With surprising harmony, the Democrats all but completed drafting their platform last week. The relatively brief, 3,500-word document (the elephantine 1984 version was 40,000 words) signals a sharp break with the party's promise- them-anything past. This time there are no bold pledges to match earlier advocacy of guaranteed jobs (1972) and national health insurance (1980). Gone too is the usual laundry list of narrow causes like the 1984 vow to "eliminate ethnic stereotyping." The 1988 platform may be purposely vague, but there are hidden subtexts beneath the soporific rhetoric.
"The Restoration of Competence and Hope"
The awkward title says it all:...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
