In the interview with Aaron Harber taped this past week, the question of who would be the Republican candidate for Senate came up. My Repub counterpart threw out former Rep. Bob Schaffer’s name as the potential candidate in 2008 for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Wayne Allard.

My question was if the past Republican governor Bill Owens didn’t support Bob Schaffer in 2004, why would we expect him to in 2008. Mr. Wadhams snapped that Bill Owens will support the nominee of the Republican party.

I suspect that is true. Bob Schaffer can make a case that the party pushed him aside last time and they owe him now. We saw Rep. Schaffer in D.C. this past February. He said he would like to run but hadn’t made up his mind.

In a side comment, the name of Attorney General John Suthers was mentioned. Clearly, the Republicans do not have a clear vision on their nominee. They will want to avoid the in-fighting that marred their races last year. Scott McInnis was their most moderate candidate, and his withdrawal makes it look like they are looking for someone more conservative.

Meanwhile, we will continue to plan for a strong statewide Senate race with the intent of winning another seat for the Democrats in Colorado, in the west, and in the nation.

 (Cross-Posted to DemNotes at: www.DemNotes.com)

 What a great day at the Colorado Convention Center yesterday!

It never ceases to amaze me how Colorado’s Democrats show up and remain motivated month after month and year after year. Yesterday was no different — hundreds of people packed the atrium of the Wells Fargo Theater to welcome DNC Chair Howard Dean to Colorado. Governor Dean returned the favor by announcing the leadership team for the Democratic National Convention Committee — a team that is well-seasoned in running smooth national party conventions. Here’s the team announced by Gov. Dean yesterday:

Leah Daughtry, CEO
Peggy Cusack, Chief of Staff
Susana Carbajal, General Counsel
Jenni Engebretsen, Deputy CEO for Public Affairs
Sky Gallegos, Deputy CEO for Intergovernmental Relations
Cameron Moody, Deputy CEO for Operations
Jim McMullen, Deputy CEO for Administration and Finance

I was asked by one person why the team Gov. Dean announced wasn’t a “local” group (although Sky Gallegos is Coloradan). That’s when I realized that there are probably still a lot of folks out there confused about the structure of this Convention effort. Right now, there are two separate organizations who are charged with running the Convention planning effort. The first is the Denver 2008 Host Committee, which most of you have heard about. Denver 2008 is locally-run, and is the group that formed the convention bid and are now working to raise the money and volunteers to support that bid. Right now, anybody locally who is working on the Convention is probably working with this group. However, there is a separate organization, known as the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC), which is the arm of the DNC charged with running the Convention for the DNC. The DNCC is the group that gets the FEC grant to run the Convention, and in the end, the DNCC will be spending most of the money raised by the Denver 2008 Host Committee.

In the end, the DNCC is primarily concerned with making sure that what goes on at the Convention is a good portrayal of Democrats in general and our nominee in specific. The Host Committee, on the other hand, is primarily concerned with making sure that Denver looks good (by making the Convention look good). That’s quite an over-simplification, but it probably gets the point across. The DNC wants people running the DNCC to be folks who know what putting together a successful Convention is about, and who have done this in the past — and who answer to the DNC. That’s why the team running the DNCC looks a little different than those running the Host Committee.

Whew!

Anyway, apart from the “inside baseball” issues of who’s doing what, Gov. Dean was in Denver to help celebrate the selection of the Mile High City as the place where the next President of the United States will be selected. And, boy, did Colorado’s Democrats respond. There was a clearly-felt electricity in the air as Gov. Dean, Mayor Hickenlooper, and Elbra Wedgeworth stepped on the stage. No longer were we dealing with press announcements and local fundraisers — the moment Gov. Dean stepped to the microphone, there was a different feeling, that we really were going to be a part of history in Denver in 2008. Here’s how the AP described it:

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Thursday that holding the Democratic National Convention in Denver will show the nation that the West has a road map for Democrats to win the White House next year.

‘’This is going to be the beginning of a new America,’’ Dean told an overflow rally of supporters at the Denver Convention Center.

Dean said Democratic gains in the West show that voters want politicians to focus on collaboration and values. He said those values include fairness, honesty and a system of government for all Americans, not just a chosen few.

