The 2024 Democratic Party manifesto showcases significant inclusions of Joe Biden, alongside substantial references to Donald Trump
The 92-PAGE non-binding DOCUMENT, which portrays the Democratic National Committee's agenda for the following four years, will be put to a vote by delegates at the Democratic National Convention on Monday. However, it hasn't been revised since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race a month ago and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.
The platform's opening statement reads, "President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats are determined to complete the work at hand."
Platforms, which outline the party's broader objectives and policies, are usually aligned with the priorities of the presidential nominee. Nevertheless, Harris secured the Democratic nomination in late July, around the same time she introduced her economic policy platform in North Carolina.
Her campaign has distanced itself from certain ultra-progressive stances she adopted during the 2020 Democratic primaries. It remains unclear whether Harris will back every aspect of this platform (originally designed for a Biden re-election campaign).
Steve Grossman, a former Democratic National Committee chairman during Bill Clinton's presidency, observed that Harris' team wouldn't want to create "any division whatsoever around platform issues" in the brief time span between her ascension to the nominee and the convention.
According to Grossman, the greater concern is party unity. Overcoming differences within various communities and constituencies to achieve the collective goal is crucial.
The Democratic platform is already outdated in many respects.
When it comes to the economy, the platform discusses enhancing tax credits for working individuals but falls short of Harris' proposal for a $6,000 tax credit for families with newborn children.
The platform also criticizes firms for maintaining high prices despite reduced costs, but it does not include Harris' call for a federal ban on price hikes on groceries.
The platform dedicates an entire section to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Although it mirrors Biden's backing of Israel, which has drawn criticisms from some within the party due to the thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza, it does attempt to emphasize the administration's humanitarian initiatives within the enclave.
The commitment to Israel's security and right to self-defense is called "unwavering," while it acknowledges Biden's efforts to boost humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.
The platform also advocates for a truce agreement, arguing that it will result in a more secure Israel and enable Arab nations and the international community to aid in Gaza's reconstruction—without allowing Hamas to rearm.
The document is unequivocally anti-Trump. Various sections contrast Trump's stance, accusing him of trying to rig the economic system in favor of his wealthy donors and disparaging his lack of support for the Palestinian people's political aspirations.
The platform praises the bipartisan border control bill, casting blame on Republicans for obstructing it in Congress due to their perceived cowardice in confronting Trump. The deal, according to the platform, would have strengthened border security while treating people ethically and maintained legal immigration. In contrast, it condemns Trump's plans, claiming they would damage the economy and divide families.
Unlike the Republicans, who extensively revamped their platform this year, resulting in a significantly shorter document focusing on broad policy objectives, the Democratic platform delves deeper into a wider range of topics.
While the GOP's foreign policy chapter is merely 16 pages long, the Democratic platform's chapter extends across a variety of topics, including Europe, the Middle East, China, the Indo-Pacific, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere.
Additionally, the platform covers topics such as the environment, gun violence, civil rights, and what Biden calls the "Unity Agenda," which includes addressing the opioid epidemic and the "Cancer Moonshot" program.
The Democratic National Committee's agenda, as outlined in the 92-page document, largely focuses on politics, including the party's broader objectives and policies under President Biden's leadership and potential future changes with Vice President Harris. The platform, however, lacks full alignment with Harris's economic initiatives, such as her proposal for a $6,000 tax credit for families with newborn children.
Moving forward in politics, the Democratic Party is emphasizing the importance of unity, with former DNC chairman Steve Grossman highlighting the need to avoid division on platform issues in the short time span between Harris's nomination and the convention.
