From the Colorado for Obama blog:

There are around 557,000 people who receive Social Security benefits in the state of Colorado. That is 12% of the population. Ninety-one percent of those recipients are seniors.

Last Wednesday, two of those recipients joined Governor Ritter and Paul Teske, a professor of public affairs, for a panel discussion about Social Security. They shared with a room of around 100 Coloradans why Social Security plays a crucial role in their lives.

Vivian became dependent on Social Security after she suffered an accident at work. She talked about why it was important to her that Social Security remain a government program and not be privatized.

She said:

Years ago, I put money in a company that some of you may remember, Silverado. I first lost money then. And then in 1998 thinking things would get better, I did it again. A lot of us who worked for government agencies at the time, we lost thousands of dollars. So I did not have that money. Privatizing social security, believe me, is not the answer, I found out the hard way.

No way can we privatize it. No matter what terminology you want to use, privatizing or personal accounts — it is the same thing. It is just unstable, you cannot depend on it. My social security is my primary income right now… if it wasn’t for social security I would not have the quality of life I have now, I would not be able to survive on a day-to-day basis.

And that is one of the many reasons why I support Barack Obama. Because he does understand exactly what we as everyday workers, everyday individuals, have to go through. I hope no one ever has to go through what I went through but unfortunately I have met too many people in Colorado and across the states that their only income is social security — that is all they have, they do not qualify for other programs. If they did not have social security they would not be able to survive. Barack Obama is the one who understands that need.

As president, Barack Obama will help people like Vivian by completely eliminating income taxes for 65,000 seniors and eliminate the need for 316,000 seniors to file a tax return here in Colorado. Senator John McCain has proposed a tax cut that would leave the middle class behind, failing to cut taxes for 1.69 million households in Colorado including 480,000 seniors.

In the past four days I have been to El Paso County three times! I was in Manitou Springs on Sunday where I was the surrogate for the Obama campaign. I arrived in the morning to hear the drums coming from outside of Soda Springs Park.

Nate Hundt is the Regional Field Director for the Campaign for Change. He had a voter registration table, a volunteer sign-up table and tables set up for canvassers.

Mike Merrifield gave one of his rousing and funny speeches. Pete Lee, the SD 12 candidate and Mayor Eric Drummond gave their own great speeches. Then I had a chance to pump up the crowd for their day of work.

Nate says that over 200 people participated in the days’ events. They canvassed neighborhoods and then returned to the park for food and music. Once again I am amazed at the young people coming out to work on this campaign.

Yesterday, Sept. 23, 2008, I had the joy of spending the day with the Faith and Politics staff from Obama for America. Mark Linton, in charge of Catholic outreach, and Joshua DuBois, responsible for Christian outreach, joined many of the ministers and lay workers who are involved in faith outreach for coffee and breakfast at Bogey’s on the Park. Our special guest for the day was Don Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What. Don is an evangelical who writes about Christian spirituality.

After breakfast we went to meet with Greater Denver Ministerial Alliance. Tim Karpoff and the local organizer for the Campaign for Change were already there talking about the need to register voters. Don had a chance to talk about his own story and how he became convinced that Barack Obama needed to be president.

From there we visited Pastor Imogene’s Sharing and Caring mission. She serves so many of the working poor out of her little facility. However, we were amazed at how large it really is. Victoria Scott Haynes guided us through and then we discovered that the car battery was dead. So our guest ends up working with the mission staff to get us on the road again.

We made a stop at M & D’s for a quick lunch of fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and catfish (at least that is what Don and I had). Then we were off to Colorado Springs for a political clutch, some press and a community forum. Over 120 people crowded into the room to hear Don tell the story of how he came to support Barack Obama. He also did a great job of explaining why Christian evangelicals need to support Senator Obama, even though there are some issues they might disagree on. The crowd was really captivated.

My job was to ask questions submitted by the audience and then pose one of my own. It was something I wanted Don to share. He rode his bicycle across the country to raise money for a charity. The people he met made a deep impression on him.