And Stuart Steers of the Rocky Mountain News had another good take on Gov. Dean’s visit:

This came on a day when hundreds of people gave Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean the rock star treatment, wildly applauding Dean during a celebration of Denver’s selection to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Dean made it clear that he chose Denver to highlight the Democrats’ push into the Rocky Mountain states. Democratic candidates have made strong gains in the interior West in the past two elections, and Colorado and several neighboring states will be targeted by the Democrats’ presidential nominee.

“We believe that the road to the White House leads through the West,” Dean told the crowd at the Colorado Convention Center.

In an interview with the Rocky, Dean said the success that Colorado Democrats have had in winning new support in rural areas has become a national model for the party.

“What Colorado has done well is to move the campaign into areas where Democrats haven’t shown up before,” said Dean.

Finally, here’s some from the Denver Post:

Howard Dean celebrated Denver’s selection as host of the 2008 Democratic National Convention on Thursday by declaring the Democrats as the party of fiscal responsibility and firmly in support of the U.S. troops in Iraq.

“This is a fiscally conservative state, and we are a fiscally conservative party - the other guys ran up a huge budget deficit,” Dean said to cheers from the crowd of about 400 at the Colorado Convention Center.

It was a great day — hopefully, one of the first of many. After the big rally, Gov. Dean met privately with Denver 2008 folks and our DNC Members. Following that, the Governor and his DNCC team toured several areas, including the Convention Center and potential office space for the DNCC. I’ve got some photos up now, of both the main event and the private meeting. To see them, go to:
http://www.DemNotes.com/photos

At Colorado Confidential, Mark Mehringer has posted a detailed analysis of statewide voter registration numbers over the past two years. When it comes to data a picture really is worth 1,000 words, and Mark has produced some nice graphs that illustrate noticable trends. Among others, the Republican registration advantage has declined 16% in the last two years, and the key “swing” counties Jefferson and Arapahoe have in particular seen Republican registration advantages narrow.

Read the whole story here:

http://www.coloradoconfidential.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1786

Yesterday I taped a segment for the Aaron Harber Show with my Republican counterpart. He spent much of his time talking about what the state and federal government under the Democrats have not done. So I thought it only appropriate to share with you an update on the accomplishments of the Congress. Enjoy!!\

From the DNC Press Room

Key point: As we approach the U.S. Senate’s 100th day at work, Democrats continue to fight for what the American people demanded in November: a new direction at home and abroad and accountability in both Washington and Iraq. That is why we will work to pass stem cell legislation that could lead to treatments and cures for millions of Americans suffering from debilitating diseases and conditions. That is also why we are united in our effort to give our troops in Iraq the resources they need and a strategy worthy of their sacrifices.

100 DAYS

Democrats are heeding the call of the American people. We are finding solutions to move America forward.

• Cleaned up Washington through ethics reform
• Gave working Americans a long overdue raise
• Made America more secure by implementing the 9/11 recommendations
• Restored fiscal responsibility through CR and the budget

We have also restored accountability to government. We are asking tough questions, holding oversight hearings and demanding accountability from this Administration

• Ensuring our veterans receive the care they deserve
• Ensuring our criminal justice system is free of political manipulation
• Holding this administration accountable for its failed policies in Iraq

IRAQ

The President has put our troops in the middle of a civil war. That was never supposed to be the mission.

Democrats are determined to make sure the troops have the funds they need - just like we were the ones who demanded they have sufficient body armor, training and Veterans’ care.

We are also determined to provide the troops a strategy for success, which the President has failed to do since the start of this war.

Military and civilian experts agree that this war cannot be won militarily. Success can only come when all the political leaders in Iraq reach a settlement.

The President needs to make good on his promise to get the Iraqis to meet the benchmarks they set themselves - but on which they have never followed through. After four years, it’s time for Iraq to take responsibility for its future.

American troops are putting their lives at risk every single day. But Iraqi leaders are not willing to take the political risk of getting their own country together. That must change.

We have to change course and turn our attention back to the war on al Qaeda and their allies. We must fight a more effective war on terror. That’s what Congress is demanding. And the President should be leading us that direction, not threatening vetoes.

STEM CELL

Our bill offers real hope to patients by greatly expanding scientists’ access to embryonic stem cell lines.

