A final draft of the 2008 Democratic Party Platform signals that its candidates will follow Barack Obama’s push for increased diversity in the ownership of broadcast media, as well as more educational content on the Web and television.
The plank also calls for the appointment of a “chief technology officer” and seems to put Democrats on record as supporting legislation or Federal Communications Commission action to ensure that Internet service providers don’t discriminate between content providers by offering some a faster path to consumer desks—so called “net neutrality.”
Called “A Connected America,” the plank promises Democrats will work to boost the amount of minority-owned media, increase children’s programming, “clarify” broadcasters’ public-interest obligations and work to improve the controls parents have to monitor what their kids see on TV.
It suggests Democrats will work to impose some new privacy protections and take a harsher view of privacy violations.
“We will strengthen privacy protections in the digital age and will harness the power of technology to hold government and business accountable for violations of personal privacy,” according to a section of the final draft of the platform that TelevisionWeek obtained.
The platform explains the steps are part of a concerted effort to deal with some new challenges that technology brings.
“In the 21st century, our world is more intertwined than at any time in human history. This new connectedness presents us with untold opportunities for innovation, but also new challenges,” it says.
The party document echoes many of the same themes that Obama has espoused in his campaign to beat Republican John McCain in the election.
“We will encourage diversity in the ownership of broadcast media, promote the development of new media outlets for expression of diverse viewpoints, and clarify the public interest obligations of broadcasters who occupy the nation’s spectrum,” the section.
“We will encourage more educational content on the Web and in our media. We will give parents the tools and information they need to manage what their children see on television and the Internet—in ways fully consistent with the First Amendment.”
“We will protect the Internet’s traditional openness and ensure that it remains a dynamic platform for free speech, innovation, and creativity,” says the section.
(Editor: Baumann)
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Comments (5)
Senator Clinton & super delegates can still take the Democratic presidential nomination at the last minute by taking advantage of ever growing buyer's remorse among Democratic super-delegates who are dismayed by the performance of Senator Obama's camp.
Senator Obama has raised tens of millions more dollars than Senator McCain, which should translate into an advantage in the polls. The economy is doing poorly, Republicans control the White House and the incumbent party is blamed for a bad economy, Democrats feel should have translated into an advantage in the polls. Still has not...
Senator McCain is old and is unpopular with his party's base because he has broken with conservatives on taxes, global warming, torture, and campaign speech limitations. Again Democrats think should translate into an advantage at the polls, but hasn’t.
President Bush, is most unpopular President in history, blamed for the Iraq War. Three bestseller books Bush-bashing; Democrats think that this too, should translate into an advantage in polls. Despite all these factors, Senator Mr. McCain is running roughly even in the polls with the "presumptive" Democratic nominee. At a time when cable media has saintly coroneted Obama for an entire year and continue to do so should be way ahead but isn't? Again Dem buyer's remorse.
History Lesson:
In early Aug 1988, Governor Dukakis was ahead of Vice President Bush by a wide margin. In early August 04 Kerry was ahead of President Bush. Since Obama have proven without a doubt he can't close the deal as with Senator Clinton in the primaries, he continues to disappoint democrats since he doesn't have a big lead even now, it will get pretty ugly for the Democrats as November approaches. Once again, voters are only now beginning to realize the mainstream media like CNN & MSNBC did not cover this election fairly or correctly, FCC does not dictate that cable news pundits report fair and balanced news. This is seen all day on CNN pushing Obama. Finally is coming back to bite them as democrats "BUYER REMORSE" with Obama is growing rapidly.
It will only get worse when McCain and Obama face off in
Presidential debates. The public is just now discovering that Obama, silver-tongued orator, is no debater - which explains why his camp did its best to dodge debate invitations from Mrs. Clinton and Mr. McCain. Feature Mr. Obama's flubbering on the outbreak of war between Russia and Georgia. (Obama does poorly unscripted)
Is all this enough to prompt Democratic super-delegates to re-think
Their allegiance to Mr. Obama and hand the nomination to Senator
Clinton? Possibly? Allot of rumbling has been growing in the Democratic Party since Senator Clinton suspended her run.
