Protest The DNC for Progressive Policy 2020
Preamble
We the People of the Democratic party and the United States, in order to reform the Democratic party into becoming a party truly for the people and by the people, must show the world that we will not stand for the same status quo politics of the past 50 years. The US Declaration of Independence states,
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness... That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,”
Today, it is time to admit, with great shame, that the Democratic party has failed to meet these principles. The history of the Democratic party shows that it has become filled with corruption, lies and false promises, and failure. It has failed to adapt to much needed change. It is no longer a party about populism. We as the people of the Democratic party have patiently waited for change within the Democratic party. This party clearly doesn’t understand that it has wronged us. Let us show the world what the Democratic party has become.
List of Grievances
Members have supported disastrous trade deals, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR), which have costed the US millions of jobs
Members have signed legislation waging a so-called “War on Drugs,” which has led to the incarceration of tens of millions of Americans for non-violent drug offenses, especially people of color
Members have signed legislation in support of unconstitutional and illegal wars with or within countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria, leaving thousands of US troops dead, over 50,000 US troops injured, and over 250,000 civilians dead.
Members have taken bribery money from corrupt organizations, lobbyists, and corporations from groups like the fossil fuel industry, drug companies, health insurance companies, Israel, Wall Street, banks
Members voted to repeal Glass–Steagall, which helped lead to the financial crisis of 2007-2008
Members voted for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which bailed out Wall Street after the financial crisis of 2007-2008
Members supported capital punishment, leading to the deaths of thousands of innocent Americans
Members supported private prisons
Members proposed and supported cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security
Members wrote and supported the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (The Crime Bill), which helped incarcerate millions of Americans and created the three-strikes rule
Members wrote and supported the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which created the disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine leading to harder sentencing for blacks and minorities, but lighter sentences for white people
Members supported Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 allowing for expanded power of the government to seize property without due process
Members supported the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, which expanded civil asset forfeiture and increased government surveillance
Members supported the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, which legally defined marriage as between one man and one woman
Members opposed gay marriage and gay rights until society forced them to change
Members supported 10 U.S. Code §654, written in 1993, which banned gay Americans from servicing in the US military
Members supported Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) of 1994 which banned openly gay or lesbian Americans from joining the military, while preventing closeted gay and lesbian members of the military from disclosing their sexual orientation
Members supported the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA), which prevented millions of Americans with student loans debt, medical debt, or credit card debt from discharging that debt
Members opposed the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding Roe v Wade of 1973
Members sought to pass a Constitutional Amendment allowing for states to overturn Roe v Wade in 1981
Members supported the Hyde Amendment of 1976, which barred the use of federal funds to pay for abortion except to save the life of the mother, or pregnancies due to rape or incest, and a provision in 1981 which banned it for rape and incest
Members supported Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLBA) of 1999, which deregulated banks allowing for the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007
Members agree with the Supreme Court decision on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which declared that money is speech, corporations are people, and that money can be used in elections as “free speech.”
Members have supported Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Yemen, which is a genocide that has caused the deaths of over 15,000 people
Members have allowed for half a century of wage-stagnation for the middle class, aided by their support of policies like NAFTA and PNTR
Members have allowed for the minimum wage to lower in value since the late 1960s
Members, aided by their support of trade deals, have allowed for the outsourcing of millions of US jobs at around 80,000+ jobs per year
Members, aided by money from the healthcare and drug industries, have allowed for health care and prescription drug costs to sky rocket in the US to unaffordable levels, causing millions to file for bankruptcy, tens of thousands to die every year, and tens of millions to go without insurance
Resolution
We, therefore, as Americans and members of the Democratic party must protest outside of the Democratic National Convention of 2020. We demand that our voices be heard. We, as young people, are the future of this country and this party. We need change. As young people, we cannot afford kids. We are facing stagnant wages. We cannot afford healthcare. We cannot afford homes. We cannot afford to live. Our planet is dying. The Democratic party has done nothing to make life better for Americans.
In 2008, we had our first black candidate. He was a man who stepped up to the plate to help fix our economy after Democrats and Republicans allowed it to crash. He helped propel the party in a more forward direction, but under his leadership, allowed for the loss of over 1,000 Democratic seats across the US.
In 2016, establishment Democrats ran Hillary Clinton as their nominee. She ran on continuing the status quo. She ran on continuing trade deals. She gave paid speeches to Wall Street. In many ways, she embodied the problems with the Democratic party. Sen. Bernie Sanders ran as the populist candidate. He ran a platform that was finally popular among the Democratic base. He wanted a $15/hour minimum wage. He wanted Medicare for all. He wanted to end illegal wars and bring home the troops. He wanted to fight stagnant wages. He wanted to fight outsourcing. He wanted to get money out of politics. We then found out that the Democratic party had rigged the election in favor of Hillary Clinton. She had final say in press releases. She was given debate questions. The 2016 Democratic primary was never fair from the start. Then, she lost to then candidate Donald Trump.
In 2020, the Democratic party is continuing the legacy of 2016. The Democratic National Committee has their favorite candidate in Joe Biden. In many ways, Biden has a similar record to Clinton. He supported the Iraq war. He supported PNTR and NAFTA. He supported bills that caused mass incarceration. He supported bills that prevent students from filing bankruptcy on student loans. He takes massive amounts of money from banks, Wall Street, big pharma, and other corrupting influences. He told millionaire donors that “Nothing will fundamentally change.” He’s right. Our party has no changed. So-called “Left Wing” media has been completely biased in favor of Joe Biden and against Bernie Sanders. They have been completely dishonest about Sanders. They lie to protect Biden.
We, as the base of the Democratic base, will stand for this no longer. We are telling the Democratic party that they cannot win without us. They will not get our votes without standing for change. Here are our demands:#Medicareforall
$15/hour federal minimum wage
#GreenNewDeal
Action on #climatechange
Action to combat outsourcing
Legalization of marijuana
End to the War on Drugs
Freeing of non-violent drug offenders
Federal job guarantee
6 months of paid family leave
End to money in politics and only public funding to elections
Elimination of all student loan debt
Tuition-free college
Federal background checks
Raise teacher wages
End private prisons
Abolish the death penalty
End three-strikes rule
End mandatory minimum sentences
Tax on extreme wealth
Make election day a national holiday
No corruption allowed in Presidential cabinets
No corporate welfare