Legal Commentary

Dems Agree on Platform For Convention

By Jeralyn

The Democratic Party Platform Committee agreed on a platform for the Convention. It comes closer to Hillary Clinton's view of health insurance than Sen. Barack Obama's but it does not mandate insurance coverage at government expense. The final version reads:

All Americans should have coverage they can afford; employers should have incentives to provide coverage to their workers; insurers and providers should ensure high quality affordable care; and the government should ensure that health insurance is affordable and provides meaningful coverage. As affordable coverage is made available, individuals should purchase health insurance and take steps to lead healthy lives.

On criminal justice, it's a bit disappointing. While it stresses prevention and drug treatment, including more drug courts, there's a lot of emphasis on more cops and nothing criticizing mandatory minimum sentences. See pages 48 and 49 (pdf).

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At least I didn't see anything about the death penalty in it, which I assume means that the removal of the provision supporting it that John Kerry insisted on in 2004 has stayed out.

The immigration provision doesn't sound too welcoming to me. What's an undocumented immigrant in good standing?

We support a system that requires undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, pay taxes, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens. They are our neighbors, and we can help them become full tax paying, law-abiding, productive members of society. At the same time, we cannot continue to allow people to enter the United States undetected, undocumented, and unchecked. The American people are a welcoming and generous people, but those who enter our country's borders illegally, and those who employ them, disrespect the rule of the law.

I'm not surpised it's weak on immigrant rights considering AZ governor Janet Napolitano was chair or the Platform Committee.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on August 09, 2008 (boomark / email).