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1 Jul, 2016 20:35

The new party line: Democratic platform unveiled

The new party line: Democratic platform unveiled

A newly revised version of the Democratic Party's platform was released Friday, ahead of the July 4 three-day holiday weekend. It includes a plank calling for a $15 per hour minimum wage and criticism of global trade deals.

A word finder shows the name "Trump" appearing 35 times in the 35-page document. The names Clinton and Sanders do not appear at all, however.

Calling for an abolition to the death penalty and for a “public option” in healthcare, the platform is being hailed by both supporters and critics as the most progressive outlook on issues in recent history.

A word search turned up 46 mentions for the word “jobs,” while “education” appeared 34 times along with 25 entries for the phrase “health care.” Immigrants or immigration was mentioned 19 times, while “terrorism” and “Wall Street” each received nine references.

Big banks are another priority in the platform, which lays out a multi-pronged approach to "tackle dangerous risks" posed by them and the rest of the financial system. Democrats "need to prohibit Wall Street from picking and choosing which credit agency will rate their products" as well as prevent them "from imposing excessive fees on consumers."

The platform adds that "no bank can be too big to fail and no executive too powerful to jail."

Championing their own history as "the party that created Social Security," the Democrats promised to keep the entitlement program afloat for future generations "by asking those at the top to pay more," specifying that incomes over $250,000 would see an increase in taxes.

Under the party's plans for improving the nation's infrastructure, "a major federal jobs program that puts millions of Americans back to work" serves as the centerpiece for restoring manufacturing jobs, advancing to environmentally friendly energy sources, improving transportation and revitalizing a deteriorating middle class.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who has yet to officially bow out of the presidential race, won enough delegates to have substantial influence over the platform. "Millionaires and billionaires" are targeted in a call to implement a "multimillionaire surtax" and the phrase "starvation wage" appears in the party's condemnation of the current minimum wage, saying it "must be increased to a living wage."

The platform does not, however, oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Sanders lamented on Twitter. Additionally, there is no mention of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, another issue close to Sanders' campaign and supporters.

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