Democratic Party — Where It’s Been — Where It Needs To Go
The current leadership of the Democratic Party supports war, is not strong on labor and looks the other way on big banking, big oil, big phama, big agri, etc. It does nothing to end the drug war. The powers that control today’s Democratic Party have abandoned the progressive base, the place where the party historically always evolved into great ideas for meaning action and governance.
In effect, today’s Democratic Party, ever since Bill Clinton was elected president, has become GOPwinger-Lite!
Below, are two lists. The first, entitled “Where Progressives Have Been,” was compiled by Dan Riker and published in The Daily Kos on August 7, 2018. I’ve edited it slightly. The second list, entitled “Where Progressives Should Go,” I compiled.
Feel free to add comments or make recommendations — thanks!
Where Progressives Have Been:
1901 to 1917:
* Significant expansion of the role and powers of the President, the federal government and the civil service
* The commission system of local government
* Women gained the right to vote
* The Referendum
* Electoral Recall
* Direct election of U.S. Senators
* Public ownership and operation of urban transit systems
& Clayton Anti-Trust Act which provided the first legal rights to unions, forbidding the use of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act against them.
* The first antitrust suit by the federal government;
* The breakup of the Standard Oil monopoly;
* The graduated income tax
* The inheritance tax
* Major reductions in tariffs
* Prohibitions against child labor and workplace exploitations
* Protections against contaminated food and medicines
* Hundreds of millions of acres of protected wilderness areas, waterways and national parks
* The Federal Reserve System
1933 to 1945:
* Great expansion of the role and powers of the Presidency and the federal government, particularly in the national economy
* Bank and Wall Street regulation, including the Glass-Steagall Act, which created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Securities and Exchange Commission
* Huge investments in infrastructure:
- Civil Works Administration
- Public Works Administration
- Tennessee Valley Authority
- Works Progress Administration
- Civilian Conservation Corps
* Social Security
* The Federal Housing Administration, providing financing for home purchases
* The eight-hour workday and 40-hour work week
* The minimum wage
* The right to organize unions and engage in collective bargaining
* Worker’s compensation and unemployment insurance.
1961 to 1969:
* The Peace Corps
* VISTA
* Medicare
* Medicaid
* Head Start
* The Children’s Health Insurance Program
* Income support for below-poverty level working people
* The Corporation for Public Broadcasting
* National Public Radio (NPR)
* Public Broadcasting System (PBS)
* Fair Housing and Public Accommodations laws providing freedom for anyone to buy a home anywhere, and to be served in any business establishment open to the public
* The Civil Rights Act of 1964 also forbade job discrimination
* The Voting Rights Act of 1965 assured minority registration and voting
* Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965 abolished the national-origin quotas in immigration law
* Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, which created an Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to oversee a variety of community-based antipoverty programs overall called the “War on Poverty,” which reduced the percentage of people living below the poverty line from 22.2 percent in 1963 to 12.6 percent in 1970. It is about 14.5 percent today.
* Food Stamp Act of 1964
* Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
* Higher Education Act of 1965, which increased federal money given to universities, created scholarships and low-interest loans for students, and established a national Teacher Corps to provide teachers to poverty-stricken areas of the United States
* The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
* National Endowment for the Arts
* National Endowment for the Humanities
* The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
* The Department of Transportation
* The Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964
Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act of 1965
* The Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 set standards through creation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
* The Child Safety Act of 1966
* The Flammable Fabrics Act of 1967
* Wholesome Meat Act of 1967
* The Truth-in-Lending Act of 1968 required lenders and credit providers to disclose the full cost of finance charges in both dollars and annual percentage rates, on installment loan and sales
* Water Quality Act of 1965
* Clean Air Act of 1963
* Wilderness Act of 1964
* Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966
* National Trails System Act of 1968
* Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968
* Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965
* Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965
* Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act of 1965
* National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
* Aircraft Noise Abatement Act of 1968
* National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
Where Progressives Should Go:
You’ve got to ask: What have progressives accomplished since Reagan-Bush — the last 50 years? Since then Democrats have behaved like Republicans. The below chart shows what has happened:
Actions for Progressives:
* Strengthen Families
* Teach Not Just Children to Share, But Adults Also
* Racial Justice
* Dignity for Sexual Preference
* Protect Youth By Assuring Them a Healthy Future
* Become Anti-War — Do Not vote for 720 billion Defense Budgets
* Do Not Weaponize Space
* Remove Nuclear Threats From Planet
* Strengthen UN & Develop Hemispheric Governments to Assure Fair Trade Practices Among All Nations
* Cease Exploiting Third World Resources & Labor
* Encourage Ending Capital Punishment Worldwide
* Reform Wall Street
* Medicare for All/Prescription Drugs
* Totally Combat Climate Change
* Income inequality
* Wealth Inequality
* Strengthen & Expand Social Security
* Big Money out of Politics
* Eliminate Voter Suppression Tactics
* Standardize Voting Systems (Paper Ballot)
* Extend Voting Past One Day or Assign Election Day as a Holiday
* Have Incumbent Politicians Shed Their Policy Party Status After Serving Two Terms — Make Them Earn Their Re-Election
* Break up Big Banking
* Big Money out of Media
* Decent Jobs With Living Wage
* End Fracking & Reliance on Fossil Fuels
* Preserve & Respect Native American Lands
* Fair Immigration Policies
* Respect for Rights to Worship
* Assure a Woman’s Right to Choose on Childbirth
* Affordable Housing
* Strengthen Assistance to the Disabled
* 100% Veterans Care
* Free College Tuition/Debt Forgiveness
* Free Internet or More Competition
* Encourage Cottage Industry
* Encourage Worker Cooperatives
* Restrictions on Sales of Weapons
* End The Drug War
* Community Policing to Include Sociology
* Restore Habeas Corpus
* End Private Prisons/Private Probation
* End Drug Forfeiture
* End Urine Testing
* End Trophy Hunting
* Strict Adherence to Species Protection
* Legalize Marijuana
* Use Harm Reduction on Drugs — End Criminal Sanctions
* Job Training Programs
* Trade School Education
* Study Whether Inheritance Tax Could Eliminate IRS
* Convert Puerto Rican Storm Damage with 100% Renewable
* Corporate Restoration if Lands-Waters ruined by Negligence
* Priorities on Clean Air
* Improve Rural Economies
* End Harmful Chemicals on Crops
* Strengthen Food Protections/Encourage Healthy Diets
* Preserve Colleges Involving Cultural-Ethnic Heritage
* Strongly Support Nursing and Personal Care Attendants
In closing, keep Guinness pubs open all Night so we can gather to figure out how to do all of the above — lol! Enjoy, drink, be merry and share with your neighbor no matter who they are!
