While party platforms are usually full of insincere popular promises, this year’s from the Democrats spits in the face of the majority of Democrats who want peace.
Normally, U.S. political party platforms should not be read as outlines of what a party will do if given power. (Lists of donors should be read as outlines of what a party will do if given power.) Platforms should be read as the question section of a beauty contest. (And be grateful there’s no swimsuit section.)
Four years ago, the Democratic Party Platform promised to tax the oligarchs; reduce military spending; repeal decades-old authorizations for the use of military force; end war support to Saudi Arabia; create a $15/hour minimum wage; create free college for families paid less than $125,000 a year; provide paid sick and family leave; create free community college for two years; provide high-quality, universal pre-kindergarten for all three- and four-year-olds; create a healthcare “public option”; lower the age for Medicare; expand voting rights, including for people convicted of felonies, and including automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration, early voting, universal vote-from-home and vote-by-mail options, and an election day holiday; allow unhindered union organizing; make D.C. a state; and much more. A good bit of it echoed the Bernie Sanders campaign, which the Democratic Party leadership had carefully and repeatedly blocked from gaining a nomination. Much of it Biden could have taken serious action on during the past four years — in some cases without Congress, in others by choosing to pressure Congress — but he has not done so.
A month ago, the DNC said it was releasing a draft platform for this year, but only published a press release largely about Donald Trump. Maybe that was all there would be? After all, the Republican Party Platform of 2024 resembles a serious platform less so than a lynching postcard. But no, the Democrats have now put out a new platform. I recommend fasting for 24 hours prior to reading it. It contains many of the same promises of four years ago, despite in many cases no serious effort having been put into them for the past four years. The good old $15 minimum wage is still in there, with no adjustment for four years of cost-of-living increases. Taxing the rich is still there for hardcore fantasists.
But there’s a big new section aping Trump on the dangers of “the border.” The approach to immigration looks a lot meaner and crueler than four years ago. And vanished, after four years of boosting military spending, is even the pretense of reducing it. Instead, we get an expanded survey of U.S. military dominance of the globe. Of course this project, which sucks down some 60% of U.S. discretionary spending, still comes at the tail end of the Platform. But it may be the most honest portion and worth skipping ahead to.
By “honest” I don’t mean actually honest, so much as revealing of a dishonest mindset. Russia is out to get us. War in Ukraine and military spending and NATO are public goods to be maximized. Ending the war merits not even a mention. Oh, and, did you know? “The United States is an Indo-Pacific power.” North Korea is out to get us. The U.S. is dedicated to competition with China, with militarism a key part of it. More surprisingly, perhaps: “President Biden is working to build a durable peace in the Middle East.” Who knew? “The terrorist group Hamas,” however, is out to get us. But mostly Iran is out to get us. Ominously, “[t]he Lebanese people deserve to live in an independent and sovereign Lebanon that is free from the grip of Iran-backed Hezbollah.”
Significantly, in all of this, there are no weapons. They don’t exist. They aren’t given or sold or bought or used. Nobody sends them to Ukraine or Israel. So there’s no need to pretend to stop sending them to Saudi Arabia. There’s no need to talk about ending wars or repealing Congressional blank checks.
Except nuclear weapons. Those exist and get mentioned. Because they are increasingly endangering the world, and because they “must never be used”, the Democratic Party is committed to “modernizing” and “investing” in them. Read it and weep. When people tell you who they are, believe them.