Over the weekend Democrats came together to develop a set of principles for the consideration of delegates during the Democratic Convention. The result: a platform that showcases unity more than it airs differences in a party with large hot-button issues such as health care, energy, and trade and immigration.

Health Care
Perhaps the most significant outcome of the committees’ platform deliberations was the commitment made by the party to guarantee health care for all. The party now declares itself "united behind a commitment that every American man, woman and child be guaranteed to have affordable, comprehensive health care."

Advisers to current and former presidential primary candidates Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) both told the party's platform meeting participants that they were happy with the language. The "guarantee access" language was adopted without opposition and with no detailed explanation as to how such access to health care would be guaranteed.

In return for the guarantee, activists dropped a tougher platform amendment seeking a government-run, single-payer system and another amendment explicitly holding out Clinton's plan--which includes a requirement on individuals to have health insurance--as the one to follow.

According to the platform deliberations, under any system in play, most people would still put out money for health insurance as they do now, but they would get help when needed.

NSBA believes that the current health care system creates great inequities in how health care coverage is obtained and funded. These inequities have profoundly-negative consequences for small businesses and their employees. NSBA proposes broad health care reform under which all individuals would be required to obtain coverage. This approach would satisfy the goal of guaranteed health care for all. It also would ensure that both healthy and sick individuals participate in insurance pools, spreading risk more evenly to make premiums more affordable. Click here to read more about NSBA’s health care principles.

Energy
Regarding energy, Democrats aim to lead the way in developing a new American energy that will reduce dependence on foreign energy supplies, as well as grow the American economy.

More specifically the platform calls on “businesses, government, and the American people to make America 50 percent more energy efficient by 2030, because we know that the most energy efficient economy will also gain the competitive edge for new manufacturing and jobs that stay here at home.”

NSBA believes that improving America's energy efficiency must be a central component of any national effort to confront the weakening U.S. economy and address environmental concerns. To achieve these economic and environmental benefits, however, the U.S. must expand its focus on energy efficiency. NSBA believes that it is especially important that the effort to communicate the benefits of, and opportunities for, energy efficiency reach America's small businesses.

Trade & Immigration
The platform calls for a multilateral approach to improving the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), without saying specifically what those changes should be.
Instead, it speaks in generalities, a common theme for most party platforms, by stating: "We will work with Canada and Mexico to amend the North American Free Trade Agreement so that it works better for all three North American countries."

The party also promises "tough, practical, and humane immigration reform in the first year of the next administration."

NSBA urges any immigration reform measure to take into account the regulatory and possible financial burden imposed by over-reaching verification and exorbitant penalties on small-businesses.

NSBA also urges the next administration to ensure that reasonable and fair consideration is given to small business when crafting trade policy and evaluating the effectiveness of existing programs.

Party platforms are a statement of principles that are not binding on the candidates or the next president and they are typically given little attention after they are adopted.

However, the party's decision to embrace guaranteed access to health care is bound to become a leading yardstick by which Obama's presidency will be measured if he wins in November.

The platform was approved by the committee last Saturday and will be submitted to the national convention in Denver later this month.