Jump to Section:
I. Preamble
II. Families, Children and Senior Citizens
III. Education
IV. Delaware’s Environment
V. Economic Development
VI. Organized Labor & Employment
VII. Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
VIII. Military/Veterans
IX. Civil Rights and Diversity
X. Responsible Government
I. Preamble
“Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.”
– President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Delaware Democrats believe that inclusiveness is the gateway to our collective strength. A government that utilizes this strength to guarantee rights and services is more influential and effective than leaving people to fend for themselves.
We, the Democratic Party of Delaware, dedicate ourselves to maintaining and improving our leadership in government. From election districts with community involvement to the statewide campaigns, Delaware Democrats shall recruit and organize. By continuing to encourage participation of all Delawareans in our party, by supporting our candidates and by promoting personal freedom, economic and educational opportunity, efficient government and justice for all, our roots will grow and our leaders will succeed.
II. Families, Children and Senior Citizens
The Delaware Democratic Party believes that there are many types of families and all should be embraced. A strong family is the backbone to a healthy society. Government should support families and promote an understanding of the diversity of society. The Delaware Democratic Party supports:
- Working to improve the quality of life for all families, children and senior citizens,
- Preserving and protecting Social Security as a public system for current recipients and future generations,
- Providing affordable and accessible health care,
- Unwavering support for a woman’s right to choose,
- Improving Delaware’s foster care and adoption system,
- Reducing the number of families living in poverty,
- Expanding support for caregivers,
- Providing state assistance and assuring the highest level of professional care for senior citizens and disabled persons to enhance the quality of life,
- Continuing efforts to advocate that the federal government expand Medicare prescription benefits, and
- Supporting the expansion of biomedical research for the public’s health.
III. Education
The Delaware Democratic Party firmly believes that graduation from a quality public school and the opportunity to succeed in college must be the birthright of every child and not just the privileged. We must prepare all of our students, young and old, with the 21st Century skills necessary to succeed in a technologically changing environment. The Delaware Democratic Party supports:
- Fixing the failures and broken promises of No Child Left Behind while maintaining the goal to provide every child access to a world class education by raising standards,
- Ending the practice of labeling a school and its students as failures without having provided the necessary resources and supports the students need,
- Encouraging an openness to alternative forms of educational opportunities,
- Continuing to strengthen relationships of all stakeholders involved in a child’s education
- Expanding early childhood education for all children,
- Encouraging relationships between business, government and community leaders with secondary and higher educational institutions,
- Making a college education affordable to everyone,
- Providing clean and safe environments that are conducive to learning, and
- Expanding and encouraging adult education and job training opportunities.
IV. Delaware’s Environment
Delaware Democrats recognize that we must manage our environment in a responsible manner in order to protect Delaware for future generations, while preserving the property rights, businesses and industries that depend on our state’s land. The Delaware Democratic Party believes clean energy is one of the critical keys to the health, environmental sustainability and economic future of this country. The Delaware Democratic Party believes every level of government must develop programs to reduce energy demand by:
- Transitioning to the use of green buildings in residential, business, and government sectors,
- Weatherizing low income housing,
- Offering incentives to decrease transportation energy needs,
- Requiring land use planning to take into account the impact of development on transportation energy costs,
- Increasing access to public transportation and promoting expanded use of transit, carpools, and vanpools by employers and individuals,
- Supporting efforts to transition our energy supply to a combination of distributed and centralized renewable sources while recognizing the critical need for requiring existing generation facilities meet environmental standards, and
- Advocating the cultivation of a regional green center of expertise in Delaware to foster job demand and opportunities in the energy sector,
The Delaware Democratic Party supports:
- Protecting and improving the quality of Delaware’s land, water and air,
- Growing the participation of community recycling throughout Delaware and into our government offices at all levels,
- Preserving Delaware’s open space and agricultural lands,
- Encouraging responsible development and redevelopment with an emphasis on community stakeholder interests, and
- Holding corporations responsible for the pollution they cause.
