The 2024 Democratic Party Platform: A Smorgasbord of Promises

Credibility Lost in Verbosity

Last week I posted an article asserting that the U.S. Democratic Republic Is Broken because it fails to address its citizens greatest concerns, what many see as the “very big problems” in the country today.

I compared the 20 promises¹ from the 2024 GOP Platform to the 20 top national concerns identified in a recent Pew Research Center survey and concluded that the GOP promises addresses only four of the very big problems, ignores six of them, and ignores and the Trump regime worsens 10 of them.

I took a look at the ‘24 Democratic Party Platform for that article, but its length and verbosity flummoxed my attempt to do a similar comparison of promises to problems. I’ve now tackled that document and can do so.

Analyzing the Democratic platform document was an enlightening experience for me. It reveals to me why the Democrats have lost support with working class Americans and appear to captured by their base of college-educated urban liberal voters. Here are my main impressions:

1. The platform document is 91 pages long, written in a rambling narrative that seems to cover every possible political issue. It is written using sophisticated, academic language. It is a laborious process to extract promises and commitments from the text. I began doing so manually but soon grew tired and frustrated, so I resorted to using AI to identify the promises and summarize them. I back-checked the AI summary and found it to be comprehensive and accurate. I imagine that many voters would find the document difficult to understand and hardly any would make the effort to figure out what the party is promising.

2. My AI-assisted review resulted in a list of 194 promises made. I considered consolidating, summarizing, prioritizing this list but since I didn’t do that for the GOP platform promises, I didn’t want to distort the record by helping the Democrats out. The contrast between the GOP’s numbered list of 20 promises written in colloquial, impactful language and the laboriously extracted Democrat’s 194 promises in mostly government-speak is remarkable. The GOP’s list is straightforward, easy to understand The Democrat’s list is a comprehensive, complicated policy labyrinth.

3. To its credit, the Democratic Party platform is transparent in that it makes considerable effort to explain how it proposes to implement and coordinate policy and provides specifics and figures. The GOP platform just makes promises with no explanation as to how they would be delivered or how conflicting promises would be resolved. It seems like the Democrat’s disclosure and intellectual honesty comes at the expense of comprehension and persuasion.

4. I find that the promises made by the Democrats are highly compatible with my moral values, consistent with generosity, compassion and helpfulness, minimizing pain inflicted on others, not causing suffering out of greed. However, as a citizen, do I believe that Democrats can deliver on 194 promises? No, I don’t. Credibility requires prioritization, tackling the most vital and urgent, not trying to please each and every special interest. To me it’s a pie-in-the-sky platform of good intentions, not, like the GOP platform, a commitment to action.

5. As a citizen, do I want the federal government to be of the size and complexity required to deliver on such a long comprehensive list of 194 promises? No, I don’t. I want the federal government to focus on what state and local governments cannot do. I look to the federal government mostly for security in all respects, for stewardship of the nation’s common resources and interests, for leveraging economies of scale and for leadership in issues of global concern. I don’t want it to be distracted by social engineering, identity politics, or by trying to a vehicle to utopia.

The list of Democratic platform promises is so long that I’m putting it at the end of this article, after summarizing its comparison with the 20 very big problems² from the Pew survey.

The 194 Democratic platform promises address 16 of the 20 very big problems (compared to only four problems addressed by the GOP platform):

• Role of money in politics

• Affordability of health care

• Inflation

• The federal budget deficit

• Number of Americans living in poverty

• Drug addiction

• Gun violence

• Way the American political system operates

• Illegal immigration

• Financial stability of Social Security and Medicare

• Violent crime

• Quality of K-12 schools

• Impact of natural disasters

• Climate change

• Racism

• Domestic terrorism

The Democratic platform ignores four of the very big problems:

• Ability of Democrats and Republicans to work together

• State of moral values

• Americans’ level of agreement on basic facts

• International terrorism

Notably, 115 of the 194 promises do not pertain to any of the very big problems. That is not to say that they are not worthy promises, but does give the impression that the platform contains everything but the kitchen sink rather than focusing on what is most vital to the majority of Americans. One could argue that several of the promises related to racism and other niche culture issues are more divisive than they are constructive.

What can we conclude from the comparison of the GOP and Democratic platform promises? One is that the GOP promises only address a few of the very big problems, but does so in a way that is easily understood and gives the impression of being possible to deliver upon. Secondly, that the Democratic platform promises address many of the very big problems but is lacking in clarity, focus and credibility. In my mind, the GOP platform connects more easily with the American people in the wrong ways and the Democratic platform points in the right directions but struggles to connect to those Americans who value simple, clear, understandable communication. (Makes me think we would benefit from a “Purple Party”, that combines the best attributes of the two!) The bottom line in my view is that if you are a citizen who is dissatisfied with government, the GOP promises disruptive change (for better or for worse). The Democrats seem to promise more government with which to be dissatisfied. It makes sense to me how and why Republicans prevailed in the last election.

