The Democratic Party Platform

I'm not sure many people take the time to look at the political parties' platforms, because often the party's nominee disagrees with and even ignores many of the planks in the platform.  But a look at the highlights reveals the differences in values between the Republicans and the Democrats.

Romney, for example, had to distinguish himself from his party's position on abortion, which allowed no exceptions whatsoever, even to save the mother's life and which supports a constitutional amendment to end all abortions.  Romney's position allows abortion in cases of rape and incest and to save the mother's life.  I find it strange that there is that much daylight between the official party platform on this subject and Romney's stated position, and that Romney aligns himself with a party that seeks to overturn a woman's right to choose, something he gave his word never to do.

Here, in no special order, are some of the planks in the Democratic Party's platform:

"Health Care:

We will continue to stand up to Republicans working to take away the benefits and protections that are already helping millions of Americans every day. We refuse to go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your health policy, deny you coverage, or charge women more than men.
 
At the same time, the Affordable Care Act is not the end of efforts to improve health care for all Americans. Democrats will continue to fight for a strong health care workforce with an emphasis on primary care.

GOP:  Overturn Obamacare.

Medicare:

The Republican budget plan would end Medicare as we know it. Democrats adamantly oppose any efforts to privatize or voucherize Medicare.

The GOP wants to vocherize Medicare.

Taxes:

We Democrats support lowering the corporate tax rate while closing unnecessary loopholes, and lowering rates even further for manufacturers who create good jobs at home.

GOP:  More tax breaks for billionnaires!

Unions:

Democrats believe that the right to organize and collectively bargain is a fundamental American value.

All we have to do is look at what the Republican Governor of Wisconsin did to that state's unions to understand where the GOP stands on unions.

Immigration Reform:

Democrats know there is broad consensus to repair that system and strengthen our economy, and that the country urgently needs comprehensive immigration reform that brings undocumented immigrants out of the shadows and requires them to get right with the law, learn English, and pay taxes in order to get on a path to earn citizenship.

GOP:  No Dream Act for anyone!

Art funding:

Democrats are proud of our support for arts funding ... We will continue to support public funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, for the National Endowment for the Humanities, and for programs providing art and music education in primary and secondary schools.


GOP:  Art schmart.  Who needs it?  We got Clint and an Empty Chair!  

Abortion:

Democrats will continue to stand up to Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood health centers.

We oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right. Abortion is an intensely personal decision between a woman, her family, her doctor, and her clergy; there is no place for politicians or government to get in the way.

The GOP platform calls for a constitutional ban on abortion.

Marriage Equality:

We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples. We also support the freedom of churches and religious entities to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference.

The GOP platform calls for a constitutional ban on marriage equality.  AND the GOP wants to reinstitute DADT!

2nd Amendment:

We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation. We understand the terrible consequences of gun violence; it serves as a reminder that life is fragile, and our time here is limited and precious. We believe in an honest, open national conversation about firearms."

GOP:  An automatic weapon in every pot! And why stop at one?  Guns, guns, and more guns.  A gun massacre a week!  Now THAT'S American!

Climate Change:

We know that global climate change is one of the biggest threats of this generation – an economic, environmental, and national security catastrophe in the making. We affirm the science of climate change, commit to significantly reducing the pollution that causes climate change, and know we have to meet this challenge by driving smart policies that lead to greater growth in clean energy generation and result in a range of economic and social benefits.

The GOP platform completely ignored the subject of climate change.


Energy:

In the last four years, President Obama and the Democratic Party have taken concrete steps to make us more energy independent. We’ve supported nearly 225,000 clean energy jobs and Americans are importing less oil, breathing cleaner air, and saving money on energy costs. Historic investments in clean energy technologies have helped double the electricity we get from wind and solar. New emissions and fuel efficiency standards for American cars are reducing our oil use, saving consumers at the pump, and putting Americans back to work. Our dependence on foreign oil is now at a 16-year low, and a new era of cheap, abundant natural gas is helping to bring jobs and industry back to the United States.

GOP on energy:  Drill, Baby, Drill.

SOURCES:  HERE and HERE