Fact: If you count Michigan, Mrs. Clinton won the reported popular
Vote in the Democratic primaries and caucuses, 17.8 million to 17.5
Million, and won many of the hotly contested big battleground states
That the Democrats need to win in November - Pennsylvania, Ohio,
California, New York, New Jersey, Florida. She won Massachusetts even
After Senators Kennedy and Kerry endorsed Mr. Obama.
Take away the delegates Mr. Obama has by virtue of the endorsement of
Senator Edwards, who has newly admitted deceiving the electorate about
The adultery he committed while his wife lay stricken with cancer, delegate gap is even narrower. Obama doesn't have enough delegates to win the nomination without the super-delegates, so there wouldn't be anything terribly exceptional about the super-delegates putting her rather than him over the top. Especially now that it proven she is the stronger candidate against the republicans is why they wanted to run against Obama.
By the time the convention rolls around, Mr. Obama isn't just running neck and neck with Mr. McCain but could be lagging in addition to the release of public polls still showing Senator Clinton doing better than Obama in matchups against Mr. McCain in battleground states two months after suspending her run has caused great concern Democratic Party leaders.
Add the new anti-Obama book debuted on the top of the best seller list proves media failed viewers and they are beginning to really look at this guy. Showing Obama not fundamentally American in his thinking
and in his values or friends and advisors, second (as anticipated) Obama makes a big blunder with his choice of a running mate, added to the fact Rev Wrights book and tour start in Oct (which is already causing whispers swirling among super delegates) Obama may very well be out...
Bias Cable news pundits don't presume to tell the Democrats whom to nominate, We have no illusions about the ultra-long-shot of Mrs. Clinton's chances of actually emerging as the Democratic nominee, even with poor leadership by Pelosi and Dean, but truth being its not technically impossible, as
Mr. Obama is no doubt aware.
Voters are watching and not listening to cable pundits, Obama skipped a visit to a military hospital in Germany. He spent this weekend on vacation in Hawaii. While Senator Clinton spent last week visiting wounded service members at Fort Drum. Mr. Obama may think the primary campaign is over, but Mrs. Clinton's die-hard supporters may trump a last-minute surprise.
Posted by louise | August 14, 2008 12:30 PM
Louise,
You need to start a political blog. I would read it there and not feel like that is 5 minutes of my life I will never get back. Unfortunately for you, this article was talking about how Obama and the Democrats plan to change the FCC. Good, bad or indifferent, that is the discussion. It is not, will Obama win in November and if not whose to blame.
To those who care:
I would like to know if any one else thinks the FCC should start implementing digital broadcast standards? I am glad to see any political party getting behind the FCC doing its job. I am also a big privacy advocate, so that is just icing on the cake.
Posted by Mickie | August 14, 2008 1:43 PM
check out BuzzFlash’s coverage of the Dem press conference discussing the platform today: Democratic Party Unveils Platform, Trying Hard to Project Unity at http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/analysis/357
Posted by meg | August 15, 2008 1:38 PM
The democrat platform is all about driving conservatives off the air. Faced with intellectual competition from the new media liberals and democrats are turning to Orwellian censorship schemes like the “fairness” doctrine to preserve their hegemony.
Liberals have no understanding if the diversity of ideas that is essential for a thriving, trusted free press. According to Rasmussen’s numbers, less than a quarter of voters – 24 percent – now trust the press to report on the election without bias.
That’s why you are loosing viewers and readers. We don’t trust you. Too many in the media are accomplices of the democratic party.
Posted by Chas | August 18, 2008 6:37 AM
More minority preferences? Have we not moved past this nonsense? What with all the talk of 'change,' I would expect something a little more thoughtful than simply more of the same tired programs to punish the successful.
Sad.
Posted by Jeff Woehrle | August 18, 2008 8:13 AM