As we raced back to Denver to deliver Don to the airport, I really understood what a great person he is. The young people that Senator Obama has attracted to this campaign are tremendously talented. Having said that, I don’t want to forget Natasha Somer. She was with us as well and serves as Victoria’s assistant on faith outreach. And she is a great organizer and advance person.

So this morning, Sept. 24, 2008, we were back down in Colorado Springs. We went urge El Paso County election officials to ensure that every eligible voter is able to cast a ballot.

An email that the office of El Paso County Clerk Bob Balink sent to the office of the Colorado College President warned out-of-state students that they are ineligible to vote if their parents claim them as dependents. The Clerk also urged the President to publish the letter in the student newspaper and the information was added to the school’s website. Approximately 75 percent of Colorado College students are from out of state, and they are, in fact, eligible to register to vote in the state.

Martha Tierney, the CDP attorney said that Mr. Balink was wrong on the letter of the law and disseminated false information to students.

In addition to sending false information to Colorado College, Balink removed an early vote location in Fountain, Colorado, and has reportedly failed to process thousands of otherwise legitimate voter registration forms — actions that could disenfranchise Colorado voters.

State Senator John Morse also expressed concern that Clerk Balink removed an early voting location. He was joined by Rev. McMearn, a local pastor, is requesting that this site be restored.

Finally, Colorado College student organizer Ben Slaughter talked about the situation on campus and his commitment to ensuring that students on his campus have the correct information about their right to vote in Colorado

Every day is filled with events, and I hope you are attending as many as possible. We can win this election with your help.

Pat Waak

From the Colorado for Obama blog:

Last weekend, the Colorado Campaign for Change challenged each of its regions to see which one could knock on the most doors over the weekend. Well, the work paid off because volunteers across the state knocked on over 85,000 doors and had face-to-face conversations with nearly 25,000 Coloradans. Thanks to all our volunteers for their hard work - these conversations with your neighbors about Senator Obama’s message of change are what will make the difference in November!

Special congratulations to the winner of our regional door-knocking challenge - the Northeast Denver region! As a prize the Northeast Denver field organizers were presented with the Golden Door Knocker award.

Other states are starting to notice the incredible work that is being done in Colorado and as a result we’re upping the ante. Our friends at the Virginia Campaign for Change have challenged us to see which of the two key battleground states can knock on the most doors this weekend.

You can join the Colorado Campaign for Change this weekend and help us show the state that calls itself the “Mother of Presidents” that when it comes to this election, Colorado will be the one that will send Barack to the White House. Find a canvass near you.

From the Colorado for Obama blog.

Last month, when Barack accepted the Democratic nomination in Denver, he promised to return to Colorado soon. Today, he fulfilled that promise, visiting both Grand Junction and Pueblo.

Barack’s visit to Pueblo was one of the biggest political events ever held in the city and the energy was incredible. People drove from across the state to see the senator.

Judy and Linda, two sisters from Pueblo, showed up at the Colorado State Fairgrounds for the rally at 9:30 this morning. I talked to them after the event.

This was Judy’s first time seeing Barack speak. She said:

“He talked about everything we need. We need change. This event made history.”

Here are some photos from the event:

From the Colorado for Obama blog.

Yesterday, a group of students from across Colorado came together for a Campaign for Change Youth Leadership Conference, where they learned about their crucial role in helping Barack win Colorado.

Colorado Youth Vote Director, Jacqui Barry, lead the conference. She talked about the important role that young people have played in history and what that means for the campaign. She said:

It was the student activists in the civil rights movement who marched. It was the Student Activists that took the buses to Bergmingham and marched. It was the Student Activists who fought for Women’s Liberation and said women deserve rights.

And now, today, it’s the student activists in this room that are going to change the course of this country. It’s you guys who are going to win Colorado. And it’s us that are going to win this country and, in course, change the world.

