As Jeffco Goes … So Goes Colorado!
(Cross-Posted to DemNotes at www.DemNotes.com)
That was the theme for Sunday night’s Eleanor Roosevelt Dinner in Jefferson County — As Jeffco Goes … So Goes Colorado! It has been proven to be a pretty accurate statement over the years.
Used to be, Jefferson County was a pretty Republican stronghold. No, it wasn’t like El Paso County or even Douglas County, but a county-wide elected Democrat was pretty rare — just ask Senator Joan Fitz-Gerald, who had a lonely position as Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder just a few years ago. Now, Democrats joke about those days. In years past, listing the elected Democratic officials in attendance at an Eleanor Roosevelt Dinner was pretty quick — maybe a minute or so. Sunday night, it easily took twenty minutes to name off the elected Democrats in attendance!
I had rushed over to the event at the Sheraton Denver West directly from arriving at DIA from Kansas City, as did State Chair Pat Waak. When we arrived, we were greeted by a packed room full of familiar faces and great auction items (no matter how hard I tried, I was outbid on the pair of items we were trying to get). I was blessed to be seating at Congressman Perlmutter’s campaign’s table, so I was able to meet some of the great workers behind the tireless Congressman’s campaign. Of particular note was that I got to see Julie DeWoody, who did such a wonderful job leading the Colorado Democratic Party to victory in 2004 as the State Executive Director (when I was Secretary of the State Party). Julie spent the 2006 cycle working for the DCCC in fundraising, but is now back in the Centennial State working for Congressman Perlmutter. Welcome back, Julie!
The highlight of the evening was the keynote speaker, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin serves as the “at-large” Member of Congress for the entire state of South Dakota. In a “red” state, she has been able to work hard and win as a smart Democrat. Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin talked about the need for the Democratic Party not to abdicate the concept of “values” to the Republican Party any longer. She did a wonderful job talking about how our Party stands for the values that make America great — values like caring for your neighbor, values like treating everybody fairly, regardless of their differences, and values like helping those less fortunate than us.
After the keynote address, the 2007 Eleanor Award was announced; the winners were a pair of tireless volunteers in Jefferson County, Carmah Lawler and Kathy Glass. Carmah and Kathy couldn’t attend (they were on a long-planned cruise in the Mediterranean), but they did accept the award via a truly moving video response.
Tomorrow night, I’m staying home again to attend Drinking Liberally here in Canon City, before I head off to Durango on Sunday to attend their annual picnic at the Isgar Ranch. Maybe I’ll see you there!