Midlands Voices: Democratic Party alive and thriving

The writer is chairman of the Nebraska Democratic Party.

In reading the Jan. 10 Michael Kelly column titled "Time for Dems to Rally Their Party," I recalled a famous Mark Twain quote — "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." I used that line the last time The World-Herald ran with the same storyline.

The Nebraska Democratic Party is not only alive and well, but we are on the move.

First, to even suggest that The Democratic Party is "moribund" requires a huge case of forgetfulness. We have not only been holding our own, we have been winning elections.

In 2008, the efforts of Nebraska Democrats gave President Barack Obama a Nebraska electoral vote — the first since 1964.

In 2009, Democrats took control of the Lincoln City Council by electing two at-large council persons. Lincoln, under the leadership of its Democratic mayor, Chris Beutler, and its Democratic council, is now on nearly everyone's top five lists for cities in America. That is because Democrats believe in government and know how to govern and how to make things happen.

Also in 2009, Jim Suttle, a Democrat, was elected mayor of Omaha. In addition, four Democrats were elected to the City Council, resulting in a Democratic majority for the first time in 12 years. Suddenly, the fortunes of Omaha also have turned around.

In 2010, we held the line in the Nebraska Legislature, losing only one incumbent state senator when most states saw major losses for Democrats in their state legislatures.

Last year, the Douglas County Democrats and the Nebraska Democratic Party played a huge role in defeating the ill-advised recall effort against Mayor Suttle. Such referendum elections, without an opponent, are nearly impossible to win. We did the impossible.

Also in 2011, Mayor Beutler won re-election by a landslide, and three out of four district council seats went Democratic in Lincoln. Another major newspaper called us a "Democratic Machine" in Lincoln. Admittedly, the Lancaster County Democrats are one well-organized operation. Watch out, because the Sarpy County Democrats are getting much stronger, too.

In the 2010 and 2011 elections, we also saw Democrats elected to the office of Crete mayor, and we won numerous county offices, helping build the bench for our future. Check it out: I think we have Democrats serving in locally elected office in more than 85 counties in this state, maybe more.

But this is just the beginning. The Nebraska Democratic Party is holding another presidential caucus on April 14. In fact, the Nebraska Democratic Party was the leader in assembling a four-state "super caucus" on April 14 with Wyoming, Kansas and Idaho. As a result, we were awarded bonus delegates and will now be sending the largest Nebraska delegation ever to the Democratic National Convention.

The caucus is more than a presidential preference — it is an open house for Nebraskans to meet each other and speak their minds. We are not a closed party. We continue to invest in the neighbor-to-neighbor form of political action. The wealthy are not going to buy American politics if people have a place where their voices can be heard.

Perhaps the Republican Party of yesteryear is the party that is dead. Many Nebraskans are Republican by accident, going back to the progressive era founded by Abraham Lincoln. Nebraska was the birthplace of populism, reacting in the late 1800s to the robber barons to beat back corporate control. That same Nebraska spirit lives today in the Nebraska Democratic Party.

The party is vibrant and very much alive. We are the party of solutions, growth and good government. We are the party of the future.

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