V. Economic Development
The Delaware Democratic Party understands that we are at a critical moment of transition regarding the economy and our ultimate success depends on dynamism, determination, and innovation. We recognize that our success depends on strong local and national leadership in order to move forward with confidence and a common purpose. The Delaware Democratic Party supports:
- Strengthening Delaware’s leadership standing among the 50 states,
- Identifying opportunities to sustain and strengthen Delaware’s economy by encouraging entrepreneurship and small business ownership,
- Promoting economic diversity by developing and supporting minority and women owned businesses,
- Ensuring that state leaders are effectively engaged with all Delaware employers,
- Maintaining a friendly environment for business that fosters the growth and development of all businesses,
- Fostering scientific, technological, and information technology innovations, and
- Encouraging long-term stability by ensuring that all economic development creates good jobs that provide livable wages and benefits for all of Delaware’s working families.
VI. Organized Labor and Employment
As Democrats we believe we must support Delaware’s working families. Delaware Democrats recognize the essential role that organized labor has played in bringing a measure of fairness and safety to Delaware’s workforce. Organized labor is necessary to protect and safeguard the rights of workers to organize and collectively bargain. The Delaware Democratic Party supports:
- The right of individuals to organize and bargain collectively,
- The protection of organized labor’s ability to engage people in the political process,
- Enacting a livable wage,
- Ensuring a healthy and safe work environment,
- Encouraging an open line of communication between labor leaders and leaders of government,
- Legislating progressive worker compensation protections,
- Encouraging employers to provide short and long term disability insurance,
- Requiring employers to provide adequate unemployment insurance, and
- Encouraging greater funding for job training and retraining of displaced workers.
VII. Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
The Delaware Democratic Party believes that public safety is a responsibility of government at all levels, federal, state, county and municipalities. Public safety and emergency preparedness should be addressed through a community-based approach, sharing resources working with the State, County and City governments. The Delaware Democratic Party supports:
- Focusing on crime prevention, not just punishment, by examining rehabilitation and other alternatives in lieu of incarceration,
- Allocating resources to substance abuse treatment and family counseling,
- Eliminating racial profiling,
- Promoting equal justice for all,
- Protecting Delaware’s citizens from acts of violence and natural disaster,
- Ensuring that the government of Delaware is prepared to respond to emergency situations, and
- The concept that, by acting responsibly and with respect for differing views on the weapons issues, we can protect our constitutional rights and keep our communities and our children safe.
VIII. Military/Veterans
Delawareans have a long and noble tradition of serving our nation and our state in the United States military. The men and women of the military, including the Delaware Army and Air National Guard, are dedicated to defending freedom and we honor their service and sacrifice. Delaware’s veterans can be proud of their service and we will continue to support programs aimed at bettering their lives. Their efforts support national and global democracy and protect our American rights and values. The Delaware Democratic Party supports:
- Ensuring sufficient funding for Veteran’s facilities,
- Opposing any attempt to close down any of our military facilities, including Dover Air Force Base and all of our National Guard facilities,
- Supporting the families of those deployed on domestic and foreign soil,
- Dignified healthcare worthy of all those who have served in the US Armed Forces, and
- Education, training, and investment in our military families to help them transition to civilian life.
IX. Civil Rights and Diversity
The Delaware Democratic Party is proud of its long-standing support of equal rights, securing individual freedoms and protecting against discrimination. Civil rights are fundamental to the Delaware Democratic Party. The Delaware Democratic Party supports:
- Equal rights for all, regardless of age, race, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability or economic background,
- The principle that no one should be discriminated against based on any of the above criteria in employment, insurance, health care, housing, public accommodation, education or any other area,
- Enhanced punishment for criminals convicted of crimes motivated by hate and discrimination,
- Legislation that provides equal opportunity and rights for all,
- Striving toward a diverse workforce, and
- Relationship recognition regardless of sexual orientation.
X. Responsible Government
The Delaware Democratic Party believes every Delawarean should be confident in the stewardship of government. The Delaware Democratic Party supports:
- Government that is well managed, open, transparent, accountable, efficient and responsive,
- Sound fiscal practices, with public access at all levels to government financial records,
- Ideas and contributions of all Delawareans,
- Transparency in campaign finance and public officials’ compensation,
- Redistricting by a non-partisan committee, and
- Progressive tax and budget policies.
