CLEVELAND –

The Democratic Party’s Platform Drafting Committee began their meetings to write the DNC platform today. It will be composed over the weekend and then will go before the full platform committee next week in Pittsburgh before being voted on at the Democratic National Convention at the end of August in Denver.

During past elections, the committee held meetings in a few cities on platform ideas, but the Democrats did it differently this year to get the most input from Americans all over the country, “Unlike in the past, for the first time this year we’ve had 1,600 platform meetings in the 50 states,” Committee Chairwoman and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano said. Other committee members include Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Obama Foreign Policy advisor Susan Rice, Former Health Care advisor to President Clinton Chris Jennings, and seventeen others.

Over the almost five-hour session committee members heard from 34 groups that voiced their suggestions for the platform ranging from organizations representing health care reform, economic concerns, labor unions, energy and climate change, minority issues, the war in Iraq and veteran’s concerns, women’s reproductive rights, amongst others. Organizations included the AARP, Economic Policy Institute, AFL-CIO, U.S. Climate Action Network, Planned Parenthood, National Jewish Democratic Council, Arab American Institute among many others.

Several of the committee members were at the DNC’s testy Rules and Bylaws Committee at the end of May and even though both former Clinton backers and Obama supporters were in attendance the committee came together and seemed united to listen to platform ideas and help elect Senator Barack Obama. There was none of the in fighting that was openly on display at the RBC.

The committee chairwoman is the Governor of Arizona, Janet Napolitano, whose constituent is Arizona Senator and Obama rival, Senator John McCain. Several of the speakers took jabs at McCain during their briefings.

Health care was one of the most talked about issue at the meeting and health care reform that provides “affordable, quality health care for all” was pressed as one of the most important elements to the draft:

“There is no silver bullet in health care. It is going to require that everyone: individuals, employers, insurers, health care providers and government step up to the plate and try to figure out how we can get this solution done,” Jeanne Lambrew from the Center for American Progress told the committee, “Now despite the good news of this consensus, the bad news is that the current president and his chosen successor do not share this vision. What we are seeing from Senator McCain is a plan that would take away the choice of employer based coverage putting millions of people at risk of trying to find coverage in the individual market where you can be denied coverage.”

Click above to see the web ad that the Democratic National Committee released today. Keep reading to learn more about it.

John McCain was aligned with the faults of the Bush administration much like Obama’s jabs that a McCain presidency is a third Bush term, “We urge the Platform Committee to call for greater federal oversight of private pensions and strongly affirm commitment to social security. This includes rejecting the misguided calls by President Bush and Senator McCain to privatize social security. Throwing social security funds on the roulette wheel of the stock market is a gamble that Americans just can’t afford to take. Retirees were greatly offended to hear Senator John McCain just a couple of weeks ago comment that social security is a disgrace,” said Edward Coyle from the Alliance for Retired Americans, “42 million Americans receive social security benefits. These are our nation’s elderly. Our widows and our widowers, people with disabilities, and our young children who have seen a parent die. This is not a disgrace Senator McCain.”

The Bush administration was criticized for foreign policy decisions and errors while Obama was praised as a candidate who can restore America’s standing in the world:

“As Arab-Americans we have felt the affect of these policies very acutely. As a community that maintains close ties to the Middle East where America was one revered we are now stung by anti-American anger and the disgrace brought to our nation by the inexplicable Abu Ghraib, or Guantanamo Bay or rendition or torture, we speak to people against torture and do it ourselves,” said James Zogby from the Arab American Institute, “This election provides more than a choice between two candidates. What we will decide is whether or not to profoundly change direction, reclaim our values and restore our image in the world. Form the incredible excitement that he generated in the primaries to his enthusiastic reception he received during his nine nation overseas tour we believe that the election of Barack Obama will send a much-needed message to the world that America is back.“

Several speakers pressed the importance of women’s reproductive rights and freedom. Planned Parenthood went after McCain’s voting record, “Women in America can’t afford another four years of a President who opposes affordable access to health care including family planning. Unfortunately John McCain’s 25-year record in Congress has earned him a zero percent voting record on women’s health issues with Planned Parenthood,” said President Cecile Richards.

The issue of United States-Israel relations was addressed and the National Jewish Democratic Council made it clear that Obama is a friend to Israel and that rumors to the contrary are false, “ Senator Barack Obama has spoken at length of the special nature and importance of America’s ties with Israel. I want to emphasize because Republicans would have the American people believe otherwise that Senator Obama has built an impeccable legislative record with support for the U.S.-Israel relationship. Moreover he has reiterated in great detail the importance of this relationship during this campaign and in his recent trip to the Middle East,” said Executive Director Ira Forman.

Forman urged the committee to adopt stronger language exposing the danger of Iran’s nuclear program and expresses “tough principled diplomacy. “

The Drafting Committee reconvenes tomorrow to listen to stories from average Americans on how Bush administration policies have negatively affected their lives and what they want to see in the DNC platform. The document will then start to be written tomorrow afternoon.

This is on the same day that the Democratic National Committee released a web ad called “Proud of that Commercial” showing McCain saying he is “proud” of the ad his campaign is running comparing Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. The web commercial shows the presumptive Republican nominee responding to a voter who asks about McCain’s earlier assurances to run a positive campaign. McCain answers by saying “all I can say is that we’re proud of that commercial.”