I stand by my conclusion in my previous article that our democracy is failing because it cannot effectively respond to citizens’ big concerns. The two party duopoly is stuck in its respective ruts and has no viable competition, citizens have no viable alternatives from which to choose. And it is in the interests of this duopoly to aggressively thwart efforts to introduce competitors. It reminds me of the U.S. auto industry in the 1970’s and the poor quality and reliability of domestic cars. It took the invasion of Japanese imports to force the “big-three” American manufacturers (GM, Ford, Chrysler) to begin building better cars.

As frustrating as it was for me to go through the rambling Democratic platform, I do take some comfort in that it aspires to address the very big problems, promotes democracy and the rule of law, strives to protect the common good and that it is consistent with my own moral values. When I write with any party bias here in Vigilant Citizen, it is for these reasons.

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Finally, here is the list of promises extracted from the Democratic platform document. It’s a long list worth reading. I’ve marked in bold font those promises that address the Pew survey’s very big problems (identified in parenthesis).

1. Rebuild America's infrastructure

2. Replace all toxic lead pipes

3. Bring affordable high-speed internet to every American household

4. Bring critical supply chains home

5. Invest in clean energy, electric vehicles, and green technologies (Climate change)

6. Strengthen “Buy American” procurement rules

7. Pass the PRO Act to strengthen union organizing rights

8. Raise the federal minimum wage to at least $15 per hour (Americans living in poverty)

9. Expand overtime pay eligibility (Americans living in poverty)

10. Ban most non-compete agreements

11. Guarantee federal workers the right to organize

12. Fight privatization of the U.S Postal Service

13. Provide $250 billion in financing to small businesses

14. Increase federal contracts to small disadvantaged businesses

15. Fairer tax policies for small business

16. Help farmers adopt climate-smart practices

17. Give farmers right to repair their own equipment

18. Limit foreign ownership of U.S. farmland

19. Restore the expanded Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit (Americans living in poverty)

20. Expand SNAP benefits and summer nutrition programs (Americans living in poverty)

21. Expand public transit to underserved communities (Americans living in poverty)

22. Increase investment in affordable housing and public schools (Americans living in poverty, Quality of public schools)

