Democratic Party on Principles & Values Party Platform

For religious pluralism, not exemptions for discrimination

Free press essential; look at antitrust impact of mergers

Planned 12 Democratic 2020 presidential primary debates

Russia hacked into Party computers & released via WikiLeaks

Military Units 26165, a cyber-unit of the GRU, carried out the computer intrusions. Unit 26165 was sub-divided into departments with different specialties. One department, for example, developed specialized malicious software ("malware") while another department conducted large-scale spearphishing campaigns.

On April 18, 2016, GRU officers gained access to the DNC network via a virtual private network (VPN) connection between the DCCC and DNC networks. Unit 26165 compromised more than 30 computers on the DNC network, including the DNC mail server and shared file server.

Sue Trump for conspiracy with Russia to win 2016 election

The multi-million-dollar lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court says that "In the Trump campaign, Russia found a willing and active partner in this effort" to mount "a brazen attack on American Democracy" based on "preexisting relationships with Russia and Russian oligarchs" with Trump.

The common purpose of the scheme, according to the Democratic National Committee, was to "bolster Trump and denigrate the Democratic Party nominee," Hillary Clinton, while boosting the candidate of Trump, "whose policies would benefit the Kremlin."

The DNC said that while it would be impossible "to fully repair the harm caused by the defendants, the DNC has filed this civil complaint to hold the defendants accountable for their misconduct and to ensure transparency."

"No one is above the law," the suit says.

2016: GOP obstructed Russia election interference probe

Some Republicans on the House panel agreed that the evidence failed to support the intel agencies' conclusions.

Democrats issued a 22-page report charging that Republicans abdicated their responsibility to conduct a thorough Russia probe, instead cutting off avenues of investigation and refusing to call dozens of potential witnesses.

"The decision to shut down the investigation before key witnesses could be interviewed and vital documentary evidence obtained will prevent us from fully discharging our duty to the House and to the American people," the Democrats said in their report, which identifies 30 witnesses Democrats wanted to call.

196 Congressional Dems sue Trump over Emoluments Clause

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD, ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, requested all documents related to the donation, in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. In a separate letter, Cummings also pressed the Trump Organization for details on how the amount was calculated, including an accounting of which governments did business with the Trump Organization. Cummings also asked whether the company plans to claim the Treasury donation as a gift for tax-deduction purposes.

Cummings is one of 196 members of the House & Senate, all Democrats, who have sued Trump claiming violations of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause, which was designed to prevent corruption by foreign influence. Blumenthal v. Trump is pending in US district court.

Congressional Dems 80% Christian; plus Jews, Hindus, Muslims

The Democratic side is also overwhelmingly Christian, at 80 percent. But of the 242 Democrats in both chambers, there are also 28 Jews, three Buddhists, three Hindus, two Muslims, one Unitarian Universalist and one representative--Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.)--who is religiously unaffiliated.

OpEd: DNC tilted primary in favor of Hillary Clinton

The now-famous DNC emails that we later learned were stolen by hackers working for a Russian intelligence agency had been released at the start of the convention. The content of these emails, which were not a shock to me, showed that the leadership of the DNC had tilted the playing field during the primary in favor of Hillary Clinton's campaign. As a result, the chair of the DNC, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, was forced to resign. Many of my delegate, who were not great fans of Hillary Clinton or the democratic establishment to begin with, were further enraged.

FactCheck: "God" removed from DNC platform

"We need a government that stands up for the hopes, values, & interests of working people, and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential."

Now the words "God-given" have been removed. The paragraph has been restructured to say this:

"We gather to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the most prosperous nation on Earth--the simple principle that in America, hard work should pay off, responsibility should be rewarded, and each one of us should be able to go as far as our talent and drive take us."

[Note: As a result of this report, the DNC voted to re-insert the term 'God' into the Platform. A voice vote was taken on Sept. 5th; the NAY vote was greater than the YEA vote, but the chairman called for YEA].

There is more we need to do; let's continue what we started

Today, our economy is growing again, al-Qaeda is weaker than at any point since 9/11, and our manufacturing sector is growing for the first time in more than a decade. But there is more we need to do, and so we come together again to continue what we started.

Democrats see a young country continually made stronger by the greatest diversity of talent and ingenuity in the world, and a nation of people drawn to our shores from every corner of the globe. We believe America can succeed because the American people have never failed and there is nothing that together we cannot accomplish.

Trout Fishers: 1990s generation of foreign policy wonks

The Trout Fishers were the Democrats' up-and-coming foreign policy team. They were in their 40s and 50s, in the vanguard of figuring out what the Democrats should do in foreign policy once they returned to office.

The Trout Fishers represented the generation of Democrats who learned how to run foreign policy during the 1990s. They were eager to show that the Democrats were not a bunch of pacifists, that they understood national security issues and were willing to use American force where necessary --though sometimes in different ways and for different purposes than the Republicans. Among other things, the Trout Fishers believed in the use of military action for humanitarian purposes, such as to stop genocide or ethnic cleansing.

Democratic promise to address 6 important issues in Congress

1. Honest Government & Open Government
2. Real Security
3. Energy Independence
4. Economic Prosperity and Educational Excellence
5. A Healthcare System that Works for Everyone
6. Secure Retirement

New vision for America: strong at home, respected abroad

Democrats need bold, innovative ideas, not ideology

1. Democrats need to appeal to all Americans, not just narrow interests. The Democratic message was a tired appeal to groups.
2. Democrats need to expand their base, not just to energize it. The Democratic base just isn't big enough to win. Moving left is counter-productive.
3. Democrats need to get the big things right. That means national security and the economy.
4. Democrats need to offer bold, innovative reforms, not incremental change. A bold tax overhaul would be a good start.
5. Democrats need to look outside Washington for answers. We have a great opportunity to do this with the increased number of Democratic governors.

Safety net for no poverty & no discrimination

Historically, the Democratic Party has been responsible for our greatest national advancements, and a common philosophical framework drove these initiatives. These are the principles that allowed Franklin Roosevelt to create Social Security in the 1930's and that led the major progressive movements in this nation's history--civil rights, women's rights, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the Marshall Plan, the war on poverty, disability rights, and the race to the moon.

Democratic success means a country where no child sleeps in poverty, where there are no victims of discrimination, where everyone has clean, decent and affordable housing, where each child receives a high-quality public education, where there is a safety net for people who require assistance.

Appoint judges committed to Constitutional rights