What Being a Democrat Means to Me, Part 2

By Sarah J. Slattery

What does being a Democrat mean to me?

It means a lot. I’ve always been an empathetic person, willing to help others in need. I give a lot of the credit to my folks, who raised me to care about and respect others. 

I didn’t understand what Democrat meant, I just knew that’s what my parents were. When I was young, I met Senator Bob Kerrey at a campaign event that he held at the Plattsmouth VFW. I was probably 5 or 6 years old. I didn’t know who he was or why it was important, but I was in a photo on the front page of the local paper! (RIP, Plattsmouth Journal). 

As I got older, I got a clearer picture of what being a Democrat means. It means you care about your neighbors and you want them to live a healthy, happy life. I still believe that. In this day and age, it also means that we must fight for our neighbors’ most basic human right…bodily autonomy. 

Remember the good old days when everyone just minded their own business? Let’s get back to that. 

Remember the good old days when your political affiliation wasn’t a reason to hate or be hated? I do. I remember when we used to elect Democrats to US senate seats and as Nebraska Governors. 

First, there was a divide. People started voting solely along party lines instead of voting for the best candidate for the job. Like anything terrible, this has now snowballed into an absolute canyon between parties, with folks on the right moving the scales further and further each year. This extremist shift has left regular, moderate, good people out in the cold. We must begin to heal that divide. 

As a Democrat, I want to embrace these disenfranchised folks and show them that we are not the evil boogeymen that we have been made out to be. We are regular folks who care so much about our friends and neighbors, that we will continue to fight for them, no matter what. 

As a born and raised Nebraskan, I’m not going to give up on my party, just like I’ll never give up on my Huskers. Hard work and perseverance will succeed. 

I am excited to be Chair of the Cass County Democrats. I’m excited to revitalize our party and find and support candidates to run for every seat. I’m excited to get us back to a place where we can and will win big elections.