Since being elected Chairman of the Frederick County Democratic Committee in December, I have asked and I have also tried to answer the question of just what it means to be a Democrat.

 Because I was born into a Republican family, I did not inherit a sense of "Democratic" values and principles.  But in the same way we choose our spouse and our friends and our own career path, our political affiliations are usually, ultimately, a matter of personal choice and conviction.  And so, by choice, I am a Democrat.

 But what exactly IS a Democrat?  As a group, Democrats have always defied easy definition.  We are, as a group, as diverse and as individual as each of our members.  Even within the boundaries of Frederick County, we are extraordinarily diverse in our views on political and social and economic issues, diverse in background and culture and attitudes.  In fact, if there is a group that embraces and celebrates diversity more than the Democratic Party, I have not found it.

 Still, there are certain core values and principles that link Democrats to each other.  So this is what I have learned, and what I believe:

 We are, above all else, a party that stands for inclusiveness rather than exclusiveness, that honors the words of our party's founder Thomas Jefferson "that government is the strongest of which every man feels a part."

 We recognize that inequalities persist, and that they separate and segregate us by race, by gender, by economic status and, as a party, we are committed to achieving a society in which all voices are heard, and all people have a seat at the table.

 We are, in fact, the true conservative party.  We uphold and honor the core values of the Founding Fathers: human rights and dignity, democratic principles and equal representation, belief in the ability of the individual to make personal decisions in personal matters, limits on the power of government, the sanctity of personal and family privacy.

 We believe that being a "conservative" means honoring the precepts of conservation.  We accept that we are stewards of the earth and we have an obligation to our neighbors as well as to our children to be respectful in conserving historic places and natural resources.  In our own community, we fight to protect the beauty and the purity of the Shenandoah River, because the Shenandoah is life for many of us, and the heritage and pride of us all.

 We are the party as Democratic Presidents and Governors have demonstrated that preaches AND practices fiscal responsibility.  We believe that governments should pay their bills and balance their budgets just as families do and when Democrats govern, government somehow seems to be better at accomplishing this.  Individually, we work hard so the legacy we leave our children is one of promise rather than debt and we expect no less from our government.

 Democrats have always been the party of jobs and education.  We recognize the real value of a job  not just because it puts bread and milk on the table and a roof overhead and pays the medical and heating bills, but because it provides a degree of worth and dignity that cannot be measured.  So our commitment is to creating quality jobs for more people.  And we believe that the best possible long-term investment for our society is in education.  Because good education for our children depends on excellent schools and the best teachers, we believe that our schools and teachers are a necessary investment and our highest priority.

 We are a party that respects independent thinking, honors an open mind, and attracts people who are not afraid to think for themselves and voice their honest opinions.  And always, we strive to be a party of civility because good ideas flourish in an environment where there is no fear of suppression and condemnation.

 I began by saying that I am a Democrat by choice.  It was, for me, a matter of long deliberation.  I know that there are those in Frederick County who feel disenfranchised, unhappy, confused, uninformed, apatheticor are simply not aware that the Democratic Party offer an alternative.  I invite you all to hear the Democratic message, and to contribute your own voice to our community dialogue.

 You needn't be a joiner but you do need to know that we are here, and that we are a voice for a stronger Frederick County.

 Cary Kimble -