23. Cut the deficit by $3 trillion (Federal budget deficit)

24. No tax increases for anyone earning less than $400,000 annually

25. Implement a 25% minimum tax rate for billionaires

26. End preferential treatment for capital gains for millionaires

27. Expand prescription drugs subject to Medicare price negotiation (Affordability of health care)

28. Invest in preventative healthcare and vaccines

29. Protect and expand the Affordable Care Act (Affordability of health care)

30. Make health insurance premium tax credits permanent (Affordability of health care)

31. Expand the $35 insulin cap to cover everyone (Affordability of health care)

32. Cap total out-of-pocket drug costs (Affordability of health care)

33. Provide a $10,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers

34. Offer $25,000 down-payment assistance for first-generation homebuyers

35. Cap rent increases at 5% for corporate landlords (Inflation)

36. Build or renovate 2 million homes nationwide

37. Expand rental assistance to 500,000 new households (Americans living in poverty)

38. Guarantee affordable childcare for under $10/day per child (Americans living in poverty)

39. Create America's first national paid family and medical leave program

40. Provide universal preschool for 4-year-olds

41. Make trade school and community college free

42. Student debt relief for up to 30 million borrowers

43. Expand funding for job training and apprenticeships

44. Protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare (Financial stability of Social Security and Medicare)

45. Expand Medicare to include dental, vision, and hearing coverage

46. Make wealthy Americans pay higher Social Security taxes (Financial stability of Social Security and Medicare)

47. Oppose any privatization or benefit cuts to these programs

48. Triple clean energy generation (Climate change)

49. Approve more offshore wind projects and expand solar manufacturing (Climate change)

50. Modernize electricity grid and upgrade transmission lines (Climate change)

51. Launch an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Climate (Climate change)

52. Improve environmental review and permitting processes for clean energy projects (Climate change)

53. Reduce electricity rates by 9% and gas prices by up to 13% (Inflation)

54. Expand tax credits and rebates for home energy efficiency improvements (Climate change)

55. Triple the size of the American Climate Corps (Climate change)

56. Eliminate carbon emissions from transportation sector (Climate change)

57. Achieve 50% electric vehicle sales (Climate change)

58. Electrify school buses, transit systems, and federal vehicle fleets (Climate change)

59. Require low-carbon materials in federal buildings (Climate change)

60. Strengthen enforcement of environmental laws and make polluters pay

61. Eliminate billions in oil and gas subsidies

62. Direct 40% of climate investment benefits to historically polluted communities

63. Invest $21 billion in cleaning up legacy pollution sites

64. Launch $27 billion national financing network for clean energy access in underserved communities

65. Install nearly one million solar rooftops in low-income areas (Climate change)

66. Provide bonus tax credits for clean energy projects in former fossil fuel communities (Climate change)

67. Build climate-resilient infrastructure less vulnerable to extreme weather (Impact of natural disasters)

68. Expand wildfire fighting capacity and FEMA budgets (Impact of natural disasters)

69. Pass bipartisan Disaster Resilience Tax Credit for families and small businesses (Impact of natural disasters)

70. Protect 30% of US lands and waters

71. Fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund

72. Increase Arctic protections and designate new marine sanctuaries

73. Protect old growth forests and enhance biodiversity programs

74. Maintain US leadership in international climate efforts (Climate change)

75. Support global goal to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency (Climate change)

76. Establish universal background checks for all gun purchases (Gun violence)

77. Reinstate the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines (Gun violence)

78. Require safe storage of firearms (Gun violence)

79. End gun industry immunity from liability lawsuits (Gun violence)

80. Pass a national red flag law to remove weapons from dangerous individuals (Gun violence)

81. Increase funding for ATF enforcement and FBI background checks (Gun violence)

82. Fund gun violence research through CDC and NIH (Gun violence)

83. Pass the Safer America Plan with $37 billion investment in law enforcement and crime prevention (Violent crime)

84. Fund 100,000 additional police officers for community policing (Violent crime)

85. Allocate $5 billion for community violence intervention programs (Violent crime)

86. Create a Violent Crime Reduction and Prevention Fund (Violent crime)

87. Pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act for police accountability

88. End racial profiling and religious discrimination in law enforcement (Racism)

89. Expunge federal marijuana-only convictions

90. Expand drug courts and treatment alternatives for substance use disorders

91. Fund new grant programs for justice system reform

92. Expand access to public defenders

93. Hire 50 new Assistant U.S. Attorneys for civil rights enforcement (Racism)

94. Invest in after-school programs and community centers for youth

95. Automatically seal and expunge juvenile records

96. End use of private prisons at state level

97. Restrict solitary confinement, chokeholds, and restraints on pregnant inmates

98. Pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and Freedom to Vote Act (Way the U.S. political system operates)

99. Protect voting access and oppose voter suppression laws (Way the U.S. political system operates)

100. End gerrymandering and create fair congressional maps (Way the U.S. political system operates)

101. Strengthen election security and modernize voting systems (Way the U.S. political system operates)

102. Pass the DISCLOSE Act requiring donor disclosure for political ads (Role of money in politics)

103. End "dark money" in politics through full contributor disclosure (Role of money in politics)

104. Create a constitutional amendment banning private financing from federal elections (Role of money in politics)

105. Establish a federal ethics commission and require tax return disclosure for candidates (Role of money in politics)

106. Strengthen lobbying regulations and ban corporate PAC donations to those they lobby (Role of money in politics)

107. Appoint Supreme Court justices committed to protecting rights and freedoms

108. Push for a Supreme Court that follows ethical standards and the rule of law (Way the U.S. political system operates)

109. Restore Roe v. Wade as federal law with a Democratic Congress

110. Protect access to contraception and IVF

111. Repeal the Hyde Amendment

112. Defend medication abortion access and appoint science-respecting FDA leaders

113. Make the Equal Rights Amendment law

114. Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to end pay discrimination

115. Guarantee affordable childcare

116. Support a congressional study of reparations for slavery's continuing impacts (Racism)

117. Pass the Equality Act to codify anti-discrimination protections (Racism)

118. Oppose bans on gender-affirming healthcare

119. End "conversion therapy" practices

120. Protect LGBTQI+ youth from discrimination and bullying

121. Enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act and related civil rights laws

122. End subminimum wage, support home and community-based care, expand accessible infrastructure and employment opportunities for people with disabilities

123. Strengthen nation-to-nation relationships and tribal sovereignty

124. Make Indian Health Service funding mandatory

125. Address missing and murdered Indigenous persons crisis

126. Invest in tribal housing, education, and economic development

127. Combat hate crimes and white nationalist terrorism (Violent crime, Racism, Domestic terrorism)

128. Protect religious freedom for all faiths while maintaining church-state separation

129. Increase security funding for houses of worship (Violent crime)

130. Implement national strategies against antisemitism and Islamophobia

131. Support statehood for Washington D.C. and self-determination for Puerto Rico (Way the U.S. political system operates)

132. Ensure equal access to federal programs for territories

133. Create a task force to study voting rights for territories (Way the U.S. political system operates)

134. Protect press freedom and combat media consolidation

135. Push Congress to provide additional resources including more border patrol agents, immigration judges, asylum officers, and cutting-edge inspection machines to detect fentanyl (Illegal immigration)

