--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We were not republicans or democrats…" description: "\"We were not republicans or democrats during Katrina. We truly were all Americans, and Trent Lott came through for me.\" — Donna Brazile" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/donna-brazile-2392_democracy_we-were-not-republicans-or-democrats-dur_41304.png" --- # We were not republicans or democrats during Katrina. We… ![“We were not republicans or democrats during Katrina. We truly were all Americans, and Trent Lott came through for me.” quote by Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/donna-brazile-2392_democracy_we-were-not-republicans-or-democrats-dur_41304.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/donna-brazile-2392_democracy_we-were-not-republicans-or-democrats-dur_41304.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/donna-brazile-2392_democracy_we-were-not-republicans-or-democrats-dur_41304.png) > “We were not republicans or democrats during Katrina. We truly were all Americans, and Trent Lott came through for me.” [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. During a crisis, partisan divisions dissolve, revealing a shared national identity and personal gratitude for assistance received. **In simple terms:** Crisis unites beyond politics. Key Takeaway Shared humanity overrides party lines. Themes unity solidarity political transcendence national identity gratitude Mood hopeful reflective Type testimonial political observation When to use this quote - natural disaster relief - political campaigning - community rebuilding - personal support networks Key Concepts crisis response bipartisan cooperation personal loyalty Practical Applications - policy messaging emphasizing unity - public relations highlighting cross-party aid Questions to Reflect On - What does this reveal about political identity in emergencies? - How can leaders foster unity without partisan bias? A Different Perspective null ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democrat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrat/) [Katrina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/katrina/) [Republican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republican/) ## Related quotes > [Trent Lott saved my family. I needed three things from him personally, and he came through for me. He made sure that the ice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/trent-lott-saved-my-family-i-needed-three-things-from-him-personally/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [I have known Trent Lott for 20 years, ... I don't believe he's racist. But he must proactively send a message to his colleagues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-have-known-trent-lott-for-20-years-i-don-t-believe-he-s-racist-but/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [It may have hastened the move of the former Minority Leader Trent Lott, to the private sector because there was such an outpouring of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wicker/it-may-have-hastened-the-move-of-the-former-minority-leader-trent/) [Roger Wicker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wicker/) > [Republicans now have their own network in Fox, so guys who don't like to answer questions, like Trent Lott, have a place to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/republicans-now-have-their-own-network-in-fox-so-guys-who-don-t-like/) [James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/) > [ Republicans like Trent Lott, saying \[Donald\] Trump would be more flexible \[then Ted Cruz\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/republicans-like-trent-lott-saying-donald-trump-would-be-more/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [I probably had 150 meetings with Trent Lott. He has said exactly as many racist things to me as Bill Clinton has, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/i-probably-had-150-meetings-with-trent-lott-he-has-said-exactly-as/) [Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/) > [Now when you have administrators deciding what sexuality is, and what's a taboo and what's not in terms of content, you got guys, like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-serra/now-when-you-have-administrators-deciding-what-sexuality-is-and-what/) [Richard Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-serra/) > [I was the only person of color in the Senate, and my colleagues were Strom Thurmond, Jesse Helms and Trent Lott.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/i-was-the-only-person-of-color-in-the-senate-and-my-colleagues-were/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [Miramax seems to be showing the same faith in Roberto Benigni's 'Pinocchio' that the Republican Party showed in Trent Lott; the live-action version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/miramax-seems-to-be-showing-the-same-faith-in-roberto-benigni-s/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [Every member of my family was displaced by Katrina.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/every-member-of-my-family-was-displaced-by-katrina/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [Just as playgrounds didn't even make the priority list of most of those responding to Katrina, they all too often slip off the radar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darell-hammond/just-as-playgrounds-didn-t-even-make-the-priority-list-of-most-of/) [Darell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darell-hammond/) > [For me, Katrina was my first trip back to the United States, but the most important thing, it showed everything that I had seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-greene/for-me-katrina-was-my-first-trip-back-to-the-united-states-but-the/) [Stanley Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-greene/) > [She was the murderous mother who cut us to the bone but left us alive, left us naked and bewildered as wrinkled newborn babies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/she-was-the-murderous-mother-who-cut-us-to-the-bone-but-left-us-alive/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed levees and exploded the conventional wisdom about a shared American prosperity, exposing a group of people so poor they didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/hurricane-katrina-overwhelmed-levees-and-exploded-the-conventional/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [With Katrina, it's almost like the sequel that doesn't live up to the original. It's certainly a shocking event and a tragedy, but somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/with-katrina-it-s-almost-like-the-sequel-that-doesn-t-live-up-to-the/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) ## More by Donna Brazile > [“Wait,” I said. “That victory fund was supposed to be for whoever was the nominee, and the state party races. You’re telling