UT Martin Democrats

The Democratic Platform for America
Preamble

As we come together to declare our vision as Democrats, we are mindful that the challenges of our times are new and profound. This November, the choice we face as Americans may have more impact on our people and our place in the world than any in our lifetimes.

We approach this task with a seriousness that matches the challenges before us, but also with a profound optimism about our future - an optimism that springs from our great faith in America, and our great pride in what it means to be Americans.
We know the stakes are immeasurably high.

For the first time in generations, we have been attacked on our own shores. Our brave men and women in uniform are still in harm’s way in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the war against terror. Our alliances are frayed, our credibility in doubt. Our great middle class is hard-pressed. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and millions more are struggling under the mounting burden of life’s everyday costs.

In Washington, the President and his allies stubbornly press on, without regard to the needs of our people or the challenges of our times.

It is time for a new direction.

John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party bring a new vision for America - strong at home, respected abroad. An America that offers opportunity, rewards responsibility, and rejoices in diversity.

We have a plan to build a strong, respected America: protecting our people, rebuilding our alliances, and leading the way to a more peaceful and prosperous world.

We have a plan to build a strong, growing economy: creating good jobs, rewarding hard work, and restoring fiscal discipline.

We have a plan to help our people build strong, healthy families: securing quality health care, offering world-class education, and ensuring clean air and water.

And we will honor the values of a strong American community: widening the circle of equality, protecting the sanctity of freedom, and deepening our commitment to this country.

In offering this vision, we affirm our faith in the greatness of America. We recommit to the ideal of a people united in helping one another, an ideal as old as the faiths we follow and as great as the country we love. To those who are threatened, we pledge protection; to those who are victims, we promise justice; to those who are hopeless, we offer hope. And to all Americans who seek a better future for themselves, for their loved ones, and for our country, we say: your cause is our own.

That is the America we believe in. That is the America we are fighting for. That is the America we will build together - one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Read the entire platform online.