By James Call
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-738530.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Both the Democratic and Republican parties have found some new tools for building their platforms. This weekend Tallahassee City Commissioner Allan will be, (was) in Cleveland where he and other members of the Democratic platform committee will consider hundreds if not thousands of proposals written by rank and file members. James Call reports.
Democrats say they organized more than 13 hundred listening to America meetings during one week in July. As a member of the platform writing committee, Alan Katz gets to vote on whether to include proposals from the meetings in the party's platform. Katz says says the idea for gathering neighbors together to discuss public policy grew out of the Democrat's 50-state strategy, DNC chairman's Howard Dean's plan to have the party compete everywhere, even in GOP strongholds.