136. Secure funding for cities and states sheltering migrants (Illegal immigration)

137. Implement temporary emergency authority to shut down the border when the system is overwhelmed (Illegal immigration)

138. Reform the asylum system to make it more efficient and fair, with strengthened requirements for valid asylum claims (Illegal immigration)

139. Increase family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visas (Illegal immigration)

140. Extend work authorization to more visa categories including fiancés, spouses, and children of U.S. citizens (Illegal immigration)

141. Provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, farmworkers, careworkers, and other long-term undocumented individuals (Illegal immigration)

142. Allow certain noncitizen spouses and children of U.S. citizens to apply for permanent residence without leaving the country (Illegal immigration)

143. Preserve and expand Temporary Protected Status for individuals from crisis-affected countries (Illegal immigration)

144. Increase penalties for human smugglers and traffickers (Illegal immigration)

145. Deploy more technology to detect fentanyl at ports of entry (Drug addiction)

146. Expand community-based immigration assistance programs (Illegal immigration)

147. Expand the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline capacity

148. Push for permanent funding of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics

149. Ensure full mental health parity so mental health care is covered equally to physical health care

150. Expand Medicare coverage for mental health care

151. Pass bipartisan legislation to protect kids' privacy online

152. Ban targeted advertising to children

153. Stop Big Tech from collecting personal data on minors

154. Reform Section 230 to hold social media platforms accountable for harmful content

155. Pass the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights

156. Invest in AI Safety Institute for guidelines and safety standards

157. Ban AI voice impersonations

158. Provide heightened AI protections in critical sectors like healthcare and education

159. Fund essential cancer research programs

160. Continue implementing the PACT Act for toxic exposure VA benefits

161. Fully fund VA inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care

162. Upgrade VA medical facilities

163. Expand mental health care and suicide prevention for veterans

164. Expand women veterans' healthcare access

165. Make childcare more affordable for military families

166. Provide better support for military spouses' careers

167. Expand veteran memorial benefits

168. Maintain and strengthen NATO alliance while pressing members to exceed 2% GDP defense spending

169. Strengthen partnerships like the Quad, AUKUS, and trilateral cooperation with Japan and South Korea

170. Deepen economic engagement and champion human rights in the Indo-Pacific region

171. Compete vigorously with China while avoiding conflict and maintaining relationship stability

172. Uphold One China policy and maintain peace across Taiwan Strait

173. Seek cooperation with China on climate change and AI safety guardrails

174. Work toward durable ceasefire in Gaza that secures hostage release and enables reconstruction

175. Support two-state Palestinian solution while opposing unilateral steps by either side

176. Counter Iran and its proxies through deterrence and coalition-building

177. Facilitate normalization between Israel and Arab states

178. Maintain ironclad commitment to Israel's security

179. Strengthen partnerships with Latin American and Caribbean nations

180. Counter authoritarianism and support democratic governance

181. Invest $55 billion over three years in African partnerships

182. Address African development challenges with $20 billion in health programs

183. Build fairer global economic order with high labor and environmental standards

184. Fight for global minimum tax and protect against economic coercion

185. Lead on climate change with net-zero emissions (Climate change)

186. Support women's rights globally and ratify discrimination convention

187. Strengthen democracy through continued Summits for Democracy

188. Provide humanitarian assistance and resettle refugees

189. Combat global health challenges and food insecurity

190. Modernize nuclear triad and invest in next-generation weapons systems

191. Strengthen military industrial base and increase munitions production

192. Secure pay raises and improve healthcare for service members

193. Invest $1.4 billion in military housing improvements

194. Support military families with childcare and spouse employment programs

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1. Here are the 20 promises made in the GOP platform document:

1. Seal the border, and stop the migrant invasion

2. Carry out the largest deportation operation in American history

3. End inflation, and make America affordable again

4. Make America the dominant energy producer in the world, by far!

5. Stop outsourcing, and turn the United States into a manufacturing superpower

6. Large tax cuts for workers, and no tax on tips!

7. Defend our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms

8. Prevent World War Three, restore peace in Europe and in the Middle East, and build a great Iron Dome missile defense shield over our entire country -- all made in America

9. End the weaponization of government against the American people

10. Stop the migrant crime epidemic, demolish the foreign drug cartels, crush gang violence, and lock up violent offenders

11. Rebuild our cities, including Washington DC, making them safe, clean, and beautiful again.

12. Strengthen and modernize our military , making it, without question, the strongest and most powerful in the world

13. Keep the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency

14. Fight for and protect Social Security and Medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age

15. Cancel the electric vehicle mandate and cut costly and burdensome regulations

16. Cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children

17. Keep men out of women’s sports

18. Deport pro-Hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again

19. Secure our elections, including same day voting, voter identification, paper ballots, and proof of citizenship

20. Unite our country by bringing it to new and record levels of success

2. Here’s the summary of the very big problems from the Pew survey: