2020 Democratic Party Platform 2 3 TABLE of CONTENTS 4 5 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 4

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

2020 Democratic Party Platform 2 3 TABLE of CONTENTS 4 5 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 4 1 2020 Democratic Party Platform 2 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 5 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 4 6 PREAMBLE 5 7 PROTECTING AMERICANS AND RECOVERING FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC 8 8 BUILDING A STRONGER, FAIRER ECONOMY 12 9 Protecting Workers and Families and Creating Millions of Jobs Across America 14 10 Raising Wages and Promoting Workers’ Rights 14 11 Enacting Robust Work-Family Policies 15 12 Investing in the Engines of Job Creation 15 13 Building A Fair System of International Trade for Our Workers 18 14 Putting Homeownership in Reach and Guaranteeing Safe Housing for Every American 19 15 Leveling the Economic Playing Field 20 16 Reforming the Tax Code to Benefit Working Families 20 17 Curbing Wall Street Abuses 21 18 Ending Poverty 21 19 Protecting Consumer Rights and Privacy 22 20 Tackling Runaway Corporate Concentration 23 21 Guaranteeing a Secure and Dignified Retirement 23 22 ACHIEVING UNIVERSAL, AFFORDABLE, QUALITY HEALTH CARE 24 23 Securing Universal Health Care Through a Public Option 25 24 Bringing Down Drug Prices and Taking on the Pharmaceutical Industry 26 25 Reducing Health Care Costs and Improving Health Care Quality 27 26 Expanding Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment 27 27 Expanding Long-Term Care Services and Supports 28 28 Eliminate Racial, Gender, and Geographic Health Inequities 28 29 Protecting Native American Health 29 30 Securing Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice 29 31 Protecting and Promoting Maternal Health 30 32 Protecting LGBTQ+ Health 30 33 Strengthening and Supporting the Health Care Workforce 30 34 Investing in Health Science and Research 31 35 PROTECTING COMMUNITIES AND BUILDING TRUST BY REFORMING OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE 36 SYSTEM 32 37 HEALING THE SOUL OF AMERICA 35 38 Protecting Americans’ Civil Rights 35 39 Achieving Racial Justice and Equity 36 40 Protecting Women’s Rights 38 1 1 Protecting LGBTQ+ Rights 38 2 Protecting Disability Rights 39 3 Honoring Indigenous Tribal Nations 39 4 Ending Violence Against Women 42 5 Ending the Epidemic of Gun Violence 43 6 Supporting Faith and Service 43 7 Supporting Press Freedom 43 8 COMBATING THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND PURSUING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE 44 9 RESTORING AND STRENGTHENING OUR DEMOCRACY 49 10 Protecting and Enforcing Voting Rights 49 11 Reforming the Broken Campaign Finance System 50 12 Building an Effective, Transparent Federal Government 50 13 Making Washington, D.C. the 51st State 51 14 Guaranteeing Self-Determination for Puerto Rico 51 15 Supporting the U.S. Territories 52 16 Strengthening the U.S. Postal Service 52 17 CREATING A 21ST CENTURY IMMIGRATION SYSTEM 53 18 PROVIDING A WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION IN EVERY ZIP CODE 56 19 Guaranteeing Universal Early Childhood Education 57 20 Supporting High-Quality K-12 Schools Across America 58 21 Making Higher Education Affordable and Accessible 60 22 Providing Borrowers Relief From Crushing Student Debt 60 23 RENEWING AMERICAN LEADERSHIP 62 24 Revitalizing American Diplomacy 63 25 Rebuilding America’s Tool of First Resort 63 26 Reinventing Alliances 64 27 International Institutions 64 28 Foreign Assistance and Development 65 29 Transforming Our Armed Forces for the 21st century 65 30 Ending Forever Wars 65 31 Securing our Competitive Edge 66 32 Defense Spending 67 33 Keeping Faith with Our Veterans and Military Families 67 34 Civil-Military Relations 68 35 Mobilizing the World to Address Transnational Challenges 68 36 Global Health and Pandemics 68 37 Climate Change 69 38 Technology 70 39 Nonproliferation 70 40 Terrorism 71 41 Democracy and Human Rights 71 42 Advancing American Interests 74 2 1 Global Economy and Trade 74 2 Africa 75 3 Americas 76 4 Asia-Pacific 77 5 Europe 78 6 Middle East 79 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 10 11 12 The Democratic National Committee wishes to acknowledge that we gather together to state our 13 values on lands that have been stewarded through many centuries by the ancestors and 14 descendants of Tribal Nations who have been here since time immemorial. 15 We honor the communities native to this continent, and recognize that our country was built on 16 Indigenous homelands. 17 We pay our respects to the millions of Indigenous people throughout history who have protected 18 our lands, waters, and animals. 