From the preamble of the 2016 Maine Democratic Party platform: “Our American democracy … functions for the betterment of the collective good.”

In a previous column, I reviewed the Maine Republican Party platform. Now as promised, here is a review that defines Maine Democratic Party principles and draws, in many cases, stark comparisons with the views of the opposing party. The contrast begins in that preamble phrase, which seems to introduce a socialist tone to the platform.

Highlights from the platform:

• Support a new (economic) deal for all Americans and all Mainers.

• Reverse the 35-year trend of increasing economic inequality.

• Reconstruction of the social safety net.

• A minimum wage high enough to raise workers out of poverty.

• Strong commitment to democratic control over economic regulation and consumer protection.

• Opposition to so-called “right-to-work” laws.

• Reinstitution of strong consumer protection, including protection from predatory practices in financial markets. We support fully implementing the Dodd-Frank Act and reinstituting Glass-Steagall provisions that separate commercial from investment banking and prevents banks from gambling with customer’s money.

• Strengthen and expand Social Security.

• We affirm: health care as a fundamental human right and favor action to improve the health and wellness of all people by ensuring them access to affordable health care. This goal is best achieved through the adoption of a universal, single-payer and non-profit health care system for Maine and the nation by expanding Medicare to all.

• Protect women’s rights to reproductive choice and full access to reproductive health services.

• Guarantee access to health and reproductive resources regardless of gender identity or sexual preference.

• Promote electoral reforms that result in officials elected by the majority of voters and legislative bodies being fully representative of their constituencies, through the use of such reforms as ranked-choice voting and nonpartisan redistricting processes.

• Oppose the legal concept of “corporate personhood” as it is applied to participation in the political process.

• Support an emphasis on rehabilitation and reform in the criminal justice system and the development of alternatives to incarceration, while refraining from unduly harsh and irreversible punishments, including the death penalty.

• Understand drug abuse and addiction as a public health crisis and treat addicts as patients.

• Support the legalization of marijuana for adults 21 years and older while protecting minors from its use.

• Extend to people of all marginalized orientations, gender identities and intersex statuses — such as LGBTQ people — all the same legal and social rights as their heterosexual, cisgender and dyadic counterparts receive, and oppose all efforts to dismantle or limit these rights.

• Offer a path to legal residence for long-term and law-abiding undocumented asylees, refugees and immigrants.

More, abbreviated:

• Lead by example and action to wage peace in the world, safeguard national security through peaceful solutions to international challenges … and strengthen the United Nations.

• Oppose the “fast track” process and current and future trade agreements, such as the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement in its present form, which puts thousands of American jobs in jeopardy.

On budgets and taxes:

• Commit to a balanced budget and reduce local government dependence on regressive property taxes by meeting state legislative commitments to Maine communities of 5 percent revenue sharing and 55 percent support of education funding.

Those highlights should give you what you need to compare Maine Democratic Party beliefs with Republicans. Major differences should produce a meaningful debate over the theory of collectivism vs individualism.

It is obvious that the Maine Democratic platform is the work of those who gave socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders a majority of the state’s delegates to the national convention, while as I commented in my previous column on the Republicans, their platform was authored by the most conservative delegates, who favored constitutional conservative Ted Cruz.

This gives us a political dilemma of major proportions: a Democrat Party lurching further to the left as Sanders and his followers pressure Hillary Clinton, who will be their eventual nominee, to become even more progressive and liberal.

And, the Republicans now stuck with a standard bearer who may not even be a conservative. Worse still, Trump may be unqualified by character and recklessness to be leader of the free world with the nuclear option.

To Trump’s own nickname approach to this election — “Crooked Hilary” and “Crazy Bernie” — must be added, “Dangerous Donald.”

Extreme choices. A political system in crisis.

H.L. Mencken wrote: “Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good.”

And, paraphrasing Tom Donlan, Barron’s editorial page director, we have a difficult choice now; do we run with the mob or away from it?

Don Roberts, a former city councilor and former vice chairman of the Charter Commission in Augusta, is a trustee of the Greater Augusta Utility District.

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