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                    1992 DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM

            "A NEW COVENANT WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE"


                  III.  RESTORING COMMUNITY

          The success of democracy in America depends
substantially on the strength of our community institutions:
families and neighborhoods, public schools, religious
institutions, charitable organizations, civic groups and other
voluntary associations.  In these social networks, the values and
character of our citizens are formed, as we learn the habits and
skills of self-government, and acquire an understanding of our
common rights and responsibilities as citizens.  

          Twelve years of Republican rule have undermined the
spirit of mutual dependence and obligation that binds us
together.  Republican leaders have urged Americans to turn
inward, to pursue private interests without regard to public
responsibilities.  By playing racial, ethnic and gender-based
politics they have divided us against each other, created an
atmosphere of blame, denial and fear, and undone the hard-fought
battles for equality and fairness.  

          Our communities form a vital "third sector" that lies
between government and the marketplace.  The wisdom, energy and
resources required to solve our problems are not concentrated in
Washington, but can be found throughout our communities,
including America's non-profit sector, which has grown rapidly
over the last decade.  Government's best role is to enable people
and communities to solve their own problems.

          America's special genius has been to forge a community
of shared values from people of remarkable and diverse
backgrounds.  As the party of inclusion, we take special pride in
our country's emergence as the world's largest and most
successful multiethnic, multiracial republic.  We condemn
antisemitism, racism, homophobia, bigotry and negative
stereotyping of all kinds.  We must help all Americans understand
the diversity of our cultural heritage.  But it is also essential
that we preserve and pass on to our children the common elements
that hold this mosaic together as we work to make our country a
land of freedom and opportunity for all.  

          Both Republican neglect and traditional spending
programs have proven unequal to these challenges.  Democrats will
pursue a new course that stresses work, family and individual
responsibility, and that empowers Americans to liberate
themselves from poverty and dependence.  We pledge to bolster the
institutions of civil society and place a new emphasis on civic
enterprises that seek solutions to our nation's problems. 
Through common, cooperative efforts we can rebuild our
communities and transform our nation.  

          Combatting Crime and Drugs.  Crime is a relentless
danger to our communities.  Over the last decade, crime has swept
through our country at an alarming rate.  During the 1980s, more
than 200,000 Americans were murdered, four times the number who
died in Vietnam.  Violent crimes rose by more than 16 percent
since 1988 and nearly doubled since 1975.  In our country today,
a murder is committed every 25 minutes, a rape every six minutes,
a burglary every 10 seconds.  The pervasive fear of crime
disfigures our public life and diminishes our freedom.  

          None suffer more than the poor: an explosive mixture of
blighted prospects, drugs and exotic weaponry has turned many of
our inner city communities into combat zones.  As a result, crime
is not only a symptom but also a major cause of the worsening
poverty and demoralization that afflicts inner city communities.

           To empower America's communities, Democrats pledge to
restore government as the upholder of basic law and order for
crime-ravaged communities.  The simplest and most direct way to
restore order in our cities is to put more police on the streets.

America's police are locked in an unequal struggle with crime:
since 1951 the ratio of police officers to reported crimes has
reversed, from three-to-one to one-to-three.  We will create a
Police Corps, in which participants would receive college aid in
return for several years of service after graduation in a state
or local police department.  As we shift people and resources
from defense to the civilian economy, we will create new jobs in
law enforcement for those leaving the military.  

          We will expand drug counselling and treatment for those
who need it, intensify efforts to educate our children at the
earliest ages to the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, and curb
demand from the street corner to the penthouse suite, so that the
U.S., with five percent of the world's population, no longer
consumes 50 percent of the world's illegal drugs.   

          Community Policing.  Neighborhoods and police should be
partners in the war on crime.  Democrats support more community
policing, which uses foot patrols and storefront offices to make
police officers visible fixtures in urban neighborhoods.  We will
combat street violence and emphasize building trust and solving
the problems that breed crime.  

          Firearms.  It is time to shut down the weapons bazaars
in our cities.  We support a reasonable waiting period to permit
background checks for purchases of handguns, as well as assault
weapons controls to ban the possession, sale, importation and
manufacture of the most deadly assault weapons.  We do not
support efforts to restrict weapons used for legitimate hunting
and sporting purposes.  We will work for swift and certain
punishment of all people who violate the country's gun laws and
for stronger sentences for criminals who use guns.  We will also
seek to shut down the black market for guns and impose severe
penalties on people who sell guns to children.



          Pursuing All Crime Aggressively.  In contrast to the
Republican policy of leniency toward white collar crime -- which
breeds cynicism in poor communities about the impartiality of our
justice system -- Democrats will redouble efforts to ferret out
and punish those who betray the public trust, rig financial
markets, misuse their depositors' money or swindle their
customers. 