19 20 We respectfully acknowledge that we present this Platform at our 2020 Democratic National 21 Convention on the lands of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians, 22 the Forest County Potawatomi Community, the Ho-Chunk Nation, the Lac Courte Oreilles Band 23 of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the 24 Menominee Nation, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior 25 Chippewa, the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community, 26 and the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, Band of Mohican Indians. 27 4 1 PREAMBLE 2 3 America is an idea—one that has endured and evolved through war and depression, prevailed 4 over fascism and communism, and radiated hope to far distant corners of the earth. Americans 5 believe that diversity is our greatest strength. That protest is among the highest forms of 6 patriotism. That our fates and fortunes are bound to rise and fall together. That even when we fall 7 short of our highest ideals, we never stop trying to build a more perfect union. 8 9 When the American people go to the polls this fall, we will be choosing more than a candidate. 10 Character is on the ballot in this election. The character of our President, yes, but more than that: 11 the character of our democracy, our society, and our leadership in the world. 12 13 The challenges before us—the worst public health crisis in a century, the worst economic 14 downturn since the Great Depression, the worst period of global upheaval in a generation, the 15 intolerable racial injustice that still stains the fabric of our nation—will test America’s character 16 like never before. 17 18 The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare deep-seated problems in our society—the fragility of our 19 economy and social safety net, the risks posed by growing inequality, the impacts of racial and 20 economic disparities on health and well-being, and the profound consequences of deepening 21 polarization and political paralysis. 22 23 The bill has come due on the Trump Administration’s hollowing out of our public institutions: 24 the sidelining of experts, the rejection of science, the underinvestment in research, and the gross 25 corruption and abuses of power. President Trump’s dereliction of duty has caused the deaths of 26 tens of thousands of Americans, the loss of tens of millions of American jobs, and lasting harm 27 to our children’s education and future. 28 29 And it has revealed, at tragic economic and human cost, the emptiness of the Republican Party’s 30 “America First” foreign policy. Under President Trump, America stands alone. Friends and foes 31 alike neither admire nor fear President Trump’s leadership—they dismiss and ridicule it. The 32 Republican Party under President Trump has made America small—when we are a people called 33 to do the greatest things. 34 35 Democrats will fight to repair the soul of this nation. To unite and to heal our country. To turn 36 this crisis into a crucible, from which we will forge a stronger, brighter, and more equitable 37 future. 38 39 We must right the wrongs in our democracy, redress the systemic injustices that have long 40 plagued our society, throw open the doors of opportunity for all Americans, and reinvent our 41 institutions at home and our leadership abroad. We do not simply aspire to return our country to 42 where we were four years ago. We know we must be bolder and more ambitious. 43 44 We must once again stop another Republican recession from becoming a second Great 45 Depression. President Trump and the Republican Party have rigged the economy in favor of the 46 wealthiest few and the biggest corporations, and left working families and small businesses out 5 1 in the cold. Democrats will forge a new social and economic contract with the American 2 people—a contract that creates millions of new jobs and promotes shared prosperity, closes 3 racial gaps in income and wealth, guarantees the right to join or form a union, raises wages and 4 ensures equal pay for women and paid family leave for all, and safeguards a secure and dignified 5 retirement. 6 7 We must guarantee health care not as a privilege for some, but as a right for every single 8 American. For a century, Democrats have fought to secure universal health care. In the depths of 9 the COVID-19 pandemic, President Trump and the Republican Party are trying to tear health 10 care away from millions of people who depend on it for survival. Democrats will not allow that 11 to happen. We will not rest until every American can access quality health care and affordable 12 prescription drugs. 13 14 We must steel and strengthen our democracy, not distort and debase it. Democrats believe there 15 is nothing to fear from the voices and votes of the American people. We will restore the full 16 power of the Voting Rights Act and stamp out voter suppression in all its forms. We will curb 17 the corrupting influence of money in politics and protect the integrity of our elections from all 18 enemies, foreign and domestic.
