith and the countlessacts of justice and mercy it inspires. We will strengthen the role of faith-based organizations in meetingchallenges like homelessness, youth violence, and other social problems. At the same time, we willhonor First Amendment protections and not allow public funds to be used to proselytize or discriminate.Throughout history, communities of faith have brought comfort to the afflicted and shaped greatmovements for justice. We know they will continue to do so, and we will always protect all Americans'freedom to worship.We pledge to stand up for our beliefs and rally Americans to our cause. But we recognize thatdisagreements will remain, and we believe disagreement should not mean disrespect. Members of ourparty have deeply held and differing views on some matters of conscience and faith. We view diversityof views as a source of strength, and we welcome into our ranks all Americans who seek to build astronger America. We are committed to resolving our differences in a spirit of civility, hope and mutualrespect.

That's the America we believe in.