This legislation enjoys overwhelming, bipartisan support, and is endorsed by major medical and scientific associations, research universities and institutions, and dozens of patient advocacy organizations representing millions of Americans.

The bill imposes ethical rules on stem cell research that are stricter than the President’s policy and supports all ethical alternatives for stem cell research.

Today, I made the three-hour (well, normally three-hour) trip to Greeley to speak to the “Democrats In Action” group. The Weld County Democrats hold a “First Friday Lunch” on, well, the first Friday of every month. They try to feature a different speaker each month; this month, I was honored to be invited to talk to the group.

Ray Peterson, who is the former County Chair in Weld County, introduced me to the 20-30 folks in the packed side dining room of the Golden Corral in Greeley. I’d warned him that I really didn’t have a strongly motivational speech prepared, but he still introduced me as “one of the most enthusiastic speakers among Colorado Democrats.”

Normally, I do have a pretty decent “stump speech” prepared — I figure my job is to rally the troops, and I often feed a Democratic crowd a lot of red meat and abstract imagery. Not so much this time. This time, I spent my time giving more of a factual, concrete, “this is where we are, and this is where we’re going” speech. So, I’m afraid I may have disappointed those who came looking for some fire and brimstone.

That being said, I think we did engage in a good conversation about the future of Democrats in Colorado. I particularly enjoyed the question-and-answer session, which included some great questions about things like mail ballots, changes to the caucus timeline, the technical aspects of the Denver 2008 planning process, and the redistricting process coming up in 2011.

We also had a wonderful surprise guest: Representative Jim Riesberg. Rep. Riesberg emerged from a tough re-election battle last year with a convincing victory in this tough Republican-leaning area. That success is indicative of the kind of success Democrats saw in Weld County last year - folks in Greeley are really fired up about the fact that Bill Ritter won Weld County, and that they were able to play a part in making the Fourth Congressional District race so close. They’re already spending a lot of time talking and working on winning the Fourth CD race in 2008 — the final piece in the puzzle to transform Weld County into a consistently “swing” area.

The weather on the way back notwithstanding (my car arrived in Canon City encased in ice tonight), it was another wonderful trip up to Greeley to see some great folks and familiar faces that I had gotten to know so well in my time working on the State Assembly planning last year and in 2005. With the great leadership in Weld County’s Democratic Party, I’m sure that they will continue to surprise the state with their success for Democrats on the ballot!

For those of you who subscribe to the Week In Review, you will see the content below. However, I wanted to reinforce the accomplishments of our Democratic leadership. In a recent interview, my counterpart on Republican side said that Democrats had done nothing this cycle. I beg to disagree. In fact, the legislature and the Governer have in fact responded to many of the major concerns of voters in the state. So here it is again.

Bringing New Energy to Colorado

The House Majority Communications Office of the Colorado House of Representatives has issued a great progress report on legislation passed in the four major areas Colorado voters identified as the most important to them.

Curbing the cost of Health Care: 1) Cutting drug prices for seniors and the uninsured - SB 07-001 has been passed by the both the House and Senate and signed by the Governor. 2) Governor Ritter also signed an executive order to have Colorado join a multi-state pharmaceutical pool. 3) HB 07-1301 passed the House Health and Human Services Committee and protects women from the most common cause of cervical cancer. 4) A bill to boost coverage for children, mental health, drug treatment and indigent care, SB 07-097, passed the House, Senate and was signed by the Governor. 5) Both the House and Senate have passed SB 07-079 to help insurers, providers avoid disputes.

Strengthening our Schools: 1) HB 07-1048 which track will track students’ academic progress passed the House and Senate and was signed by the Governor. 2) SB 07-199 was approved by the Senate and the Education Committee of the House, which will expand early childhood education. 3) Both the House and Senate have passed a bill to make college more affordable - SB 07-148. 4) A bill to streamline accountability reports, HB 07-1345, passed the House Education Committee.

Energize our Economy: 1) Both the House and Senate passed and the Governor signed a bill to double Renewable Porfolio Standard, HB 07-1281. 2) SB 07-100 will enhance energy-transmission capacity and was passed by both the House and Senate. 3) The House passed HB 07-1169 to promote homegrown power. 4) The House and Senate passed a bill to provide “Wind for Schools” - HB 07-1087. 5) A bill to bring biofuels to market, HB 07-1060, was passed by the House and the Senate Finance Commmittee.

