I’m a little tired of hearing that the Democratic Party has no message to counter the Republicans and the President’s authoritarian rule. Our message hasn’t really changed and it’s one that is generally supported by almost half the voters in the country.
What Democrats don’t have right now is Power. The Republicans control all three branches of government and the legislation passed in the “Big Beautiful Bill” will be disastrous for our Republic. It’s time to refocus our efforts back on the Hubert Humphrey approach that government needs to be there for those at the beginning of life, those in the twilight of life and those in the shadows of like.
We need our own contract with America.
For those who forgot, the Contract with America was a document signed Sept. 27, 1994, on the Capitol steps in Washington, D.C., by members of the Republican minority, which looked ahead to the 1994 midterm elections.
The “Contract with America” outlined legislation that a Republican House majority would bring to a vote if given the majority in Congress. There was no promise these measures would pass, but they would be voted on in the first 100 days of the new 104th Congress.
Among the proposals were tax cuts, a permanent line-item veto, measures to reduce crime and provide middle-class tax relief, and a Constitutional amendment to establish term limits for Congress and another amendment to guarantee a balanced budget. Everything passed except the term limits measure.
Today, Democrats find themselves in the same boat at Republicans were in 1994. We don’t have the executive. We don’t have a majority on the Supreme Court. And Donald Trump sits in the White House with more power than any president in modern history.
So I’ve doen some reading, thinking and writing and have come up with a first draft of what could be the Democratic party’s comprehensive, progressive policy platform modeled after “A Contract with America”.
I’m completely open for criticism, re-prioritizing, adding or deleting steps. Chime in for the comments and we’ll talk about it.
A New American Compact: A Progressive Vision for the 21st Century
This platform focuses on restoring trust in government, expanding opportunity, and protecting democracy. Each section is a legislative or executive priority.
- Protect Social Security for Future Generations
- Eliminate the cap on payroll taxes so that high-income earners contribute equitably.
- Oppose privatization schemes or benefit cuts.
- Establish a Social Security Protection Commission to ensure long-term solvency.
- Strengthen Medicare and Medicaid
- Expand eligibility for both programs.
- Allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices across the board.
- Create a federal reinsurance pool to reduce Medicaid costs to states.
- Expand funding for rural clinics and long-term care.
- Comprehensive Immigration Reform
- Create a robust, legal guest worker program tied to labor needs, with rights, protections, and a path to citizenship that is much shorter than 10 years.
- Offer a fast-tracked path to permanent residency for DACA recipients and essential workers.
- Invest in modernizing immigration courts and legal processing.
- Enhance border technology, not just physical barriers.
- Restore Government Oversight and Ethics
- Reinstate the Office of Technology Assessment and expand independent, nonpartisan agencies.
- Reinvigorate the Office of Government Ethics with enforcement power.
- End the revolving door between regulators and industries.
- Pass the For the People Act or similar legislation to strengthen democracy.
- Supreme Court and Judicial Reform
- Expand the Supreme Court to 13 justices, aligning with federal judicial circuits.
- Create clear, enforceable recusal standards for conflicts of interest.
- Ban justices from receiving expensive gifts and outside income beyond a modest threshold.
- Institute an enforceable judicial code of ethics for the Supreme Court.
- Presidential Ethics and Transparency
- Prohibit presidents and vice presidents from engaging in for-profit business dealings while in office.
- Mandate full financial disclosures and regular independent audits.
- Codify the Emoluments Clause and apply it to all personal and business activities.
- Statehood and Equal Representation
- Admit Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico as the 51st and 52nd states with full Congressional representation.
- Support referendums in Puerto Rico to affirm democratic self-determination.
- National Education Standards and Investment
- Restore national K-12 education standards and support public schools.
- Increase Title I funding for underperforming schools.
- Reestablish the role of the Department of Education in setting nationwide goals.
- Promote universal pre-K and expand access to tuition-free community college.
- Green Energy and Climate Innovation
- Provide federal tax incentives for solar, wind, geothermal, and green hydrogen technologies.
- Implement a Clean Energy Jobs Corps for young workers and displaced fossil fuel employees.
- Expand EV infrastructure and renewable grid modernization.
- Phase out subsidies for polluting industries and reinvest in clean energy research.
- Democracy and Voting Rights
- Restore the Voting Rights Act with preclearance for historically discriminatory jurisdictions.
- Make Election Day a national holiday.
- Mandate same-day registration, early voting, and universal vote-by-mail options.
- Ban extreme partisan gerrymandering through independent redistricting commissions.