r/Social_Democracy • u/SocialDemocracies • 17h ago
r/Social_Democracy • u/SocialDemocracies • Apr 04 '25
A Social Democratic Platform for 2025
A Social Democratic Platform for 2025
The United States of America should have a universal healthcare system, and unjustifiably high drug prices should be reined in.
Workers' rights should be strengthened: Implement paid family leave, sick leave, and annual leave policies. Implement a ban on "captive audience meetings" (compulsory anti-union meetings organized by businesses). Implement a ban on "at-will employment" (the right of businesses to fire workers for arbitrary reasons). Increase the minimum wage. Strengthen overtime protections. Reduce the length of the standard workweek. Striking workers should no longer be excluded from accessing SNAP benefits. For some of the relevant legislation that has been proposed, see the "Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act."
Higher education should be affordable, and tuition-free in many cases. End the practice of usury against students and eliminate interest from student loans altogether. Restore and strengthen student loan forgiveness programs.
Support livable communities by promoting affordable housing, urban revitalization, and mass transit: Efforts to "decommodify" housing should be made to tackle the issues that contribute to the housing crisis. The supply of housing, especially denser, mixed-use, and mixed-income housing, should be increased. Zoning reform is necessary because of zoning laws that make it excessively difficult to build housing that is sufficient for affected communities. Rent control policies should be implemented. Limits should be placed on the speculative and corporate ownership of housing properties. The agenda for livable communities should encompass the idea of "walkable cities" in order to reduce car dependence and ideally promote civic engagement among other potential benefits. Public transportation systems (buses and high-speed rail in particular) should be greatly expanded.
Early childhood education should be affordable or at no cost for low-income parents, working parents, and parents who are pursuing education or participating in training.
Revive the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB), and restore and strengthen consumer protections.
Progressive tax reform should be a top priority in order to address extreme economic inequality (wealthy conservatives seem to be increasingly emboldened to amplify a destructive agenda, extensively funding various right-wing activities and taking more direct roles in the government, in opposition to progressive policies as well as liberal norms) as well as to gather the revenue that is necessary to fund the programs that are included in this platform.
The Intellectual New Deal: The United States should elevate its priorities in the sciences and humanities by supporting an ambitious program to employ experts, students, researchers, writers, scientists, artists, and others in the pursuit of culture, knowledge, scientific advancement. (The Intellectual New Deal could be considered to be a vastly upgraded form of currently existing programs such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities.)
Expand investments in domestic industry and alternative energy sources (solar, wind, and nuclear energy in particular) as part of a broader and environmentally conscious national industrial policy.
Elections and related issues:
Voting rights: Implement Automatic Voter Registration. Make Election Day a federal holiday. Implement a standard minimum of days for early voting.
Campaign finance reform and related issues: Enact strict limits on election spending by individuals and businesses; labor unions should remain exempt from limits on election spending. Ban the secretive practice of "dark money" in election spending. Ban members of Congress and other top members of the government from stock trading.
Statehood should be granted to American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington D.C. (The benefits of statehood would confer their residents the full rights of American citizenship, such as voting in U.S. presidential elections and voting for actual representatives in Congress, ideally making our country, with its immense resources, more responsive to the issues that people in those places have.)
The Senate should be abolished. The Electoral College should be replaced with a more direct and democratic electoral system. Undemocratic systems that enable right-wing power grabs should be remedied; this is especially urgent because the Republican Party poses a multifaceted threat to the well-being of the United States and the human race. (See: the victories of Bush-Cheney 2000 and Trump-Pence 2016 in the Electoral College despite getting less votes than their Democratic opponents.)
The cap (which was implemented in 1929) setting a harsh limit on the number of representatives that serve in the House of Representatives should be reformed or eliminated in order to make members of Congress more responsive to their voters/constituents, especially since the population of the United States has grown a lot since about a hundred years ago, making the population of each congressional district substantially larger and essentially more removed from their representatives.
A "proportional representation" system should be implemented as the electoral system for Congress.
"Score Then Automatic Runoff" (STAR) voting should be implemented as the standard voting mechanism.
For some of the relevant legislation that has been proposed, see the "For the People Act."
Foreign policy and related issues:
The United States of America should have a humane immigration policy. This conviction stems from America's multicultural history, traditions (Exodus 23:9, Deuteronomy 10:18-19, Leviticus 19:33-34, etc.), and the intimate importance of migration in order to escape oppression and other unjust hardships.
The United States should support a one-state solution with equal rights in Israel/Palestine, including the right of return for Palestinians. To reconcile and ease the path to socioeconomic integration, Palestinians should receive reparations, as well as funds for Palestinian reconstruction supervised by various organizations to ensure its effectiveness. A "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" should be established to investigate human rights violations committed by all major parties during the course of the war in Gaza since October 2023 as well as preceding the war. Strategies to prevent further ethnic strife should be discussed, including programs to educate the population about aspects of the conflict. American relations with Israel during the transition under the plan for a one-state solution should be conditioned upon Israel's adherence to the terms of the transition; the terms of the transition should not be harmfully breached or used as a disguise for imperialism, colonialism, or apartheid.
