Obama/Democrats are Listening to America

In 2004, Democrats conducted five regional hearings (strangely, all in "swing states") in preparation for the Democratic platform. But this year, the Democratic party and the Barack Obama campaign are busting the platform process wide open. They want to hear from you. In fact, they are pretty much challenging you to write your own plank!

This approach pretty much skips a generation with what Republicans have been doing with the voter vault (strangely, Republican use of the voter vault is so embedded in their tactics that NPR recorded a phone call made using their technology). The Obama campaign is building upon the same methodology as their Neighbor to Neighbor online tool. As Howard Dean would say, you have the power.

Over the next 10 days, it's your voice that matters.

This process of voter input is being called "Listening to America: The Democratic Platform for Change,” and there will be a "Platform Meeting" in every state.

“Each Platform Meeting will produce a written summary that will be reviewed and considered by the Platform Committee,” read the joint announcement by the Democratic National Committee and Obama for America.

“Members of the public will be invited to host and attend Platform Meetings in their communities as an opportunity to exchange ideas and share perspectives on the challenges we face. To facilitate the process, the Obama campaign and the DNC will send policy experts and DNC Platform Committee members to as many meetings as possible to serve as facilitators.”

Registration is available online through Tuesday. The platform meetings will be held across the country from July 19 through July 27, with a National Hearing on Aug. 1 in Cleveland.

The Platform Drafting Committee will meet Aug. 2-3 to draft the Democratic Platform. The full Platform Committee will meet and recommend adoption of the platform Aug. 9 in Pittsburgh.

The only thing I can say about this is, YOU SHOULD GO! It's difficult for me to imagine anyone on the blogs who doesn't have an opinion about what should be included in the Democratic platform. Over the next two weekends, you will have the opportunity to voice your concerns, even write your own plank.

You can find the nearest Platform Meeting to you by conducting a search with your zip code.

In Illinois, there are a number of opportunities for lending your voice to the Democratic Platform:

July 17:
Hit the Ground Running (Chicago, IL)

July 18:
Platforming for Change: Economy, Education, Energy, and Environment (Evanston, IL)
Community Meeting for Obama (Waukegan, IL)

July 19:
Planning a Platform - This is Democracy (Chicago, IL)
Restoring America's Moral Authority (Chicago, IL)
Backyard platform meeting (Downers Grove, IL)
Listening to Lombard! (Lombard, IL)
A gathering to share our views (Evanston, IL)
Mercer County Democratic PM (Aledo, IL)

July 20:
Citizens for Obama (Chicago, IL)
Work for Change (Chicago, IL)
Reclaiming our Schools (Chicago, IL)
Making history....listening to America (West Peoria, IL)
Greenville Democratic Platform Party (Greenville, IL)

July 21:
Talk about Health Care (Chicago, IL)
Let's Make Them Practice What They Preach! (Evanston, IL)

July 22:
Obama Platform Input Mtg. (Oak Park, IL)
Southwestern Illinois Democratic Platform Meeting (Collinsville, IL)

July 23:
Staying the course of Realpolitik (Chicago, IL)
Tenth For Obama Platform Meeting (Deerfield, IL)

July 24:
Platform Meeting in Edgewater (Chicago, IL)
Listening to America: Democratic Platform for Change Meeting (Algonquin, IL)
Prairie Crossing Platform Meeting (Grayslake, IL)

July 26:
Meet The Future (Homewood, IL)
Mental Healthcare & Unemployment Issues (Chicago, IL)
Grassroots Input to the Democratic Platform (Park Ridge, IL)
Platform for Change(Rock Island, IL)

July 27:
Democratic Voices: Listening for (a) Change (Flossmoor, IL)
About Change '08 (Country Club Hills, IL)
Economy & Health Care (Cicero, IL)
LVT/LVC At Federal/State Levels (Chicago, IL)
Champaign County Platform for Change meeting (Champaign, IL)

Each meeting will not only discuss the issues of interests and concern to them, but are asked to write their own plank for consideration by the Democratic Convention. It's not a bad idea to read the 2004 Democratic Platform, especially in the areas that you are interested. That will give you a good idea about what a platform plank looks like.

Politics is messy, and trying to negotiate between various interests to build a party platform can be some of the messiest politics around. This is your chance to engage the political process at your neighborhood level and attempt to influence the final result that comes out of Denver. Who could pass that up?

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