          Further Initiatives.  Democrats also favor innovative
sentencing and punishment options, including community service
and boot camps for first time offenders; tougher penalties for
rapists; victim-impact statements and restitution to ensure that
crime victims will not be lost in the complexities of the
criminal justice system; and initiatives to make our schools
safe, including alternative schools for disruptive children. 

          Empowering The Poor and Expanding The Middle Class.  
We must further the new direction set in the Family Support Act
of 1988, away from subsistence and dependence and toward work,
family and personal initiative and responsibility.  We advocate
slower phasing out of Medicaid and other benefits to encourage
work; special savings accounts to help low-income families build
assets; fair lending; an indexed minimum wage; an expanded Job
Corps; and an end to welfare rules that encourage family breakup
and penalize individual initiative, such as the $1,000 limit on
personal savings.  

          Immigration.  Our nation of immigrants has been
invigorated repeatedly as new people, ideas and ways of life have
become part of the American tapestry.  Democrats support
immigration policies that promote fairness, non-discrimination
and family reunification, and that reflect our constitutional
freedoms of speech, association and travel.  

          Housing.  Safe, secure housing is essential to the
institutions of community and family.  We support homeownership
for working families and will honor that commitment through
policies that encourage affordable mortgage credit.  We must also
confront homelessness by renovating, preserving and expanding the
stock of affordable low-income housing.  We support tenant
management and ownership, so public housing residents can manage
their own affairs and acquire property worth protecting.
   
          National Service.  We will create new opportunities for
citizens to serve each other, their communities and their
country.  By mobilizing hundreds of thousands of volunteers,
national service will enhance the role of ordinary citizens in
solving unresolved community problems.  

          The Arts.  We believe in public support for the Arts,
including a National Endowment for the Arts that is free from
political manipulation and firmly rooted in the First Amendment's
freedom of expression guarantee.  

              IV.  PRESERVING OUR NATIONAL SECURITY

          During the past four years, we have seen the corrosive
effect of foreign policies that are rooted in the past, divorced
from our values, fearful of change and unable to meet its
challenges.  Under President Bush, crises have been managed,
rather than prevented; dictators like Saddam Hussein have been
wooed, rather than deterred; aggression by the Serbian regime
against its neighbors in what was Yugoslavia has been met by
American timidity rather than toughness; human rights abusers
have been rewarded, not challenged; the environment has been
neglected, not protected; and America's competitive edge in the
global economy has been dulled, not honed.  It is time for new
American leadership that can meet the challenges of a changing
world.  

     At the end of World War II, American strength had defeated
tyranny and American ingenuity had overcome the Depression. 
Under President Truman, the United States led the world into a
new era, redefining global security with bold approaches to tough
challenges:  containing communism with the NATO alliance and in
Korea; building the peace through organizations such as the
United Nations; and advancing global economic security through
new multilateral institutions.

     Nearly a half century later, we stand at another pivotal
point in history.  The collapse of communism does not mean the
end of danger or threats to our interests.  But it does pose an
unprecedented opportunity to make our future more secure and
prosperous.  Once again, we must define a compelling vision for
global leadership at the dawn of a new era.  

Restructuring Our Military Forces.

     We have not seen the end of violence, aggression and the
conflicts that can threaten American interests and our hopes for
a more peaceful world.  What the United States needs is not the
Bush Administration's Cold War thinking on a smaller scale, but a
comprehensive restructuring of the American military enterprise
to meet the threats that remain.  

     Military Strength.  America is the world's strongest
military power and we must remain so.  A post-Cold War
restructuring of American forces will produce substantial savings
beyond those promised by the Bush Administration, but that
restructuring must be achieved without undermining our ability to
meet future threats to our security.  A military structure for
the 1990's and beyond must be built on four pillars:  First, a
survivable nuclear force to deter any conceivable threat, as we
reduce our nuclear arsenals through arms control negotiations and
other reciprocal action.  Second, conventional forces shifted
toward projecting power wherever our vital national interests are
threatened.  This means reducing the size of our forces in
Europe, while meeting our obligations to NATO, and strengthening
our rapid deployment capabilities to deal with new threats to our
security posed by renegade dictators, terrorists, international
drug traffickers, and the local armed conflicts that can threaten
the peace of entire regions.  Third, maintenance of the two
qualities that make America's military the best in the world --
the superiority of our military personnel and of our technology. 
These qualities are vital to shortening any conflict and saving
American lives. Fourth, intelligence capabilities redirected to
develop far more sophisticated, timely and accurate analyses of
the economic and political conditions that can fuel new
conflicts.

     Use Of Force.  The United States must be prepared to use
military force decisively when necessary to defend our vital
interests.  The burdens of collective security in a new era must
be shared fairly, and we should encourage multilateral
peacekeeping through the United Nations and other international
efforts.

