This Democratic National Committee (DNC), 2020 Party Platform, is to be Voted on be the Delegates Electronically, with Two Weeks of Virtual Voting ahead of the August Convention.
Climate Change - The Recommendations make No mention of the Green New Deal or a National Ban on Fracking. The Plan is to Invest $1.7 Trillion in order to achieve Net-Zero Emissions before 2050. The Benchmarks include: Moving All Electric Power off Fossil Fuels by 2035; Achieving Carbon-Neutrality in All Buildings by 2030; and installing 500 Million Solar Panels in the next Five years. But the Platform included Few Detail on how it would Achieve these Goals.
Criminal Justice - Biden views on Criminal Justice has already Shifted Drastically since he helped Pass the 1994 Crime Bill, and the Task Force's Recommendations reinforce that Transformation. It calls for Eliminating: Cash Bail; Mandatory Minimum Sentences; and Private Prisons.
The Task Force also suggested: an End to Sentences of Life without Parole for Juvenile Offenders; a Federal Standard for the Police Departments' Use-of-Force; and a National Database of Police Officers who Commit Misconduct.
The Task Force called for Decriminalizing Marijuana and Legalizing it at the Federal Level for Medical use, but for letting the States decide whether to Legalize it for Recreational use.
The Economy - The Economics Recommendations include more Expansive and Expensive Plans than Biden has embraced in the Campaign. They are Heavily Focused on addressing Racial Inequality and on getting Americans Back-to-Work in the wake of the Recession caused by the Pandemic.
The Recommendations call for Communities of Color with Ambition that matches the Scale of the Challenge and with Recognition that Race-Neutral Policies are Not a Sufficient Response to Race-based Disparities.
The Details include: asking Biden to Explore so called Baby Bonds Proposal to provide Every Child with a Government-Funded Savings Account at Birth; A Section on Job Creation; a Large-Scale Federal Employment Program in areas such as Infrastructure Development, in order to ensure that Everyone who wants to work has a Pathway to Employment; and enact Measures to Create Jobs like those Effectively used in the New Deal.
Education - On K12 Education, the Task Force Report represents something of a Shift Away from the Policy Policy Commitments of the Obama-Era. Instead of Emphasizing Standardized Tests to drive Accountability for Teachers and Students, the Report talks about Holistic Tests of Students' Skills and the importance of Schools as Community Centers that provide a Broad Array of Social Services, such as Health Care and Meals.
The Task Force promises to subject Charter Schools, which are Publicly Funded but Privately Managed, to Stricter Federal Scrutiny. The Plan
for Commits to Tripling Federal Aid
Health Care - The Task Force supports a Government-Run Insurance Option that would be offered to All Americans on a Sliding Scale according to Income, and Automatically provided to Low-Income Americans for Free.
A so-called Public Option has always been part of Biden's Health Plan, but the Recommendations specify New Details, such as: a Requirement that certain Prescription Medicines be offered Without any Out-of-Pocket Spending by Patients; Allow Americans to become Eligible for Medicare Coverage at 60 instead of 65; and Considering how Medicare could Expand its Benefits to Cover Treatment for: Dental Care, Hearing Loss, and Vision Loss.
The Task Force also Recommends Special Insurance Options for People during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Immigration - The Report indicated that the Immigration Agenda of a Biden Administration would focus on undoing President Trump's Restrictive Policies.
The Task Force recommended that Biden work with Congress to maintain Protections for about 700,000 Young Immigrants known as Dreamers from Deportation. It recommends ending Trump's Travel Restrictions against 13 Countries, most of which have substantial Muslim Populations.
The Report said Biden should end a Program that forced more than 60,000 Migrants to wait in Mexico while their Asylum Cases wound through Immigration Courts, and should Stop Diverting Asylum seekers to Central American Countries. Biden should Increase the Number of Refuges who can be Allowed into the U.S. to 125,000 per year, and Raise that Cap over time. It called for Ending the Trump's National Emergency Declaration used to Siphon Billions-of-Dollars in Pentagon Funding for a Wall along the Southwest Border.
The Task Force Stopped short of calling for Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) to be Abolished. Instead, the Report Recommends Increasing Oversight of Immigration Enforcement and Border Agencies with the Creation of an Ombudsman and a Panel.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