Conserve our Reserves: 1) A bill to safeguard forest health passed the House and Senate, HB 07-1168, and another, HB 07-1130, has passed the House Agriculture Committee. 2) HB 07-1037, will improve energy efficiency and has passed the House and the State Affairs Committee. 3) A bill to preserve water quality, HB 07-1132, passed the House, Senate and was signed by the Governor. 4) HB 07-1302, to increase the rainy-day fund, passed the House and the Senate Finance Committee.

Congratulations to our hard-working Representatives, Senators and Governor

(Cross-Posted to DemNotes at www.DemNotes.com)

Some of you may have heard by now that DNC Chair Howard Dean is coming to Colorado next week to help celebrate the award of the Democratic National Convention in 2008 to Denver. Here’s the best part: you’re invited!

The DNC issued the formal press advisory this afternoon, announcing the details of the event, and how you can get your tickets to attend. Here’s that advisory:

Washington, DC - Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean will join Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and Denver 2008 Host Committee President Elbra Wedgeworth in a community celebration of the Denver 2008 Democratic National Convention on April 12th. The event will be open to the public and tickets can be picked up beginning Monday at the Colorado Democratic Party and Denver 2008 Host Committee offices listed at the end of this advisory.

The 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver will help put the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee on the path to victory for the November 2008 election. An engaging celebration of the Democratic Party, the convention will showcase the Party’s vision for America, along with the values the party shares with all Americans. The community celebration on April 12th will be the kick off for a partnership the 2008 Democratic National Convention will build with the Denver community to hold a successful convention.

What: Community Celebration of Denver 2008 Democratic National Convention

Who: DNC Chairman Howard Dean, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and Denver 2008 Host Committee President Elbra Wedgeworth.

When: April 12, 2007 - 11:00AM

Where: Wells Fargo Theater Atrium at the Colorado Convention Center
700 14th Street, Denver, CO

* For press credentials contact Aaron Resnick at resnicka@dnc.org or (202) 863-8148.

* Tickets for the public can be obtained beginning Monday by visiting:

Colorado Democratic Party
777 Santa Fe Drive
Denver, CO
Phone: (303) 623-4762

or

Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee
410 17th Street, Suite 1215
Denver, CO
Phone: (303) 534-6202

Let’s be sure to give Governor Dean a great Colorado welcome! It is so important that we show him exactly how enthusiastic we are about the DNC coming to Denver next summer — if you’ve talked about wanting to volunteer, or to help out the Convention effort, well, this is the first thing you can do: show up. It is always a great day when Governor Dean comes to Colorado, but this is even bigger — it’s about the Convention. See you there!

Yesterday was election day in some municipalities. I didn’t realize this until I saw the scroll at the bottom of the television screen last night, with local election results posted.

Local elections are technically “non-partisan”. That means the party affiliation doesn’t appear on the ballot, and candidates generally don’t run as Democrats or Republicans. But I think it’s common knowledge that a Democrat is going to handle governing a municipality one way while a Republican will have a very different outlook on governing. In some municipalities, especially where growth or water or affordable housing is an issue, this can be a pretty significant difference.

I don’t have results from across the state, but I did get an e-mail this morning from our Western Slope regional coordinator, Kim Phillips. Kim reports a HUGE shift in the Durango City Council. Two Republican incumbents were unseated, and three new Democrats were elected, which transforms the City Council to a 4-1 Democratic majority! Here’s what Kim has to say:

I wanted to share with you the excitement in Durango tonight!!

The La Plata Democratic Party can brag about 3 Democrats winning seats on the Durango City Council.

While the candidates are not nominated by the party, being non-partisan races, the La Plata Dems did what they could to support all the Democrats running.

Congrats to the successful candidates for the Durango City Council:
Leigh Migs, Michael Rendon, and Scott Graham.

I understand 2 incumbent Republicans were unseated,and these 3 wins make for a 4-seat advantage to Democrats on a 5-seat council.

Now, it is about good governing and solid stewardship of the issues critical to the communities in La Plata: water, afforable housing, oil and gas extraction, smart growth, renewable energy options.

