Bernie Sanders Delegates Influence Democratic Party Platform, but Lose Some Battles

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Bernie Sanders on the campaign trail

By Glynn Wilson –

By getting involved in the Democratic Party and joining the fight for the platform, Bernie Sanders supporters are having a profound influence on the party’s direction for the future at meetings this week in Orlando, Florida ahead of the party’s convention in Philadelphia next month, according to sources taking part in the meetings, although they are not winning every battle.

The 15-member Democratic Party Platform committee is made up of six members appointed by presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton, five appointed by second place primary finisher Bernie Sanders, and four members from the Democratic Party Executive Committee. In addition, 187 delegates to the convention were allowed input and involvement in drafting the platform and voting on provisions. Of those there were 70 Bernie Sanders delegates with votes.

A draft of the document, obtained exclusively by the New American Journal Friday afternoon, indicates that the party will run on the issues such as overturning the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling allowing unlimited campaign contributions by corporations and unions as free speech in Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission.

It calls for expanding Social Security, closing tax loop holes for the rich and corporations and making it easier for workers to join unions. It puts pressure on the next president and Congress to take on the big pharmaceutical companies, to ban private prisons, to legalize or decriminalize marijuana, and pushes for easier auto voter registration. In a vote of 13-0, the committee calls for working to abolish the death penalty.

“Democrats believe we are stronger when we protect citizens’ right to vote, not corporations’ and billionaires’ right to buy elections,” the draft reads. “We will bring an end to the broken campaign finance system, overturn the disastrous Citizens United decision, restore the full power of the Voting Rights Act, and return our elections to the American people.”

According to a source close to the committee who wished to remain anonymous, the Bernie Sanders contingent fought for the provisions on Citizens United, prisons, marijuana and the death penalty, but lost in an attempt to get a firm commitment on a mandatory minimum wage of $15 an hour. The language now in the platform is more vague and leaves it up to the states.

The draft document now reads like this.

“Democrats believe that the current minimum wage is a starvation wage and must be increased to a living wage. No one who works full time should have to raise a family in poverty. We believe that Americans should earn at least $15 an hour and have the right to form or join a union. We applaud the approaches taken by states like New York and California. We should raise and index the minimum wage, give all Americans the ability to join a union regardless of where they work, and create new ways for workers to have power in the economy. We also support creating one fair wage for all workers by ending the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers and people with disabilities.”

The Sanders continent also lost on a sweeping statement on fighting climate change, on pushing for a carbon tax, on banning fracking for methane gas, and on pushing for a single payer health care plan.

According to a search of the PDF file, the word “fracking” does not even appear in the document, nor do the words “single payer.” Universal health care is a line item in the table of contents, but the language indicates only a call for expanding the number of people covered under the current Affordable Care Act, a.k.a Obamacare, a private health care system augmented by federal dollars to expand Medicaid (which some states such as Alabama have opted not to participate in at all).

See the best coverage of this issue anywhere here, including watchdog journalism videos:

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Open Letter to Alabama Governor Robert Bentley – Please Fully Fund Medicaid

There are lots of mentions of climate change in the draft, including a direct assault on Donald Trump by name.

“Democrats believe that climate change poses a real and urgent threat to our economy, our national security, and our children’s health and futures, and that Americans deserve the jobs and security that come from becoming the clean energy superpower of the 21st century,” the document reads.

In a section devoted to combating climate change and building a clean energy economy, and securing environmental justice, the document declares that “climate change is an urgent threat and a defining challenge of our time.”

Fifteen of the 16 hottest years on record have occurred this century, the document says.

“While Donald Trump has called climate change a ‘hoax,’ 2016 is on track to break global temperature records once more,” the document says. “Cities from Miami to Baltimore are already threatened by rising seas. California and the West have suffered years of brutal drought. Alaska has been scorched by wildfire. New York has been battered by superstorms, and Texas swamped by flash floods. The best science tells us that without ambitious, immediate action to cut carbon pollution and other greenhouse gases across our economy, all of these impacts will be far worse in the future. We cannot leave our children a planet that has been profoundly damaged.”

Democrats share a deep commitment to tackling the climate challenge, the draft continues, along with “creating millions of good-paying middle class jobs; reducing greenhouse gas emissions more than 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050; and meeting the pledge President Obama put forward in the landmark Paris Agreement, which aims to keep global temperature increases to ‘well below’ two degrees Celsius and to pursue efforts to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“We believe America must be running entirely on clean energy by mid-century,” the draft continues. “We will take bold steps to slash carbon pollution and protect clean air at home, lead the fight against climate change around the world, ensure no Americans are left out or left behind as we accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy, and be responsible stewards of our natural resources and our public lands and waters. Democrats reject the notion that we have to choose between protecting our planet and creating good-paying jobs. We can and we will do both.”

