Democrats Fail to Revise Party Platform for Harris Ahead of Convention

Four days before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the party's proposed platform mistakenly names the wrong presidential candidate. The platform, which outlines the party's goals and policies, hasn't been updated since a draft was released on July 13. This was eight days before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.

The committee responsible for drafting the platform worked for over a year, allowing key voices to contribute and make changes earlier this summer. However, the language set to be approved by delegates at the convention has not been modified since Biden exited the race. The rules committee is not scheduled to meet to update the platform before the convention begins on Monday.

Policy Positions and Criticisms

Harris has yet to release a detailed list of her policy positions since taking over the top of the Democratic ticket. Her campaign aides have hinted that she no longer supports some of her more liberal positions from her 2020 presidential run, such as endorsing a ban on hydraulic fracturing. The current platform does not provide direct insight into her views on key issues.

The Democratic platform is nonbinding. Some Democrats criticised Republicans for lacking transparency while approving their 16-page platform during the GOP convention last month in Milwaukee. This included modifying the document to align more closely with former President Donald Trump's positions on abortion and other key issues.

Draft Platform Details

The draft Democratic platform runs to 80 pages and focuses on differentiating the Biden-Harris ticket from Trump. It criticises Trump as "focused not on opportunity and optimism, but on revenge and retribution; not on the American people, but on himself." It accuses Trump and his party of trying to strip away personal freedoms, dictate healthcare decisions for women, ban books, and control who people can love.

The draft platform supports many of the Biden administration's accomplishments. Since launching her presidential campaign, Harris has generally supported Biden's key goals. This means that the holdover draft aligns with many of her views, although it suggests that Harris hasn't had as much input as usual in crafting what the ticket will fight for if it wins the White House.

Key Proposals

The draft Democratic platform calls for restoring abortion rights nationwide, advancing green energy initiatives to create jobs and combat climate change, capping child care costs for low-income families, and urging Congress to approve a pathway to US citizenship for long-term undocumented residents.

It also states that Israel's right to defend itself is ironclad while endorsing efforts by the Biden administration to broker a lasting cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

"The Democratic Party Platform will embody the values of our party and build upon the historic accomplishments Democrats have made during the Biden-Harris administration," said the Democratic National Committee in a statement on Thursday. "The Platform Committee worked diligently with stakeholders from all corners of our party to create a bold, progressive agenda for the next four years."

Despite these efforts, the draft platform still states in its preamble, "President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats are running to finish the job," which is no longer accurate since Biden is out of the race.