I also wanted to thank those candidates who heeded the call to duty but were unsuccessful tonight. Being a candidate is a tough job, and an appreciable sacrifice of one’s personal, professional and family time and resources.

A final thanks goes out to the volunteers, such as Julie Levy, who donate their time, talent, energy, money, and shoe leather to get the candidates across the finish line.

With 4 Democrats on the city council and 2 Democrats as County Commissioners, La Plata County will be well served.

Amen, Kim! How about in your locality? Did you have elections? How did they turn out? Go online and report your results in the “comments” section to let us know how things went for your Democrats where you are.

I am announcing my candidacy for re-election to the DNC in 2008.

During my term in the DNC, I have supported Ken Salazar during his election for US Senate by raising $20,000.00 and supervising 250 volunteers to GOTV. I supported John Salazar for Congress working with Cindy Jimenez and the DNC for GOTV. I supported Ed Perlmutter, working also with Cindy and the DCCC. I have supported Mark Udall continuously since he became a US Congressman by helping to raise thousands of dollars through his annual Golf Tournaments. I helped raise thousands of dollars for the State Senate Dems. And I helped raise thousands of dollars for Gov Bill Ritter and GOTV projects. Please consider my candidacy for Re-election for the DNC and send any comments or questions to me at jmrod91850@aol.com, 303-452-9624 or cell 303-919-7231.

My husband, Ken Strom, and I made a great trip to Routt County this weekend. We actually went over to Craig on Friday to look at one of the wildlife sites he is working on. We saw 60 elk and 26 pronghorns, as well as a nesting Bald eagle, lots of gadwalls, mallards, coots, shovellers, Sandhill cranes and Canada geese. One goose has mistaken herself for a hawk, because we spied her 75 feet up nesting on an old hawk nest. After spending the night in Craig, we noted over breakfast at the Serendipity Cafe that there were no Democrats running for City Council or Mayor. However, we did see our own Terry Carwile that night, who is the former chair of the Moffat County Dems. He is still a member of the Craig City Council.

Our main purpose for the trip was to attend the Routt County Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. Over 200 people showed up, including Sandy Briggs, chair of Summit County Dems and Ted Crook, chair of Moffat County Dems. Terry is the vice chair these days in Moffat County.

I got to be the first speaker, which was tough because it was a crowd that was having a great time. However, it was an opportunity to talk about the responsibility we have for governing and doing it well. We all helped to maintain our leads in the state house and senate, as well as elect a governor and state treasurer. We also helped to get the Democrats in charge of the U.S. House. But there is still another U.S. Senate seat and a Presidency to win.

Kay Wieland, the county clerk and recorder, was in attendance to talk about changes that are being made to make the voting process easier. Routt was one of the counties with long lines and machine problems. Kay is a Republican, but she had a good time last night.

Speaker of the House, Andrew Romanoff, gave a strong report on the health of the state. Despite comments from the other party, the legislature has crafted good legislation on behalf of the citizens of Colorado. Andrew stressed the importance of bilateral support, especially for education and renewable energy. The big issue for next year will be health care reform.

After entertainment and dessert, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall gave the keynote speech on from “Red to Blue to Green.” He recounted all of the accomplishments to date of this Congress which we helped to get into the control of the Democrats. The war in Iraq is still a major issue, and Rep. Udall stressed the resolve of the members of Congress to support the troops while bringing an end to the war. He also talked about the need for everyone to help with his upcoming run for the U.S. Senate.

I learned from one of our Jackson County friends that we lost Franklin Murphy recently. Frankln was the former vice chair and a long-time Colorado Democrat. He was a great friend to me, and I was sorry to hear that he had passed away. I am sure that Franklin is busy convincing all the other souls that Democrats have the right answers.

Routt County always provides great home hospitality. I have stayed with Lynn and Chuck Abbott on more than one occasion. This time Ken and I were guests of Gale and Cynthia Rozell. Gale and Cynthia are both former Peace Corps Vounteers and U.S.A.I.D. employees, like me. So we had a great time, and Ken was quite tolerant of our “war” stories. We shared the apartment out back with three cats, who played constantly. We enjoyed their dogs and horses. Then we took the long way scenic way home.

Thank you Routt County and the great Democrats, including Ken Brenner, Catherine Carson and so many others. You are doing important work.

Pat Waak