Brannum named 2019 Butler County Democrat of Year

Thelma Brannum was named Democrat of the Year for 2019 on Saturday at the annual Butler County Truman Day Rally.

Brannum is president of the Butler County Women’s Democratic Club and co-chair of the 54th annual Truman Day Rally, which was held at the Holiday Inn ballroom.

“I think any American needs to stand up for what they believe in and work together. It takes teamwork to actually get anywhere,” Brannum said after the presentation. “I just feel like what little bit I can do, can maybe help the next person.”

Many important Democrats have won the award, said Judy Potter of the Butler County Women’s Democratic Club, as she prepared to announce the winner.

“The person who is going to get this award tonight truly deserves it. Any time there is something to be done, that person is always willing to step up and do it,” said Potter. “She’s worked really, really hard and she certainly deserves it.”

Brannum became involved with the Butler County group about eight years ago, at the invitation of friend Mescal West, who was also a co-chair of the Truman Day Rally. Also co-chairing the event was Barbara Snider.

“It’s just very satisfying, working with people and I feel like we’re making a difference,” said Brannum. “We all work so well together.”

Speakers at the evening event included: keynote Rep. Peter Meredith of St. Louis’s District 80; Tammy Hardy, candidate for Senate District 33, which includes Ripley County; and journalist and former CNN correspondent Charles Jaco, a Poplar Bluff native.

Meredith urged all Democrats to be part of rebuilding the party, with a focus on working from the ground up.

Butler County used to be a stronghold for Democrats, Meredith said, but Democrats made the mistake of believing strong campaigns for president and governor were the way to win.

Democrats don’t believe in trickle down economics, so why would they believe in trickle down politics, he asked.

“If we start believing that change happens from the top down, that’s when we start losing,” he said, adding Republicans were the first to start spending money at the local level, creating more messengers for their values.

Butler County Democrats need to keep doing what they’re doing, and help rebuild the party from the ground up, he said.

“Democrats stand up for the little guy. Democrats try to give a voice to those whose voices aren’t generally heard. That’s why I’m a Democrat,” Meredith said, adding later, “The fact is we have to be willing to stand up for everybody. That’s solidarity.

“We have to make sure we are standing arm-in-arm with each other, fight to take back this state, this country, from the very, very wealthy people from corporations who don’t have our best interests at heart.”

Jaco spoke of growing up in Butler County, the loss of his father at a young age, and how his family needed public assistance to survive after that loss, programs supported by Democrats.

Republican extremists have pushed political rhetoric so far to the right, they attack even solid, common sense policies, Jaco said, calling out the policies supported by local Republican representatives in health care and other regulations.

Hardy told the audience she understands both sides of the Republican and Democrat divide, growing up in family with many Republicans.

The divide may not be as great as some would have residents believe, she said.

Everyone wants fair wages, affordable health care and good schools, Hardy continued.

“A lot of people, they’re really Democrats, they’ve just been told their whole lives they’re Republicans and they’ve started believing it,” she said. “We’ve got to put aside these divides.”

Hardy has promised to support the expansion of Medicaid and said she wants to look at issues such as low cost broadband internet service for rural areas.

“We have a lot of strong points we can work on,” she said. “We just need to get everyone united and we can do it.”