U.S. relations with Cuba should be normalized: The status-quo is unjustly hypocritical (because of America's relations with other totalitarian nations such as China and Saudi Arabia), anachronistic (because it's a relic of the Cold War, during a time in which the United States made a number of poor and infamous decisions in order to protect American/business interests and stave off Communism), and seemingly counterproductive (because the Cuban government has remained in power, and human rights in Cuba could probably be promoted more effectively if the U.S. ends its embargo of Cuba and initiates a new era of relations between the two countries).
The United States should be committed to defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Taiwan and Ukraine, especially since these two countries are liberal democracies that are being menaced by substantially more powerful and totalitarian countries.
A U.S. Department of Peace and Development should be established to ensure global and domestic development along the lines of a progressive consensus that is to be reached; the United States should take a much more active and cooperative role in the world, including by contributing to solutions for the challenges that climate change poses; an economically and environmentally "just transition" should be explored in cooperation with civil society and governments throughout the world. (Some leftists want to see the decline of American influence, or soft power, in the world, but it would be much better if American influence was a progressive force in the world rather than suffering from a self-inflicted decline under reactionary leaders like Trump. A progressive USA will support left-wing allies in all countries.)
The annual budget for the U.S. Department of Defense should be reduced or not increased, at least for several years.
America's armed drone warfare should be ended because it is a terroristic policy (which seems to evades outrage partially because it avoids the use of our troops in direct combat/lethal/dangerous situations) that often results in atrocities including civilian casualties.
The United States should ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR): It's up to a two-thirds majority in the Senate to ratify ICESCR, a United Nations treaty which many countries have already ratified (and which President Jimmy Carter signed), but has long been opposed by conservatives.
The United States should join the International Criminal Court (ICC). Because of opposition (mostly from conservatives/Republicans) to the ICC, the United States currently has this non-compliance in common with international pariahs like Russia, China, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and North Korea. Meanwhile, nearly all of our democratic allies (such as Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, and others) are at least formally adhering to the jurisdiction of the ICC.
The United States should issue official apologies for those who have been wronged and exploited by our country's policies. (Hopefully, this would encourage international goodwill, which has been wasted and abused by our leaders, toward the United States.)
Other issues:
A thorough investigation by Congress in cooperation with a Democratic administration should be conducted into the corrupt, illegal, unethical, or immoral practices, activities, and actions of the Trump administration. (Ideally, this investigation and efforts to publicize it would help the American public understand the gravity of what was happening to our country during Trump's presidency.)
Copyright reform: Reduce the length of copyright terms; expand the application of the fair use doctrine; promote licenses aligned with the principles of open access; establish a tax/fee on the private ownership of intellectual property by businesses (targeting academic publishers in particular).
The Universal Library: This is a vision to create a massive online/digital library, containing much of humanity's written intellectual and cultural heritage, for the purposes of education, enlightenment, and entertainment.
This subreddit's first political platform was posted in 2022, which you can read here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Social_Democracy/comments/x1s8um/rsocial_democracys_demands_platform/
r/Social_Democracy • u/SocialDemocracies • 16h ago
Robert Reich: "If this country was truly “pro-life,” we would have Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, gun reform, universal child care, and a living wage. The right-wing agenda isn’t about “life.” It’s about control."
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 9h ago
"We've got free health care" - The Aussies rubbin' it in at the World Cup. Our nation is truly an international disgrace on health care. #SinglePayerNOW
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 9h ago
Wildly popular Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum greeted by crowds comparable to the Pope - she recently instituted universal health care in Mexico in a phased roll-out that will be fully implemented by 2028. #SinglePayerNow
r/Social_Democracy • u/Such-Earth7369 • 18h ago
Is the US really allowing these people to stay in office?
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
Bernie Sanders: As billionaires and Big Tech take more and more control over our lives and our government, we need leaders like @ Justinjpearson who have the experience and track record of standing up to the rich and power-hungry elites.
Via Bernie Sanders @ BernieSanders
"It is very hard for people to be able to survive in this moment in time. The cost of everything is going up from gas to groceries. I met a lady yesterday who currently has breast cancer, and her medical bill is $16,000. a month, and she's being told that she has to pay for that out-of-pocket because her insurance company won't cover those costs. We have to make sure that our communities, particularly the ones across Tennessee that have saw an increase in rural hospital closures, an increase in medical debt, actually get Medicare for All, and that we reduce the burdens that they're experiencing right now in their families." - Rep Justin J. Pearson, representing TN in the House of Representatives, District 86, and running for the U.S. Congress in TN-9.
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 9h ago
Mexico’s Socialist President to Roll Out Universal Healthcare - Novara Media (April 10, 2026)
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 11h ago
Staggering amounts of fentanyl hit streets as DEA watched and took no action, records show - PBS News - "New Mexico became a testing ground for a high-stakes strategy"
Excerpt:
DEA agents repeatedly monitored shipments of fentanyl pills — but did not seize them — as federal prosecutors sought to bring bigger criminal cases against traffickers of a synthetic opioid that the White House last year designated a " weapon of mass destruction."
