Democratic candidates pitch national service programs to help bridge America's political divide by TheStephSy
Presidential elections are decided by many things: media exposure, financial backing, personal chemistry, timing and luck. Policy positions often are just a way of signaling where a candidate stands on the political spectrum. But 2020 is shaping up to be different, the most ideas-driven election in recent American history. On the Democratic side, a robust debate about inequality has given rise to ambitious proposals to redress the imbalance in Americans’ economic situations.
Might those divisions begin to be reconciled if every young person in America were compelled to participate in a national service program? Could shared responsibility and obligation of the kind that created the Greatest Generation and propelled the U.S. to unforeseen heights be replicated in a draft of social soldiers, fighting for their communities and American ideals?
President Bill Clinton continued the tradition, making national service a selling point during his 1992 presidential campaign. He didn’t ultimately get the 800,000-strong Citizens Corps he proposed, but he did successfully launch AmeriCorps in 1993. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, President George W. Bush spoke at length about the importance of military and civic volunteering and kept AmeriCorps alive, convincing Congress to boost funding for the organization.
Moulton, a former Marine, is calling for a national service education guarantee. If he became president he would launch a national recruiting effort for the program in an effort to reach all young Americans . Moulton, along with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney, is calling for a corps that would specifically tackle the challenges of climate change.
“This will create job opportunities for thousands of young Americans caring for our natural resources and public lands, deepening their lifelong relationship with the great outdoors,” she writes.
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