Today, the nation honors the memories of those lives lost on September 11, 2001. On the seventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks, Senator Obama will join Senator McCain to visit Ground Zero. Senator Obama will participate in the ServiceNation presidential forum in New York City. Senator Joe Biden will meet with first responders in Parma, Ohio at the American Legion Post.  He will also attend ServiceNation’s Presidential Forum on Service in New York.

The Obama campaign released the following statement from Senator Barack Obama on the Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks, which can serve as a guide for the tone we should all take today:

“Today, we honor the memory of each and every life that was lost on September 11, 2001, and grieve with the family and friends who lost a loved one in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We will never forget those who died. We will always remember the heroic efforts of our firefighters, police and emergency responders, and those who sacrificed their own lives on Flight 93 to protect their fellow Americans. And we give thanks for the Americans defending our security in our communities at home, and in our military abroad.

“On 9/11, Americans across our great country came together to stand with the families of the victims, to donate blood, to give to charity, and to say a prayer for our country. Let us renew that spirit of service and that sense of common purpose. Let us remember that the terrorists responsible for 9/11 are still at large, and must be brought to justice. Let us resolve to defeat terrorist networks, defend the American homeland, stand up for the enduring American values that we cherish, and seek a new birth of freedom at home and around the world.”

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

Saturday, we drove down Highway 50 a couple of hours to Las Animas, where we attended the Bent County Dems’ picnic at city park there. It was a nice bit of memories for me; I grew up just a block away from the park, and spent a lot of my childhood there.

For a small county like Bent County, the turnout was fantastic. About 50 people gathered for a potluck lunch with grilled burgers and hot dogs on the menu. After everybody had a good chance to eat, we heard from candidates and their representatives — the Party is really active with good volunteers this year. We also heard from Representative Wes McKinley, whose style always engages people. The day was capped by Wes auctioning off several pies, with the proceeds to go to the Party.

What was even more impressive was what happened after the picnic: several folks got together with the regional field person and spread out across town to canvass precincts. In southeast Colorado, walking door-to-door doesn’t often happen, so it was extremely exciting to see the level of interest in helping out among the people there.

————-

I took some pictures in Las Animas, and I’ve finally gotten those up on the DemNotes website, along with all of my photos from the National Convention, several hundred in all. You can take a look at them all at:
http://www.DemNotes.com/photos

Note that many of them are pretty poor quality, usually due to the low light, but also due to the fact that I’m often hurriedly trying to get the camera out and snap a photo while I’m in the middle of something else….

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

Last night, I was in Pueblo, attending the Pueblo Dems’ annual picnic, and this was my message to the 100 or so Democrats gathered at the Pueblo Greenway and Nature Center:

All Hands On Deck!

Throughout the media this morning, you’ve probably heard that we have 60 days until the election. Not in Colorado. In Colorado, folks start voting in less than 30 days! Ballots will be printed and could be sent out by county clerks as early as October 3. By my calculation, that’s 28 days.

28 days to change the world.

By 45 days from now, at least a third of Coloradans who will vote will have already voted. Based on what we’ve seen in 2006 and in the primaries this year, it is safe to assume that less than half of the voters will actually vote in the traditional manner by showing up on November 4th at their precinct polling place.

If you were waiting for the “sprint to the finish line” to get involved, well… we’re there.

Colorado is razor-thin close, and many national experts estimate that Colorado will decide the Presidency. But we don’t only have a Presidency on the line; Mark Udall is facing blistering attacks from those who fear his Colorado values coming to the U.S. Senate, and his vote may be the critical one that gets us to a 60-vote filibuster-proof Senate that can help a President Obama. We have a great opportunity to finally be rid of Marilyn Musgrave in the 4th Congressional District, with Betsy Markey leading most recent polling. And a wave of hard work from volunteers could make Colorado the focus of national attention when we finish with a clean sweep by bringing in Hal Bidlack and Hank Eng to Congress. Finally, the Colorado Republican Party is focused like a laser beam on the 2011 redistricting, and they know they have to take out key Democrats in the State House and State Senate to do so; we’ve got to work hard there.