me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/wait-i-said-that-victory-fund-was-supposed-to-be-for-whoever-was-the/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [“As I stood up to walk to the spin room I saw that it was different for this debate. We were surrounded by gossip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/as-i-stood-up-to-walk-to-the-spin-room-i-saw-that-it-was-different/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [Since Bush has been in office, African-American women have fallen behind in terms of income and wages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/since-bush-has-been-in-office-african-american-women-have-fallen/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [“I didn’t believe that these nice liberals would have missed seeing the film 12 Years a Slave, in which Solomon Northup’s friend Patsey was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/i-didn-t-believe-that-these-nice-liberals-would-have-missed-seeing/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [Trent Lott saved my family. I needed three things from him personally, and he came through for me. He made sure that the ice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/trent-lott-saved-my-family-i-needed-three-things-from-him-personally/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [No voters will be left behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/no-voters-will-be-left-behind/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [There's no question that Donald Trump has said things that are very unsettling. I mean, whether it's comparing Mexicans to rapists, demonizing Muslim Americans,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/there-s-no-question-that-donald-trump-has-said-things-that-are-very/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [“Although the Russians had sown disinformation through fake news in the Ukrainian election in 2014 and hacked into the election system to manipulate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/although-the-russians-had-sown-disinformation-through-fake-news-in/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [Donald Trump has not held an event in the black community. He has not gone to a black church, as Hillary Clinton has done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/donald-trump-has-not-held-an-event-in-the-black-community-he-has-not/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [“learned two things from the students. One was that they disliked identity politics. They thought that Hillary spent too much time trying to appeal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/learned-two-things-from-the-students-one-was-that-they-disliked/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [If a critic doesn't think I can act, it's because I'm not acting. That's me - and that's the way I act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/if-a-critic-doesn-t-think-i-can-act-it-s-because-i-m-not-acting-that/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [“After CrowdStrike rebuilt the system, all of our staff had to learn new computers, new log-ins, new procedures, at the moment when their personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/after-crowdstrike-rebuilt-the-system-all-of-our-staff-had-to-learn/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [“The fact that the press could not get a straight explanation out of Hillary or her staff meant they turned to the next person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/the-fact-that-the-press-could-not-get-a-straight-explanation-out-of/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [“We decided about six in the morning that we did not want Chip to suffer. His last act was to kiss Betsy on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/we-decided-about-six-in-the-morning-that-we-did-not-want-chip-to/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) > [“It all seemed like an election fable, like many that had been cooked up to confuse the voters about the integrity of the election.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/it-all-seemed-like-an-election-fable-like-many-that-had-been-cooked/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) [Explore all 169 Donna Brazile quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) ## More Democracy quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [There is plenty of time for Republicans to have a Macaca moment. But right now, as of October 17, 2014, the Republican Senate candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-continetti/there-is-plenty-of-time-for-republicans-to-have-a-macaca-moment-but/) [Matthew Continetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-continetti/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Failure to find a way to incorporate political Islam in democracy, however uncomfortable its ideology is for secular liberals, will mean we have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/failure-to-find-a-way-to-incorporate-political-islam-in-democracy/) [Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/) > [In a democratic nation, power must be linked with responsibility, and obliged to defend and justify itself within the framework of the general good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/in-a-democratic-nation-power-must-be-linked-with-responsibility-and/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 11,220 Democracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We were not republicans or democrats during Katrina. We truly were all Americans, and Trent Lott came through for me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donna Brazile" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/we-were-not-republicans-or-democrats-during-katrina-we-truly-were-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Democracy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/we-were-not-republicans-or-democrats-during-katrina-we-truly-were-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/donna-brazile-2392_democracy_we-were-not-republicans-or-democrats-dur_41304.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/donna-brazile-2392_democracy_we-were-not-republicans-or-democrats-dur_41304.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/donna-brazile-2392_democracy_we-were-not-republicans-or-democrats-dur_41304.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We were not republicans or democrats during Katrina. We truly were all Americans, and Trent Lott came…” — Donna Brazile", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Donna Brazile", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We were not republicans or democrats...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/we-were-not-republicans-or-democrats-during-katrina-we-truly-were-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/we-were-not-republicans-or-democrats-during-katrina-we-truly-were-all/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```