Recommended publications
  • THE ELECTION of 1912 Library of Congress of Library
    Bill of Rights Constitutional Rights in Action Foundation SPRING 2016 Volume 31 No 3 THE ELECTION OF 1912 Library of Congress of Library The four candidates in the 1912 election, from L to R: William H. Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, Eugene V. Debs, and Woodrow Wilson. The 1912 presidential election was a race between four leaders Not surprisingly, the 1912 presidential election be- who each found it necessary to distinguish their own brand of came a contest over progressive principles. Theodore progressive reform. The election and its outcome had far reach- Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, and ing social, economic, and political consequences for the nation. Eugene Debs campaigned to convince the electorate Rapid industrialization in the 19th century led to a that their vision for change would lead America into a variety of American economic and social problems. new age of progress and prosperity. Among them were child labor; urban poverty; bribery and political corruption; unsafe factories and indus- Roosevelt, Taft, and the Republican Party tries; and jobs with low wages and long hours. Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) committed him- Beginning as a social movement, progressivism self early in life to public service and progressive re- was an ideology (set of beliefs) aimed at addressing in- forms. After attending Harvard University and a year at dustrialism’s problems. It focused on protecting the Columbia Law School, Roosevelt was elected to the people from excessive power of private corporations. New York State Assembly. He subsequently served in a Progressives emphasized a strong role for government number of official posts, including the United States Civil to remedy social and economic ills by exposing cor- Service Commission, president of the board of New York ruption and regulating big business.
    [Show full text]
  • AMERICAN P VERSIGHT
    AMERICAN p VERSIGHT January11,2021 VIA ONLINE PORTAL DouglasHibbard Chief,InitialRequestStaff OfficeofInform ationPolicy DepartmentofJustice 441GStNW,6thFloor Washington,DC20530 ViaOnlinePortal Re: Expedited Freedom of Information Act Request DearFOIAOfficer: PursuanttotheFreedomof InformationAct(FOIA),5U.S.C.§552,andthe implem entingregulationsof youragency,Am ericanOversightmakesthefollowing requestforrecords. OnJanuary6,2021,PresidentTrumpinciteda mtoob attackCongresswhile mbers em werecertifyingtheelectionforPresident-electJoeBiden. 1 Theapparent insurrectionistsattackedtheCapitolBuilding,forcedtheirwaypastreportedly understaffedCapitolPolice,andultim atelydelayedtheCongressionalsessionbyforcing lawmakersandtheirstaffstoflee. 2 Fourpeoplediedduringthisassaultandafifth person,aCapitolPoliceofficer,diedthefollowingdayfrominjuriesincurredwhile engagingwithrioters. 3 Whilem ilitia mbers em roamedthehallsofCongress,Trum preportedlyfoughtagainst deployingtheD.C.NationalGuard, 4 andtheDefenseDepartm entreportedlyinitially 1 PressRelease,OfficeofSen.MittRom ney,Rom neyCondemInsurrectionatU.S. ns Capitol, Jan.6,2021, https://www.romney.senate.gov/rom ney-condem ns-insurrection- us-capitol. 2 RebeccaTan,etal., TrumpSupportersStormU.S.Capitol,WithOneWomanKilledand TearGasFired, Wash.Post(Jan.7,2021,12:30AM), https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trum p-supporters-storm -capitol- dc/2021/01/06/58afc0b8-504b-11eb-83e3-322644d82356 story.html. 3 EricLevenson, WhatWeKnowAboutthe5DeathsinthePro-TrumpMobthatStormedthe Capitol, CNN(Jan.8,2021,5:29PM),
    [Show full text]
  • Trump Holds up Ukraine Military Aid Meant to Confront Russia POLITICO
    12/14/19, 1052 PM Page 1 of 1 Pro-Russia separatist soldiers celebrate in Lugansk, Ukraine, in 2014. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images BUDGET & APPROPRIATIONS Trump holds up Ukraine military aid meant to confront Russia By CAITLIN EMMA and CONNOR O’BRIEN | 08/28/2019 06:11 PM EDT | Updated 08/29/2019 03:40 PM EDT The Trump administration is slow-walking $250 million in military assistance to Ukraine, annoying lawmakers and advocates who argue the funding is critical to keeping Russia at bay. President Donald Trump asked his national security team to review the funding program, known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, in order to ensure the money is being used in the best interest of the United States, a senior administration official told POLITICO on Wednesday. Story Continued Below AD But the delays come amid questions over Trump’s approach to Russia, after a weekend in which the president repeatedly seemed to downplay Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine and pushed for Russia to be reinstated into the Group of Seven, an annual gathering of the world’s largest advanced economies. The review is also occurring amid a broader internal debate over whether to halt or cut billions of dollars in foreign aid. United States military aid to Ukraine has long been seen as a litmus test for how strongly the American government is pushing back against Moscow. The Trump administration in 2017 approved lethal arms sales to Ukraine, taking a step the Obama administration had never done. The move was seen as a sign that Trump’s government was taking a hard-line approach to a revanchist Vladimir Putin despite the president’s public rhetoric flattering the Russian leader.
    [Show full text]
  • Constitutionally Compromised Democracy: the United States District Clause, Its Historical Significance, and Modern Repercussions Bradley Raboin
    Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly Volume 45 Article 3 Number 4 Summer 2018 1-1-2018 Constitutionally Compromised Democracy: The United States District Clause, Its Historical Significance, and Modern Repercussions Bradley Raboin Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/ hastings_constitutional_law_quaterly Part of the Constitutional Law Commons Recommended Citation Bradley Raboin, Constitutionally Compromised Democracy: The United States District Clause, Its Historical Significance, and Modern Repercussions, 45 Hastings Const. L.Q. 685 (2018). Available at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_constitutional_law_quaterly/vol45/iss4/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly by an authorized editor of UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Constitutionally Compromised Democracy: The United States District Clause, Its Historical Significance, and Modern Repercussions by BRADLEY RABOIN* Introduction On September 17, 1787, the United States Constitution was submitted for approval to the Congress of the Confederation and, subsequently, for ratification by the American States.1 This constitution was a political phenomenon: For the first time in history, an entire nation would be given the power-through popular ratification-to decide what form of government would rule over them. 2 At its core, the
    [Show full text]
  • Republican Strategy and Winning and Losing Voters
    Unintended Consequences: Republican Strategy and Winning and Losing Voters Rebekah E. Liscio Department of Political Science Maxwell School, Syracuse University And Jeffrey M. Stonecash Department of Political Science Maxwell School, Syracuse University Prepared for the 2009 State of the Parties Conference, the University of Akron, October 1 “McCain’s losing to Obama among college graduates and voters who have attended some college underscores how much the GOP franchise is in trouble. My hunch is that the Republican Party’s focus on social, cultural, and religious issues – most notably, fights over embryonic stem-cell research and Terri Schiavo – cost its candidates dearly among upscale voters.”1 “Suggestions that we abandon social conservatism, including our pro-life agenda, should be ignored. These values are often more popular than the GOP itself.”2 The struggle of the Republican Party in the late 1900s to become the majority party was lengthy, but by 2000 it was finally successful. In the 1994 elections Republicans won control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1952. In the 1990s the percentage of Americans identifying as Republican twice surpassed the Democratic percentage, a rare occurrence in the last 50 years. In 2000 George W. Bush won the presidency and identification with the Republican Party once again equaled that for Democrats (Pew Research Center, 2008). Following 9/11 President George W. Bush had remarkably high approval ratings (Jacobson, 2006) and in the 2002 elections Republicans increased their number of seats in the House. They also held the Senate (Jeffers?) George Bush won re-election in 2004.