     Preventing And Containing Conflict.  American policy must be
focused on averting military threats as well as meeting them.  To
halt the spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction,
we must lead a renewed international effort to get tough with
companies that peddle nuclear and chemical warfare technologies,
strengthen the International Atomic Energy Agency, and enforce
strong sanctions against governments that violate international
restraints.  A Comprehensive Test Ban would strengthen our
ability to stop the spread of nuclear weapons to other countries,
which may be our greatest future security threat.  We must press
for strong international limits on the dangerous and wasteful
flow of conventional arms to troubled regions.  A U.S. troop
presence should be maintained in South Korea as long as North
Korea presents a threat to South Korea.  

Restoring America's Economic Leadership.

         The United States cannot be strong abroad if it is weak
at home.  Restoring America's global economic leadership must
become a central element of our national security policies.  The
strength of nations, once defined in military terms, now is
measured also by the skills of their workers, the imagination of
their managers and the power of their technologies.

         Either we develop and pursue a national plan for
restoring our economy through a partnership of government, labor
and business, or we slip behind the nations that are competing
with us and growing.  At stake are American jobs, our standard of
living and the quality of life for ourselves and our children.

         Economic strength -- indeed our national security -- is
grounded on a healthy domestic economy.  But we cannot be strong
at home unless we are part of a vibrant and expanding global
economy that recognizes human rights and seeks to improve the
living standards of all the world's people.  This is vital to
achieving good quality, high paying jobs for Americans.  

         Trade.  Our government must work to expand trade, while
insisting that the conduct of world trade is fair.  It must fight
to uphold American interests -- promoting exports, expanding
trade in agricultural and other products, opening markets in
major product and service sectors with our principal competitors,
and achieving reciprocal access.  This should include renewed
authority to use America's trading leverage against the most
serious problems.  The U.S. government also must firmly enforce
U.S. laws against unfair trade.

         Trade Agreements.   Multilateral trade agreements can
advance our economic interests by expanding the global economy. 
Whether negotiating the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) or
completing the GATT negotiations, our government must assure that
our legitimate concerns about environmental, health and safety,
and labor standards are included.  Those American workers whose
jobs are affected must have the benefit of effective adjustment
assistance.

Promoting Democracy.

         Brave men and women -- like the hero who stood in front
of a tank in Beijing and the leader who stood on a tank in Moscow
-- are putting their lives on the line for democracy around the
world.  But as the tide of democracy rose in the former Soviet
Union and in China, in the Baltics and South Africa, only
reluctantly did this Administration abandon the status quo and
embrace the fight for freedom. 

         Support for democracy serves our ideals and our
interests.  A more democratic world is a world that is more
peaceful and more stable.  An American foreign policy of
engagement for democracy must effectively address:

         Emerging Democracies.  Helping to lead an international
effort to assist the emerging -- and still fragile -- democracies
in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union build democratic
institutions in free market settings, demilitarize their
societies and integrate their economies into the world trading
system.  Unlike the Bush Administration, which waited too long to
recognize the new democratic governments in the Baltic countries
and the nations of the former Soviet Union, we must act
decisively with our European allies to support freedom, diminish
ethnic tensions, and oppose aggression in the former communist
countries, such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, which are struggling to
make the transition from communism to democracy.  As change
sweeps through the Balkans, the United States must be sensitive
to the concerns of Greece regarding the use of the name
Macedonia.  And in the post-Cold War era, our foreign assistance
programs in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and elsewhere
should be targeted at helping democracies rather than tyrants.  
        Democracy Corps.  Promoting democratic institutions by
creating a Democracy Corps to send American volunteers to
countries that seek legal, financial and political expertise to
build democratic institutions, and support groups like the
National Endowment for Democracy, the Asia Foundation, and
others. 

        China Trade Terms.  Conditioning of favorable trade terms
for China on respect for human rights in China and Tibet, greater
market access for U.S. goods, and responsible conduct on weapons
proliferation.

        South Africa.  Maintenance of state and local sanctions
against South Africa in support of an investment code of conduct,
existing limits on deductibility of taxes paid to South Africa,
and diplomatic pressure until there is an irreversible, full and
fair accommodation with the black majority to create a democratic
government with full rights for all its citizens.  We deplore the
continuing violence, especially in Boipatong Township, and are
concerned about the collapse of the negotiations.  The U.S.
Government should consider reimposing Federal sanctions.  The
Democratic Party supports the creation of a South
African/American Enterprise Fund that will provide a new interim
government with public and private funds to assist in the
development of democracy in South Africa.  

