Dear Nevada Democrats,

 

Today (November 20, 2009) is truly a day of celebration.  All across the Silver State, Democrats gathered in their communities, just as they did across the nation, and in Washington.  We gathered, not only to celebrate the Inauguration of Barack Obama, but to celebrate each other and our collective achievements.

 

 

We have so much to be proud of in 2008.  Democrats from all walks of life united and rolled up their sleeves to win Nevada for Barack Obama, to send Dina Titus to join Shelley Berkley in Congress, to gain a majority in the State Senate and make gains in the State Assembly.

 

It all began one year and one day ago, when 118,000 Democrats came out to their precinct caucuses, and we kicked off our tremendous year by registering 30,000 new Democrats in ninety minutes.  We have Senator Harry Reid to thank for his tireless efforts to secure the early caucus for Nevada, and to help build a stronger party in Nevada.  Because of him, we begin 2009 with a significant voter registration advantage, and are more inclusive and organized than we have ever been.

 

But, we must temper our celebration with the recognition that we are living in difficult times; that Nevadans—and Americans—are suffering from job loss, home foreclosures, inadequate access to health care, and schools and universities strapped for resources.  We must remember that we have a responsibility not only to lead in these difficult times, but to work as individuals, and as an organization, to help our brothers and sisters through these circumstances.  We must be a party and a people of solutions; we must all rise to our new president’s call to public service, and remember that we are the party of people who work hard every day to support their families.

 

We must also remember that we have much work yet to be done.  In 2010, we must re-elect the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid.  We have an unprecedented opportunity to pick up the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, and return all of our incumbent statewide elected officials to office.  And, we will continue to advance our majorities in both chambers of the legislature.  That work begins now, and as we continue to gather today to celebrate, I encourage you all to stay involved with the Nevada Democratic Party in the coming year.  Many of you have been active for years, and an unprecedented number of you have joined our family this year—people of all ages and backgrounds.  It is vital to our ongoing success that we continue working together to grow our party and promote the values and the candidates we represent. Please visit our website, www.nvdems.com, for regular updates and ways to stay involved.

 

Congratulations to everyone for your hard work in getting to this historic day.  Let’s make sure that we continue to make history every day!

 

Democratically Yours,

 

Sam Lieberman

osrsig@aol.com

Chair, Nevada State Democratic Party