This past weekend, my daughter attended her 10-year class reunion. If you attended your 10-year high school reunion, you understand the angst leading up to that time and the joy that’s felt when reuniting with friends and acquaintances from years gone by. There is power when human beings connect. In the work we are doing, some people are fostering connections in our communities to build grassroots collective power and others love having power for themselves. We see that plainly in the actions of #45.

Reading the whistleblower complaint, I was struck by Trump’s love of power. He likely has lived his entire life in that manner but now, as President of the United States, he is consolidating power on a global scale. His work relationships are tenuous; they are tools used for self-aggrandizement. Rather than using his position of power to serve our country, he is using our country to feed his hunger for power. Standing against his abuses necessitates standing united. Our strength isn’t in consolidating power; our strength comes from connecting to one another and those connections need space to grow.

As members of the Democratic Party, we are fortunate to have a structure that can be used to build connections and foster growth. Coming together in our precincts and wards is our vehicle for building grassroots power. To those of you who are active precinct and ward chairs, thank you! To those of you, who are supporting your precinct and ward chairs, thank you! To those of you, who are reaching into your communities to cultivate relationships and engage a diverse electorate, thank you! Ours is a formidable task. Resisting consolidation of power and forging a new direction requires establishing our power in and through connection.

We are truly building the bridge to an inclusive representative democracy while crossing it.

Yours in democracy,

Flora
Flora Lucero
Chair, Democratic Party of Bernalillo County