https://padlet.com/noah_mccreary37/jshi9rity8cq by Noah McCreary en-us 2019-04-13 02:46:05 UTC 2019-04-13 04:47:56 UTC hello@padlet.com noah_mccreary37 https://padlet.com/noah_mccreary37/jshi9rity8cq/wish/351343253  The democratic party is the oldest american political party, and there have been a lot of changes to the party since its beginning. Originally, it was tolerant of slavery in the 19th century, and was not considered progressive whatsoever. Throughout the 20th century, especially towards the middle part of the century, there was a drastic platform shift for the Democratic party, as it transcended into a very progressive party, with a liberal focus. During this time they were specifically focused on creating fair labor laws and were very concerned with social and civil rights. One of the major differences between the democratic and republican parties is that the democratic party favors more government intervention, especially with economic affairs. They also refrain from government intervention in private affairs that don't directly pertain to the economy. Another major part of the democratic party is the separation of church and state. Being that it is a progressive party, the democratic party wholly believes that a secular government is the superior form of government due to the fact that we live in a diverse country with many different beliefs, so an unbiased government would be the only logical solution. Another topic that is a main concern for the democratic party is gun control. The democratic platform believes that this topic needs to be revised from what is previously stated in the second amendment. This counters the republicans view of this issue, as the general belief is that the government should have no say in a citizens right to bear arms. Affirmative action is another focus of the democratic party. While the republican party doesn't reject the idea, it is a much higher priority for the democratic platform. It is a major democratic ideal that minorities should be provided every available opportunity for education and employment.]]> 2019-04-13 02:58:41 UTC https://padlet.com/noah_mccreary37/jshi9rity8cq/wish/351343253 noah_mccreary37 https://padlet.com/noah_mccreary37/jshi9rity8cq/wish/351345087 One of the things that stirred me about the democratic party was that they were originally supportive or at least tolerant of slavery. I was aware that over the years some of the ideas and values changed between the two parties, but I had always associated the democratic party as entirely progressive and very dedicated to civil rights. I later learned that in the 1800s, the democratic party wasn't against slavery mainly due to the fact that they would receive little to no votes from the southern states because it was their main source of money and supported their economy. In a broad sense, the platform shift made me feel hopeful. I noticed that while it took many years and with many rough patches, if an entire political party can practically do a complete turnaround, there is no reason we can not hold out hope for the rest of the country. Today, the democratic party is scene as an entirely progressive and supportive party for minorities, yet two centuries ago they were supportive of slavery. This gives me a lot of hope, as today racism is a rampant issue in the United States, but perhaps given time, racism will be such a non-issue that it is rarely, if ever, talked about. Without a doubt, my favorite position of the democratic party is their stance on affirmative action. I hold the belief that the color of ones skin should play no factor in their ability to obtain success. Therefore, I believe affirmative action is absolutely the best thing the democratic platform could be doing for this country. I come from a city with a large population of minorities, both Hispanic and black. I have seen first hand the effect of institutionalized racism in the community, as I have been provided with opportunities that my Mexican-american neighbor two doors down did not receive. This is a problem that really bothers me and was my main reason for choosing affirmative action as my favorite stance of the democratic platform. I see everyone as a member of the human race, and ethnicity means nothing more than where you and your family are from, it has nothing to do with who you are as a person. I am inspired by the fact that there is a legitimate effort by the government to repair the damage done to these people simply because their skin color is different than mine. What all of this says about my prior knowledge of the party platforms is that I really had no idea of the history and events that took place that formed the democratic platform into what it is today. I have a pretty solid understanding of where both parties stand on current issues, but I was somewhat ignorant to the fact that it had not always been this way. I believe it is important to know about the platform shift that took place, otherwise it can be easy for people to fall into the habit of believing cliches such as republicans are all white and racist, as well as democrats are a bunch of liberal elites. ]]> 2019-04-13 03:31:10 UTC https://padlet.com/noah_mccreary37/jshi9rity8cq/wish/351345087 noah_mccreary37 https://padlet.com/noah_mccreary37/jshi9rity8cq/wish/351346227 Just like anything else in life, there are both strengths and weaknesses to the democratic party. I will start by listing some of the weaknesses. One of the biggest weaknesses of the democratic platform is their pluralism. Basically, what this means is that there are so many slightly different democratic groups that focus and prioritize certain matters in varying ways. This is one area in which the republican platform has the upper hand, as they generally all share the same core beliefs, and this makes it much easier for them to progress within themselves instead of fighting within themselves. While this is mainly a weakness, this is in a small way a strength, as this allows them to have a wide base of knowledge on several issues. Another weakness of the democratic platform is their taxation. Being that the democratic platform is progressive, their new plans and developments cost money. This money can't possibly be covered by donations or out of pocket spending, so the only remaining option is to increase taxes across the board. While affirmative action is a great way to help empower and enable minorities in America to achieve success, it comes with a price. Medicaid, free/reduced schooling, social security, and increased funding for schools that have a high enrollment of minorities are examples of these extremely costly projects that result in higher taxes. This is a major downside to the democratic platform as it has resulted in the United States gaining more and more debt.
 To go along with these weaknesses of the democratic party, there are also their many strengths. One very important strength of the democratic platform is its progressiveness. America was founded on progressivism, and has supported it throughout history. After all, starting a revolution and declaring a new and free country is as progressive as you can get. Another example would be the abolishment of slavery, which was absolutely unheard of at the time. All of these things played huge roles in shaping the country into what it is today. Another very important strength of the democratic platform is how inclusive it is. This is very important in their ability to get votes in different elections. Generally speaking, the democratic party is more inclusive than the republican party, because democratic ideals appeal to a wider variety of citizens. The best example of this is affirmative action. As this is a major part of the democratic platform and it pertains to the minorities, it helps strengthen their party by the thousands as they are now receiving substantial white male and female voters as well as the minority vote. Perhaps the biggest strength of the democratic platform is that it addresses the most pressing and relevant issues in the United States today. The republican platform is often caught up in the issue of abortion, whereas this is not a pressing matter, in the sense that time isn't of the essence. One example of this is the democratic parties response to the recent influx of mass shootings. Almost overnight new bills and resolutions were being presented on gun reform to try and decrease the amount of shootings and overall eliminate them. Another pressing issue that the democratic platform reacted very quickly to is police brutality. This is another issue that has grown exponentially in recent years, as there have been more and more cases of police officers using excessive and often lethal force, especially on people of color. The democratic platform quickly voiced their dismay and created a quick call to action to eliminate this problem. One of the specific resolutions the platform made to combat this issue is they asked that police officers be required to where a body cam at all times while on duty. I believe that unifying on certain topics and prioritizing the issues at hand would go a long way in strengthening the democratic platform. It is not hard to see that a party with everyone on the same page, working together towards the same goal and using collective action would be far better off than multiple people pushing their own agenda. Like anything else in this world, the democratic platform is not perfect. The platform has weaknesses that greatly hinder its ability to move past certain issues. On the other hand, their are a great number of strengths that the democratic platform possesses which make it very powerful and very effective. Remaining unified, keeping the citizens best interest in mind, and continuing to prioritize the most pressing and urgent matters would go a long way in continuing the agenda of the platform and keep America moving in a progressive fashion ]]> 2019-04-13 03:54:59 UTC https://padlet.com/noah_mccreary37/jshi9rity8cq/wish/351346227