In another section on creating jobs by rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, it contains a declaration that Democrats “will protect communities from the impact of climate change by investing in green and resilient infrastructure.”

In a section on Honoring Indigenous Tribal Nations, the document says the Democratic Party is “committed to principles of environmental justice in Indian Country and we recognize that nature in all its life forms has the right to exist, persist, maintain, and regenerate its vital cycles. We call for a climate change policy that protects tribal resources, protects tribal health, and provides accountability through accessible, culturally appropriate participation and strong enforcement. Our climate change policy will cut carbon emission, address poverty, invest in disadvantaged communities, and improve both air quality and public health. We support the tribal nations to develop wind, solar and other clean energy jobs.”

The platform also calls for reviews of trade deals like the Trans Pacific Partnership, although the Sanders contingent wanted a stronger opposition statement. It calls for more health coverage through public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. And it calls for federal investigations of fossil fuel companies accused of misleading shareholders on climate change.

The committee drafting the platform last weekend approved the document, which spells out the party’s policy priorities. Members still have time to propose amendments and there is another meeting in Orlando next week. Then, the document will formally be adopted at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia July 25-28.

The document starts out with a preamble of accomplishments by the Obama administration.

“Under President Obama’s leadership, and thanks to the hard work and determination of the American people, we have come a long way from the Great Recession and the Republican policies that triggered it. We have seen 75 straight months of private-sector job growth and added 14.5 million new jobs. Twenty million people have gained health insurance coverage. The American auto industry just had its best year ever. We are getting more of our energy from the sun and wind, and importing less oil from overseas.”

We are still going through the document and talking to sources and may add more to this draft breaking news story over the weekend.

See the draft platform document here (PDF).

We welcome your feedback in the form of comments below.

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Leo Alexander
Leo Alexander
7 years ago

It’s a solid platform except for one omission — Proportional Economics for Blacks. After 50 years of partial integration without economic justice, I would be willing to scrap the whole idea and return to segregation with Proportional Economics. Because this current system of partial integration hasn’t worked for the Black masses. So either the Dems include Proportional Economics for Blacks in this platform or I’m ready to just vote in the local elections.

Janice Isley
7 years ago

It is so wonderful to hear of these progressive much needed issues in our insane political world. The overturning of the Citizens United ruling is one of the most important and must happen before we can have progress. This gives much needed hope!

kcburke
kcburke
7 years ago

Great job, Glynn. So far, it looks iike a decent compromise in some important areas. I just hope that convention posturing doesn’t destroy it.

herndoninge
7 years ago

Great “scoop”, Glynn. I understand that planks in a convention platform are symbolic, but a big step toward a Progressive agenda, and at least “holding up the lamp” toward “with Liberty, and Justice, for ALL”.

Christine Smith
Christine Smith
7 years ago

I supported 2nd Bernie, but not supporting Hillary is giving the election to Trump.I have to wonder, however, why we Dems were see don’t these questionnaires ‘re what was most important. One major issue completely ignored was frackng. It causes earthquakes and poisons air and water. It is killing plants, animals and people. This is an extremely important issue, but we seem to ignore issues which would step in Obama’s “legacy”. Fracking shouldn’t be part of his legacy since it’s an environmental nightmare. I was also astounded that he supported Hythe TPP. Trump is right. It is a trade nightmare. He is an idiot, but recognizes that. I hope they recognize Bernie has good ideas and should incorporate more of them in the platform. It would go far with his supporters.

Christine Smith
Christine Smith
7 years ago

Sorry about the spelling and grammar blunders. Thought I caught them while typing on this old phone. Sometimes it just changes or adds stuff. (2nd Bernie, were sent, not were see sent, the, not Hythe. So, grammar police can rest.)

myrt jones
myrt jones
7 years ago

There have been deadly outcomes associated with fracking all across the Nation, but because of politically motivated unplanned politics in the City of Mobile and GREED we now have the deadly’fracking tar sands” storage tanks/ pipelines/rail-car storage tankers in Mobile Harbor and on “oil soaked “Blakeley Island .Our invaluable wetlands and floodplains in the Port of Mobile contain these ‘time bombs’ and they are seriously impacting and threatening Mobile’s social, environmental and economic systems.The facilities are waiting to be ruptured and overturned during the next hurricane surge releasing millions of gallons of asphalt oil and chemicals into the coastal zone and Mobile Bay. These storage tanks and support facilities presently release additional unregulated toxic loads of heavy metals,, particulates,, hydrocarbons and VOC’s into our already overburdened air pollution loads and no-one is safe-not even the children.Air pollution loads are identified with causing congenital, respiratory, cardiovascular , Attention Deficit Disorder and Cancer.

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