        Middle East Peace.  Support for the peace process now
underway in the Middle East, rooted in the tradition of the Camp
David accords.  Direct negotiations between Israel, her Arab
neighbors and Palestinians, with no imposed solutions, are the
only way to achieve enduring security for Israel and full peace
for all parties in the region.  The end of the Cold War does not
alter America's deep interest in our longstanding special
relationship with Israel, based on shared values, a mutual
commitment to democracy, and a strategic alliance that benefits
both nations.  The United States must act effectively as an
honest broker in the peace process.  It must not, as has been the
case with this Administration, encourage one side to believe that
it will deliver unilateral concessions from the other.  Jerusalem
is the capital of the state of Israel and should remain an
undivided city accessible to people of all faiths.  

        Human Rights.  Standing everywhere for the rights of
individuals and respect for ethnic minorities against the
repressive acts of governments -- against torture, political
imprisonment, and all attacks on civilized standards of human
freedom.  This is a proud tradition of the Democratic Party,
which has stood for freedom in South Africa and continues to
resist oppression in Cuba.  Our nation should once again promote
the principle of sanctuary for politically oppressed people
everywhere, be they Haitian refugees, Soviet Jews seeking U.S.
help in their successful absorption into Israeli society, or
Vietnamese fleeing communism.  Forcible return of anyone fleeing
political repression is a betrayal of American values.
        Human Needs.  Support for the struggle against poverty
and disease in the developing world, including the heartbreaking
famine in Africa.  We must not replace the East-West conflict
with one between North and South, a growing divide between the
industrialized and developing world.  Our development programs
must be reexamined and restructured to assure that their benefits
truly help those most in need to help themselves.  At stake are
the lives of millions of human beings who live in hunger,
uprooted from their homes, too often without hope.  The United
States should work to establish a specific plan and timetable for
the elimination of world hunger.  

        Cyprus.  A renewed commitment to achieve a Cyprus
settlement pursuant to the United Nations resolutions.  This goal
must now be restored to the diplomatic agenda of the United
States.  

        Northern Ireland.  In light of America's historic ties to
the people of Great Britain and Ireland, and consistent with our
country's commitment to peace, democracy and human rights around
the world, a more active United States role in promoting peace
and political dialogue to bring an end to the violence and
achieve a negotiated solution in Northern Ireland. 

Preserving The Global Environment.

         As the threat of nuclear holocaust recedes, the future
of the earth is challenged by gathering environmental crises.  As
governments around the world have sought the path to concerted
action, the Bush Administration -- despite its alleged foreign
policy expertise -- has been more of an obstacle to progress than
a leader for change, practicing isolationism on an issue that
affects us all.  Democrats know we must act now to save the
health of the earth, and the health of our children, for
generations to come.

         Addressing Global Warming.  The United States must
become a leader, not an impediment, in the fight against global
warming.  We should join our European allies in agreeing to limit
carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000.  

         Ozone Depletion.  The United States must be a world
leader in finding replacements for CFCs and other ozone depleting
substances.

         Biodiversity.  We must work actively to protect the
planet's biodiversity and preserve its forests.  At the Rio Earth
Summit, the Bush Administration's failure to negotiate a
biodiversity treaty it could sign was an abdication of
international leadership.  

         Developing Nations.  We must fashion imaginative ways of
engaging governments and business in the effort to encourage
developing nations to preserve their environmental heritage.
         Population Growth.  Explosive population growth must be
controlled by working closely with other industrialized and
developing nations and private organizations to fund greater
family planning efforts.

                           *  *  *  *

         As a nation and as a people, we have entered into a new
era.  The Republican President and his advisors are rooted in
Cold War precepts and cannot think or act anew.  Through almost a
half century of sacrifice, constancy and strength, the American
people advanced democracy's triumph in the Cold War.  Only new
leadership that restores our nation's greatness at home can
successfully draw upon these same strengths of the American
people to lead the world into a new era of peace and freedom.

         In recent years we have seen brave people abroad face
down tanks, defy coups, and risk exodus by boat on the high seas
for a chance at freedom and the kind of opportunities we call the
American Dream.  It is time for Americans to fight against the
decline of those same opportunities here at home.  

         Americans know that, in the end, we will all rise or
fall together.  To make our society one again, Democrats will
restore America's founding values of family, community and common
purpose.

         We believe in the American people.  We will challenge
all Americans to give something back to their country.  And they
will be enriched in return, for when individuals assume
responsibility, they acquire dignity.  When people go to work,
they rediscover a pride that was lost.  When absent parents pay
child support, they restore a connection they and their children
need.  When students work harder, they discover they can learn as
well as any on earth.  When corporate managers put their workers
and long-term success ahead of short-term gain, their companies
do well and so do they.  When the leaders we elect assume
responsibility for America's problems, we will do what is right
to move America forward together. 

End of Platform


		Posted by Clinton for President  7/24/92