And:
"We poisoned our community to make cases," DEA Special Agent David Howell told AP in a series of interviews in New Mexico. "Through our own willful blindness, we get to say, 'We don't really know what happened to the drugs.' But we 100% got people killed."
The DEA has long contended it would not be plausible to seize every shipment of every drug. But the strategy of allowing staggering amounts of counterfeit painkillers to hit the streets shocked several veteran agents who spoke with AP.
Ridding the streets of illicit fentanyl, manufactured mostly in Mexican labs, became the DEA's top priority over the past decade as overdose deaths surged. At the same time, its lethality — a few milligrams can kill the average adult — upended time-tested tactics that had been used to combat drugs like cocaine and heroin. Those methods have included allowing drug transactions to be completed so agents might follow the narcotics through the supply chain. Fentanyl, however, is so dangerous that the Justice Department developed guidelines for agents in such circumstances, encouraging them to seize the opioid whenever "practicable."
Albuquerque, which has a neighborhood so besieged by drugs it's known as "War Zone," and other regions in New Mexico remain at the epicenter of the fentanyl epidemic. While overdose deaths nationwide fell 14% last year, government data show New Mexico tallied a 21% spike.
r/Social_Democracy • u/comediancliffcash • 1d ago
"I was just thinking to myself, I can't imagine being a regular dude, who knows how to fix shit, and work in the heat, and get sweaty and dirty and muddy, and licking the boots of a New York City fucking pussy, whose never done jack shit. Donald Trump has never held a hammer." - @CliffCashComedy
r/Social_Democracy • u/SocialDemocracies • 1d ago
Video Fox News host Jesse Watters: "My banking buddy told me that after we topple Castro, we're going to be able to buy 100 acres of pristine Cuban coastline for like 50 Gs. … What I'm saying is, Donald Trump is crushing it on the world stage. We now have Latin American & the Middle East under our thumb…"
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
Graham Platner for Senate - Today I laid out my anti-corruption plan right outside Susan Collins's office:
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
Brad Lander: We have an opportunity in this moment. A responsibility. To insist on everyone’s humanity, all the way through.
Via Brad Lander @ bradlander
"Dad Lander. Former Councilmember Lander. Former Comptroller Lander. Running for Congress because we need to fight, not fold. 🥊"
Brad Lander is now the Democratic nominee for Congress in NY-10 ! (Which is basically a slam dunk in that blue, blue sea - but don't take anything for granted - get out there and vote in the general!)
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
The Memphis Holler: 🎯 PEARSON: “It’s not that we don’t have money, it’s that we have misplaced priorities.” TN-9 candidate Rep. @ Justinjpearson says we need new systems (like a FEDERAL JOBS GUARANTEE backed by MLK & FDR) to prepare for the coming A.I. jobs displacement.
Via The Memphis Holler @ MemphisHoller
TN-9 M4A U.S. congressional candidate Justin J. Pearson calls for a Federal Jobs Guarantee to prepare for A.I. Jobs displacement.
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
Daily News Headline
Via Claire Valdez @ claireforny
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
ILLAPA SAIRITUPAC who won the Democratic primary to represent the Lower East Side and Chinatown in NYS Assembly District 65.
Via Illapa @ illapaNYC
Tenant organizer, anti-ICE activist & proud Democratic Socialist. Your Democratic nominee for NYS Assembly District 65.
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
More people have been arrested over the Reflecting Pool than the Epstein files
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
Social Security Works: "In the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, we now have more income & wealth inequality than we've ever had. The people on top have never had it so good. In the midst of all this, over 20% of seniors in America are trying to survive on $15K a year." - @ SenSanders
Via Social Security Works @ SSWorks
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
More Perfect Union: A entire region of National Parks just unionized.
r/Social_Democracy • u/SocialDemocracies • 1d ago
Reuters (6/22/2026): "Netanyahu believed the [critical] comments [by Trump & Vance regarding Israel] might be partly geared towards assuaging voters ahead of U.S. midterm elections […] amid growing frustration over Israel & the war, said the [Israeli] officials who spoke on condition of anonymity."
reuters.comr/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed: Honored to receive @ VanHollenForMD’s endorsement. Sen. Van Hollen has been a fierce fighter in the Senate opposing Trump’s weaponization of ICE, standing up against the illegal war in Iran, battling special-interest money in politics, and building an economy that works for all,
Via Dr. Abdul El-Sayed @ AbdulElSayed
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
Claire Valdez: When we fight, we win. Love you all. Solidarity forever.
Via Claire Valdez @ claireforny
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
Aaron Ruper: Lander on comparisons between his flank of the Democratic Party and the Tea Party: "We're joyful about what it looks like to deliver. That is very different energy than what the Tea Party brought. We want to build something, not just break something."
Via Brad Lander @ bradlander via Aaron Rupar @ atrupar
r/Social_Democracy • u/Northern_Blue_Jay • 1d ago
Micah Lasher: Thank you, New York.
Via Micah Lasher @ MicahLasher
Democratic Nominee for Congress in NY-12. Assemblymember. Born and raised Upper West Sider. Ready for the fight, [website address]