So, like I said, it’s all hands on deck time. Now, I wouldn’t ask any of you to do something I don’t do myself. Longtime readers of DemNotes know that I spent 2006 criss-crossing the state walking precincts with local candidates. We’re going to do that again this year, walking with candidates all over Colorado, helping with our sweat and shoe leather. And I’ll be staffing phone banks — we’re going to be doing some phone banking tonight at our local party headquarters right here in Canon City.

It’s time.

Knock on doors. Stuff some envelopes. Make some calls.

Without the work of every single Democratic activist, we won’t be able to do this. But if we all work together, we will change the world, and we’ll look back on 2008 as the year Colorado did something pretty darned amazing.

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

“This was the best Convention in the history of the Democratic Party!”  — Former DNC Chair Don Fowler.

At the DNC meeting on Friday morning, Don Fowler made the above comment, which really confirmed what I was hearing from so many other folks from around the country.  Don Fowler knows the DNC — he’s led the state party in South Carolina (which is the job his wife, Carol Khare Fowler, now holds), and he was the Chair of the DNC for much of the Clinton years.  He’s been to countless national conventions, so when he says something like that, you can bet he knows what he’s talking about.

My head was held high from the moment I arrived in Denver over a week ago.  Everything looked beautiful, and everything felt comfortable.  I spoke with a lot of delegates and state party officials, all of whom confirmed that Colorado was doing an amazing job hosting one of the biggest events in the history of this state.

I could not have been prouder to be a Colorado Democrat than I was last week.  This thing started three years ago, in 2005, when we began forming the efforts to bring the Convention to Denver.  Throughout, you may recall that we were told by an awful lot of “influential” people, both in Colorado and in Washington, that Denver had no chance.  The DNC simply wouldn’t choose Denver.  There was always some reason why we were supposed to quit; some reason why we needed to just put down the pens and stop working. 

We never stopped.

Then, once the Convention was awarded to Denver, everybody started working.  Those who said it couldn’t be done stopped being cynics and started being optimists.  Shopkeepers, hotel managers, carpenters, laborers, caterers, bus drivers — everybody worked tirelessly to put our best foot forward.  It didn’t matter if you were a Democrat or a Republican; Denver 2008 was too big for partisanship in Colorado. 

People came out of the woodwork from across the West to volunteer.  That’s not normal — in Minneapolis-St. Paul, they were still begging for volunteers last week.  We had to start volunteer waiting lists several months ago because of the intense interest.  And the volunteers, even if they ended up with a four-hour shift at a hotel in the Tech Center, were bursting with pride and generousity. 

That’s the key: most delegates were simply unaware about how kind and welcoming Coloradans could be.  And most — even if they’d been to Colorado before — were oblivious to exactly how beautiful and refined downtown Denver could be.  Every hotel, every party, every meeting area — all of it — exceeded expectations.  The Pepsi Center was transformed into one of the most stunning visual stages in the history of political conventions. 

Denver turned out to be an ideal convention city.  Unlike past conventions in places like Los Angeles, Boston, and Atlanta, Denver’s various hubs of hotels made for ideal delegation hubs, as well.  The fact that over half of the delegates were able to stay downtown, within walking distance of the Pepsi Center and the Convention Center, was completely unheard of for many convention veterans.  In Los Angeles, a two-hour bus ride from your hotel to the Staples Center was not uncommon.  In Denver, the only thing making bus rides longer was traffic — not the distance.

Don’t get me wrong — while this was about as perfect as a convention could have been, there were still a few glitches.  Like many, we found ourselves stuck in the mass of humanity leaving Invesco with inadequate directional instruction.  But the reality was there weren’t a whole lot of dry eyes at Invesco by the end of that fantastic event. 

This convention was all about the majesty of Colorado, and the humanity of the people of the Centennial State.  Every citizen of this state should be proud of how we performed.

So, thank you, Colorado.

Now, it’s time to finish the job over the next two months.