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Edited on Wed Dec-10-03 11:31 PM by Ficus
I am a lifelong Democrat. I am a progressive, however. I am a Democrat, quite frankly, because they have legitamcy, and the Greens do not. So call me a Green Democrat, or a Green-o-crat or a Demogreen, or whatever. But it's not just my wing of the party that Greens have in common, but I think others too.
We as Greenocrats and Greens indipendent progressives need to work together to build a left leaning, well connected base in this country.
I think that we can find common ground. We're not too far off on most positons I think.
And please, let's not start a Nader bashing thread here.
Here's my shot:
1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY -
Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect their lives and not be subject to the will of another. Therefore, we will work to increase public participation at every level of government and to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We will also work to create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process.
this is something that I truly believe in. Probably comes from attending caucuses my whole life - the ultimate form of Jeffersonian Democracy in my mind. I think that we as Democrats really not only should build a grassroots coalition, we HAVE to. This is SO urgent. In order to actually beat the $2000 a plate dinners, we have to connect as progressives. We have to connect our immigrant groups, our labor unions, our environmental groups, our peace groups, our GLBT community, and so on. We need to reach out to our NEW immigrants in this country, and right away. We need to organize, and mobilize. Look at Paul Wellstone's 1990 and 1996 campaigns to see what we can do. Howard Dean's campaign is a great step towards a model for this type of party.
I also think the money needs to get OUT of politics. McCain/Feingold is a great first step. (GO RUSS!)
2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law.
These are values that I think both parties share. The Democrats lost the south because of committment to this "key value."
3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM
Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. To this end we must practice agriculture which replenishes the soil; move to an energy efficient economy; and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.
I think that our Presidential candidates are all really committed to this value. Some better than others, of course. But not only for national security issues, I think that the Democratic vision for the nation is moving toward a self-sustainable energy policy for America. I am sure some could argue with this, but I think most Democrats at all levels of government have a genuine concern for the environment. No, we'll never all be organic vegans who only eat locally grown foods, but we're on your side.
4. NON-VIOLENCE
It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace.
I think that this is an issue that some Democrats could be better. I for one, believed deeply in the Afghanistan War. However, even Nader said he would have sent troops. I think disarmament needs to be an issue that my generation of Democrats (I'm 23) need to get on, and quick. India and Pakistan will kill each other in my lifetime unless we work for global disarmament. Proliferation IS an issue, and some Democrats need to wake up on this. There are Democrats working on this. I'd also just like to mention Dennis Kucinich's Department of Peace idea. I think this is a fantasitic idea that has been around since our founding fathers debated our governmental structure. We need to counter the Pentagon's pull, as we witnessed earlier this year.
5. DECENTRALIZATION
Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Therefore, we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens.
I think most Democrats look to the Federal government to solve problems. I tend to look at it in a similar way to the Greens. But this is a matter of perspective, and depends on this issue. In my home state Democrats tend to favor local control while Republicans don't, particularly involving hot lots. At a national level, I think Republicans used to be better on this, however, we are living in times of great power for the Federal government, starting with the New Deal and strengthened latley by 9/11.
6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
We recognize it is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system, one that can create jobs and provide a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance. A successful economic system will offer meaningful work with dignity, while paying a “living wage” which reflects the real value of a person’s work.
Local communities must look to economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers’ rights; broad citizen participation in planning; and enhancement of our “quality of life.” We support independently owned and operated companies which are socially responsible, as well as co-operatives and public enterprises that distribute resources and control to more people through democratic participation.
We are the party of the New Deal. But I consider the New Deal a work in progress. While the Republicans are tearing it apart, I think we need to be talking about expanding it. We need to work harder for living wage initiatives, particularly now. I think Democrats are on board on this issue. We also need to fight harder at stopping privatization. In 2002, many good Democrats went down (think Max Cleland) fighting for public employees working for Homeland Security.
7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY
We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.
I think Democrats are also pretty good on this. I believe that NOW has endorsed CMB, and probably would endorse a Democrat over a Green. Not because the Greens are bad on women's issues, but because Democrats tend to be pretty good.
8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY
We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines.
We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.
I think this concept was helped more by the Clinton years than anything. I think we as Democrats paid for the anti-PC backlash too. But this is also why we'll never win the South anymore. Governor Dean did sign the civil unions bill, and all of the candidates support civil unions in some way (save Lieberman) and Kucinich even supports gay marrige, as does CMB.
9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY
We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.
We NEED to ratify the Kyoto Treaty. Clinton did sign this. We need to abide by the ABM Treaty. We need to get Bush the hell out of there. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.
Democrats could be better on this. To not pay attention to this is STUPID. Our system cannot sustain itself, and therfore our way of life is not sustainable unless we make REAL change. If China lived the way America did, we'd run out of resources in 10 years. New fuel technology goes a long way. Here in Iowa, we've had LOTS of windfarms pop up. Democrats are stongly behind this locally. We need to think bigger on this issue.
So that was real brief - but I think we need to look at an alliance.
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