    [Show full text]
  • Time Line of the Progressive Era from the Idea of America™
    Time Line of The Progressive Era From The Idea of America™ Date Event Description March 3, Pennsylvania Mine Following an 1869 fire in an Avondale mine that kills 110 1870 Safety Act of 1870 workers, Pennsylvania passes the country's first coal mine safety passed law, mandating that mines have an emergency exit and ventilation. November Woman’s Christian Barred from traditional politics, groups such as the Woman’s 1874 Temperance Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) allow women a public Union founded platform to participate in issues of the day. Under the leadership of Frances Willard, the WCTU supports a national Prohibition political party and, by 1890, counts 150,000 members. February 4, Interstate The Interstate Commerce Act creates the Interstate Commerce 1887 Commerce act Commission to address price-fixing in the railroad industry. The passed Act is amended over the years to monitor new forms of interstate transportation, such as buses and trucks. September Hull House opens Jane Addams establishes Hull House in Chicago as a 1889 in Chicago “settlement house” for the needy. Addams and her colleagues, such as Florence Kelley, dedicate themselves to safe housing in the inner city, and call on lawmakers to bring about reforms: ending child labor, instituting better factory working conditions, and compulsory education. In 1931, Addams is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. November “White Caps” Led by Juan Jose Herrerra, the “White Caps” (Las Gorras 1889 released from Blancas) protest big business’s monopolization of land and prison resources in the New Mexico territory by destroying cattlemen’s fences. The group’s leaders gain popular support upon their release from prison in 1889.
    [Show full text]
  • Ruling America's Colonies: the Insular Cases Juan R
    YALE LAW & POLICY REVIEW Ruling America's Colonies: The Insular Cases Juan R. Torruella* INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 58 I. THE HISTORICAL BACKDROP TO THE INSULAR CASES..................................-59 11. THE INSULAR CASES ARE DECIDED ......................................... 65 III. LIFE AFTER THE INSULAR CASES.......................... .................. 74 A. Colonialism 1o ......................................................... 74 B. The Grinding Stone Keeps Grinding........... ....... ......................... 74 C. The Jones Act of 1917, U.S. Citizenship, and President Taft ................. 75 D. The Jones Act of 1917, U.S. Citizenship, and ChiefJustice Taft ............ 77 E. Local Self-Government v. Colonial Status...........................79 IV. WHY THE UNITED STATES-PUERTO Rico RELATIONSHIP IS COLONIAL...... 81 A. The PoliticalManifestations of Puerto Rico's Colonial Relationship.......82 B. The Economic Manifestationsof Puerto Rico's ColonialRelationship.....82 C. The Cultural Manifestationsof Puerto Rico's Colonial Relationship.......89 V. THE COLONIAL STATUS OF PUERTO Rico Is UNAUTHORIZED BY THE CONSTITUTION AND CONTRAVENES THE LAW OF THE LAND AS MANIFESTED IN BINDING TREATIES ENTERED INTO BY THE UNITED STATES ............................................................. 92 CONCLUSION .................................................................... 94 * Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The substance of this Article was presented in
    [Show full text]
  • The Senate in Transition Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Nuclear Option1
