Putting Country Over Party
Connie Brennan, Chair NCDC
Election season is in full swing, but I couldn’t begin this letter without first highlighting the spectacular success of our DemFest celebration on Sept. 14 at the Nelson Heritage Center. Wow, what a turnout! Thank you to our sponsors and everyone who attended — you made our annual social, dinner and fundraiser such a spirited and fun event.
And the food, the desserts, the music (thank you, Don’t Look Up!), and our inspiring speakers turned DemFest into something truly special. Thank you to 5th District Congressional candidate Gloria Witt, state House Delegates Amy Laufer and Sam Rasoul, and 2025 state Attorney General candidate Shannon Taylor (along with Sen. Tim Kaine for his thoughtful video message to us). I also want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to our wonderful volunteers who made it all happen, particularly our DemFest committee leaders Becky Evans and Marina Kelley. Check out some photos!
If you attended DemFest, I hope it gave you a chance to relax and celebrate the Democratic Party. And as this campaign season continues and we take stock of what’s going on nationally, I hope we’re also celebrating what we as Americans have in common, namely our devotion to our country.
We’re all seeing the widespread reaction to Trump and his attempts to upend our democracy and put himself above the law. He’s already incited one insurrection, and that actually matters to many, many Americans regardless of their political affiliation. It’s been gratifying to hear from so many voters over these last months who’ve said they’re voting for Kamala because they’re putting country over party.
The key is to keep that momentum going. Trump, of course, wants to stem the tide of voters who are rejecting him, and I imagine the despicable lies he and JD Vance are perpetuating — such as pets in peril in Ohio — are meant to both rile up their base and distract us. But we’re not going to be distracted. Yes, the hate-filled speech needs to be called out for what it is, but let’s not allow our primary goal to get lost in the process.
“It is well known that he admires dictators, wants to be a dictator on day one according to himself,” Vice President Harris said during their debate. We agree. Telling the truth about the threat Trump poses to America will go a long way toward encouraging even more voters to put country over party on Nov. 5.
Please keep in mind:
· The 900-plus page Project 2025 extremist agenda for a second Trump term is, among other terrifying things, a plan for him to seize power within the federal government. In his first term, officials in his administration maintained guardrails against many of his half-baked and dangerous ideas. This time would be different. For details, go to kamalaharris.com/project2025/ and also take a look at our Project 2025 flyer click here.
· Hundreds of prominent Republicans, including officials from previous GOP administrations such as Dick Cheney, have announced they’re backing our vice president (MSNBC’s Steve Benen said last week the trend is becoming an “avalanche.”)
· On social media and in the news, GOP political leaders as well as average Americans like you and me are talking about why they can’t support Trump and why they’re voting for Kamala. The Harris/Walz campaign even has a sign-up page for Republicans for Harris.
As true patriots, we can differ on our policies, folks, but we don’t differ on the importance of defending our democracy.
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