The Mission of the Sumter County Democratic Executive Committee is to achieve an inclusive society by electing qualified and responsible candidates who effectively represent the diverse population of Sumter County, Florida.

The recent events in our country have deeply saddened many of us. However, a recent event in The Villages has really hit home. I’m speaking about the President’s recent Twitter post of a video taken at an event at Lake Sumter Landing that has made national and international news.

As Democrats, we support free speech, but, at the same time, we regret the uncivil language used by a woman identified as a Democrat.

 and we can only express dismay and disappointment with the man in the golf cart with the Trump sign yelling “White Power.” That he would use that phrase in America’s Friendliest Home Town, or any circumstance displays a mean streak that is becoming pervasive in our country. That he would yell the phrase while driving past a just ended vigil observing the tragic death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement is shocking to the core.

It wasn’t long ago that I was truly “Proud to be an American” but lately I often find myself more embarrassed than proud. We are all too often dismayed by news reports showing Americans behaving badly and this behavior not only seems to be condoned but encouraged by our President, who is fanning the flames of racism and hatred.

I fear that the cruelty and divisions we are now experiencing will cause wounds that will take years to heal. I sincerely hope that we can reconnect to our compassion, unite in our desire to heal the damage and find it in our hearts to be kind to one another. I am holding on to the advice of Michelle Obama that “when they go low, we go high.”

Cathie Hardy, Chair
Sumter County Democratic Executive Committee.