    \\jciprod01\productn\N\NYL\19-4\NYL402.txt unknown Seq: 1 3-JAN-17 6:55 THE SENATE IN TRANSITION OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE NUCLEAR OPTION1 William G. Dauster* The right of United States Senators to debate without limit—and thus to filibuster—has characterized much of the Senate’s history. The Reid Pre- cedent, Majority Leader Harry Reid’s November 21, 2013, change to a sim- ple majority to confirm nominations—sometimes called the “nuclear option”—dramatically altered that right. This article considers the Senate’s right to debate, Senators’ increasing abuse of the filibuster, how Senator Reid executed his change, and possible expansions of the Reid Precedent. INTRODUCTION .............................................. 632 R I. THE NATURE OF THE SENATE ........................ 633 R II. THE FOUNDERS’ SENATE ............................. 637 R III. THE CLOTURE RULE ................................. 639 R IV. FILIBUSTER ABUSE .................................. 641 R V. THE REID PRECEDENT ............................... 645 R VI. CHANGING PROCEDURE THROUGH PRECEDENT ......... 649 R VII. THE CONSTITUTIONAL OPTION ........................ 656 R VIII. POSSIBLE REACTIONS TO THE REID PRECEDENT ........ 658 R A. Republican Reaction ............................ 659 R B. Legislation ...................................... 661 R C. Supreme Court Nominations ..................... 670 R D. Discharging Committees of Nominations ......... 672 R E. Overruling Home-State Senators ................. 674 R F. Overruling the Minority Leader .................. 677 R G. Time To Debate ................................ 680 R CONCLUSION................................................ 680 R * Former Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy for U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. The author has worked on U.S. Senate and White House staffs since 1986, including as Staff Director or Deputy Staff Director for the Committees on the Budget, Labor and Human Resources, and Finance.
    [Show full text]
  • Conference Resolution
    CONFERENCE RESOLUTION Resolved, that the following shall be the rules of the House Republican Conference for the 115th Congress: Rule 1—Conference Membership (a) Inclusion.—All Republican Members of the House of Representatives (including Delegates and the Resident Commissioner) and other Members of the House as determined by the Republican Conference of the House of Representatives (“the Conference”) shall be Members of the Conference. (b) Expulsion.—A ⅔ vote of the entire membership shall be necessary to expel a Member of the Conference. Proceedings for expulsion shall follow the rules of the House of Representatives, as nearly as practicable. Rule 2—Republican Leadership (a) Elected Leadership.—The Elected Republican Leaders of the House of Representatives are— (1) the Speaker; (2) the Republican Leader; (3) the Republican Whip; (4) the Chair of the Republican Conference; (5) the Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee; (6) the Chair of the Committee on Policy; (7) the Vice-Chair of the Republican Conference; and, (8) the Secretary of the Republican Conference. (b) Designated Leadership.—The designated Republican Leaders of the House of Representatives are— (1) the Chair of the House Committee on Rules; (2) the Chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means; (3) the Chair of the House Committee on Appropriations; (4) the Chair of the House Committee on the Budget; (5) the Chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; (6) the Chief Deputy Whip; (7) one member of the sophomore class elected by the sophomore class; and, (8) one member of the freshman class elected by the freshman class. (c) Leadership Issues.—The Republican Leader may designate certain issues as “Leadership Issues.” Those issues will require early and ongoing cooperation between the relevant committees and the Leadership as those issues evolve.
    [Show full text]
  • The Infirmity of Social Democracy in Postcommunist Poland a Cultural History of the Socialist Discourse, 1970-1991
    The Infirmity of Social Democracy in Postcommunist Poland A cultural history of the socialist discourse, 1970-1991 by Jan Kubik Assistant Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University American Society of Learned Societies Fellow, 1990-91 Program on Central and Eastem Europe Working Paper Series #20 January 1992 2 The relative weakness of social democracy in postcommunist Eastern Europe and the poor showing of social democratic parties in the 1990-91 Polish and Hungarian elections are intriguing phenom­ ena. In countries where economic reforms have resulted in increasing poverty, job loss, and nagging insecurity, it could be expected that social democrats would have a considerable follOwing. Also, the presence of relatively large working class populations and a tradition of left-inclined intellec­ tual opposition movements would suggest that the social democratic option should be popular. Yet, in the March-April 1990 Hungarian parliamentary elections, "the political forces ready to use the 'socialist' or the 'social democratic' label in the elections received less than 16 percent of the popular vote, although the class-analytic approach predicted that at least 20-30 percent of the working population ... could have voted for them" (Szelenyi and Szelenyi 1992:120). Simi­ larly, in the October 1991 Polish parliamentary elections, the Democratic Left Alliance (an elec­ toral coalition of reformed communists) received almost 12% of the vote. Social democratic parties (explicitly using this label) that emerged from Solidarity won less than 3% of the popular vote. The Szelenyis concluded in their study of social democracy in postcommunist Hungary that, "the major opposition parties all posited themselves on the political Right (in the Western sense of the term), but public opinion was overwhelmingly in favor of social democratic measures" (1992:125).
    [Show full text]
  • PAPPA – Parties and Policies in Parliaments
    PAPPA Parties and Policies in Parliament Version 1.0 (August 2004) Data description Martin Ejnar Hansen, Robert Klemmensen and Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard Political Science Publications No. 3/2004 Name: PAPPA: Parties and Policies in Parliaments, version 1.0 (August 2004) Authors: Martin Ejnar Hansen, Robert Klemmensen & Peter Kurrild- Klitgaard. Contents: All legislation passed in the Danish Folketing, 1945-2003. Availability: The dataset is at present not generally available to the public. Academics should please contact one of the authors with a request for data stating purpose and scope; it will then be determined whether or not the data can be released at present, or the requested results will be provided. Data will be made available on a website and through Dansk Data Arkiv (DDA) when the authors have finished their work with the data. Citation: Hansen, Martin Ejnar, Robert Klemmensen and Peter Kurrild- Klitgaard (2004): PAPPA: Parties and Policies in Parliaments, version 1.0, Odense: Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark. Variables The total number of variables in the dataset is 186. The following variables have all been coded on the basis of the Folketingets Årbog (the parliamentary hansard) and (to a smaller degree) the parliamentary website (www.ft.dk): nr The number given in the parliamentary hansard (Folketingets Årbog), or (in recent years) the law number. sam The legislative session. eu Whether or not the particular piece of legislation was EU/EEC initiated. change Whether or not the particular piece of legislation was a change of already existing legislation. vedt Whether the particular piece of legislation was passed or not.
    [Show full text]
  • SS.7.C.2.8 Low Level of Complexity Sample Item Explanation
    SS.7.C.2.8 Low Level of Complexity Sample Item Explanation Question What are the names of the two major political parties in the The correct answer should identify the two current and United States today? main political parties in the United States. A Democratic and Republican Correct – The Democrats and Republicans are currently the two major political parties in the United States. B Democratic and Libertarian Incorrect – The Libertarian Party is a minor, or third party. C Socialist and Republican Incorrect – The Socialist Party is a minor, or third party. D Socialist and Libertarian Incorrect – Both parties are minor, or third parties. SS.7.C.2.8 Moderate Level of Complexity Sample Item Explanation Question The statement below is from a political party platform. The passage describes the ideas of a modern political party. We, the workers and our allies, need to take power from the hands of the wealthy few, their The correct answer should identify the current political corporations, and their political operatives. party that the passage describes. Which political party’s position is represented in the statement? A Communist Correct – The Communist Party supports workers controlling all governmental power. B Democratic Incorrect – The Democratic Party supports a stronger federal government and more government services but does not support a worker-controlled government. C Republican Incorrect – The Republican Party supports a weaker federal government, lower taxes, and fewer government services. D Socialist Incorrect – The Socialist Party supports cooperative ownership of private industry but does not support taking all power from the rich and giving it to the working class.
    [Show full text]