LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Dozens of progressive groups such as Our Revolution are rallying during Summer for Progress (www.summerforprogress.com), calling on House Democrats to cosponsor a people's platform – eight bills that put the American people first.

This month, the Democratic Party of Lake County, or DPLC, joined this effort by voting unanimously to endorse the eight bills.

At its monthly business meeting on Aug. 3, on the recommendation of its issues committee, the DPLC endorsed not only "The People’s Platform," but also additional bills, hence, "People's Platform – Plus.”

A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll revealed that 52 percent of Americans surveyed don't believe the Democratic Party stands for anything except that it is anti-Trump.

On July 24 at the “Better Deal” press conference in Virginia, national party leaders announced what they called “bold ideas,” but the proposals – for "investigation" into drug price hikes, increased regulation and tax credits for employers – stirred little enthusiasm.

After researching the eight People's Platform bills, the DPLC Issues Committee recommended endorsement by the DPLC because these bills offer solid, substantial proposals that would help most Americans.

Here are actual bold ideas:

– Medicare for all: H.R.676 Medicare For All Act;
– Tuition-free college: H.R.1880 College for All Act of 2017;
– A living wage: H.R.15 Raise the Wage Act;
– Women's rights: H.R.771 Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act of 2017;
– Voting rights: H.R.2840 - Automatic Voter Registration Act;
– Environmental justice: H.R.(tba) Climate Change Bill - Renewable Energy;
– Criminal justice and immigrant rights: H.R.3227 Justice is Not For Sale Act of 2017;
– Taxing Wall Street: H.R.1144 Inclusive Prosperity Act.

Also endorsed by the DPLC (the "plus"):

– H.R.1102 Redistricting Reform Act of 2017 (end gerrymandering);
– H.R.1111 The Department of Peacekeeping Act of 2017 (more peace, less war).
– Money Out of Politics (not a bill… yet): The corrupting influence of money on the political process threatens our democracy. The DPLC supports Public Campaign Financing and an amendment to overturn Citizens United.

Though the name "people's platform" may have a radical ring, the ideas within the platform are embraced by ever-increasing percentages of Americans.

Per an April NBC/WSJ poll, 60 percent of Americans think immigration helps more than hurts our country, and 57 percent of Americans across the political spectrum believe government should play a larger role in helping people, not less.

Majorities of Americans polled by Pew Research in April want government spending to increase in the areas of veterans benefits, education, infrastructure like highways and bridges, and healthcare.

Sixty-seven percent believe climate change is real and that we need to take action against it, and most Americans support higher taxes on the 1 percent, and oppose tax cuts for corporations.

Americans across the political spectrum support progressive programs, Social Security and Medicare heading the popularity list.

And, the most popular politician in the country is uber-left Bernie Sanders, according to a March 2017 Fox News poll and confirmed by an April 2017 Harvard-Harris survey.

While his net favorability is 57 percent among all registered voters, he is exceptionally popular among Democrats: 80 percent approve of Sanders, per the Harvard-Harris survey.

According to the Fox poll, he not only scored the highest net approval among Independents (the largest registered voting group), but among Independents he has twice the net favorability score over the next-highest politician, Mike Pence.

The above data leads Issues Committee chairperson Deb Baumann to conclude, "The American people have been shifting leftward, but party leaders in Washington may not have noticed. Local Democratic Central Committees (DCCs) are the governing bodies of the grassroots foundation of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party of Lake County's DCC hopes other DCCs will endorse The People's Platform, and collectively send a strong message to Democrats in Washington."