Saturday, March 8th was a big day for Democrats in Colorado. Although I could not get to every county assembly/convention, we did make it to five of them. And the participation was in record numbers.

We started our day in Fort Collins at Fossil Ridge High School. This is the new “green” school, and it was easy to spot with the huge donkey set up outside. Larimer County attracted over 8,000 voters to their caucuses on Feb. 5, 2008. That meant that over 1,000 people were at the county meeting.

Adam Bowen, county chair, opened up the meeting with elected officials and candidates lined up behind him. Senator Bob Bacon was joined by his colleagues on the House side, Rep. John Kefalas and Rep. Randy Fischer. They all were scheduled to speak later in the morning.

Betsy Markey, who is running for U.S. House of Representatives in CD4, gave a great speech. The crowd may be coming out for Presidential candidates, but they are just as eager to send Marilyn Musgrave into retirement.

I then had my chance to speak to the spectacular and enthusiastic Larimer County Democrats. We are taking our country back, and Larimer County is playing its part.

We then traveled to Weld County. We arrived at Michener Library on the UNC campus to find that the Weld Democrats had moved to Heath Middle School. We walked in to find a gymnasium filled with about 1,000 voters.

Weld County is my home county, and we really carried the whole county for Governor Ritter by 100 votes. Rep. Jim Riesberg had a great re-election campaign, and over 2500 people turned out to caucus on February 5th.

I was so excited to be in Weld County and look out on the sea of faces participating in the county assembly/convention. County Chair David Delegado introduced me, and the audience responded. After my remarks it was great to stop and talk with many friends including Cheryl Hauger, Roy Waddell, Pam Shaddock and Chuck Olmstead.

Then we raced to Adams County. Over 1,000 people filled the Exhibit Hall at Adams County Fairgrounds. I arrived in time to hear Don Quick’s nomination for District Attorney. It gave me the opportunity to talk about the great job Don is doing in his Judicial District. Also I acknowledged the work of County Chair, Pat Moore.

Adams County had a caucus turnout of over 5,000 people. I had the opportunity to talk to the county delegates and encourage their continued participation in all of the campaigns. It was exciting once again to see so many new faces in the audience.

By this time we were running about an hour behind. However, we arrived at Arapahoe County’s meeting in time to hear the end of U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter’s speech.

I was pleased to be introduced by Harold Thyfault, a long-time Democratic activist. As I have done in every county, I asked how many were there for the first time. Almost every hand was raised. Arapahoe saw over 12,000 people on Feb. 5th and about 1800 attended the county meetings. Mike Hamrick, Arapahoe County Chair, did a great job and was ably assisted by Carolyn Boller.

My last stop was Denver County. Denver Chair, Jennifer Coken, sure had her hands full. I arrived in time to see the aftermath of voting in Senate District 35. Former City Councilwoman Joyce Foster and Rep. Alice Borodkin vied for support. Foster came out ahead, but the final votes will be counted in a multi-county meeting this coming weekend.

I was able to say just a few words as HD6 began its meeting. I also wandered into HD2, HD3, HD4 and HD5. It was great to see so many good Democrats from Denver County. Denver Dems turned out over 26,000 voters on Feb. 5th. The crowd on Saturday was about 5,000. Sherry Jackson and Billy Compton spent the day helping the county with its meetings.

On a last note, Don Wiegel, the staff person for the House Majority Project, is leaving this week. He will be really missed in this office. He has been a great partner and worked hard to recruit candidates for House seats. Don is off to manage a Congressional campaign in Alabama. We wish him well.

It promises to be another busy week. Wednesday I will be speaking at the Democratic Women of Boulder County’s luncheon. The next day I am speaking at a breakfast of the Board of Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Saturday I plan to make the Boulder and Jefferson County assembly/conventions. And then there are all the thing in between.

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

This has been quite a whirlwind of a weekend — and it was only about half as busy as next weekend promises to be!

There were a lot of wonderful moments, but one of the best came in Woodland Park, at the Teller County Convention and Assembly on Saturday afternoon.  Chair Laurie Glauth kicked off the meeting by announcing that there were 96 possible slots to be filled, and there were 95 delegates seated in those slots.  Then, in a mastery of understatement, she announced, “I think we have a quorum!”

Teller County was another of the pictures we’ve been seeing across the state — rooms filled beyond capacity, with people standing along the edges of the rooms and peering through the doorways because the capacity had been met.  Everyone there was clear:  this was the largest county assembly Teller Dems had recalled ever seeing.  I kicked off the meeting by talking about how important it was to keep people involved beyond March, and into September and October.  Hal Bidlack, who is running for Congress in the 5th Congressional District, continued to impress everybody he meets by giving a great speech filled with humor, hope, ideas, and experience.

Then, something amazing happened:  people started running for office.  Laurie Glauth had not expected to be able to field a candidate for either of the County Commissioner seats.  Instead, two people volunteered to run — one for each seat — and both proved to be amazing speakers, with experience and ideas to match.  For the first time in a long time, Teller Dems will be fielding a full ballot of Dems — and not just place-fillers; these are folks who will give the Republicans a real run for their money here.

After the nominations, the Presidential preference poll was taken.  The vote was 61 for Obama, and 33 for Clinton, leading to 12 Obama delegates and 7 Clinton delegates.  But regardless of the outcome, it was an inspiring day to be in Teller County!

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It was an inspiring weekend to be a Democrat, and if you weren’t at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver on Friday night, you missed a great show at our annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.  Virginia Senator Jim Webb did a great job talking to the audience about his lifetime of work, as well as the challenges facing us in the U.S. Senate, and in the 2008 elections.  Beyond Webb, we honored a great number of leaders — both for lifetimes of work, as well as for the promise that they show for a lifetime of service. 

Heck, even the food was pretty decent!  It was wonderful, most of all, to see so many friends and people who are working hard across the state to win elections in November.  Kudos obviously go to the dinner committee, as well as to the State Party staff (led by Sherry Jackson) for their tireless dedication to making this a wonderful event.

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Saturday morning, I drove back up to Denver, and after attending a brief meeting at Adams County Dems’ HQ on their county assembly rules, I stopped by in Broomfield to briefly speak to their county assembly and convention.  Broomfield Dems had an excited full house of delegates as well (158 in all), and Chair Kevin Kreeger was running a tight ship.  I spoke to the crowd as they were finalizing some credentials issues, and it was great to see so many energetic Democrats in Broomfield. 

I was there just in time to witness the allocation of the convention delegates.  Broomfield is one of those counties that elects the majority of their convention delegates on caucus nights, so they were only electing a few “at large” positions.  For the 2nd Congressional District convention, they elected 5 more Clinton delegates and 10 more Obama delegates; for the State Convention, they elected 3 more Clinton delegates and 6 more Obama delegates.

Again, it was a truly great weekend.  Wednesday, I head down to Walsenburg for the Huerfano County assembly, and Friday I head over to Hugo for the Lincoln County assembly before heading to a number of counties on Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon.  Maybe I’ll see you on the road!

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

Last night, I went to Colorado Springs to attend a couple of events for the planning of the upcoming State Convention and Assembly there on May 16-17. What is happening is pretty incredible.

I first attended an informational meeting held by a group of local businesspeople who are looking to really showcase Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region as Democrats arrive in May. They have all sorts of events planned. In particular, they are working on three tours (so far) — a tour of “progressive Colorado Springs,” including open space areas and areas of interest to progressives (sending the message that not all of El Paso County is a monolithic “Focus on the Family” group); a tour of the many El Paso County military installations, led by former 5th CD candidate Jay Fawcett; and a tour of the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. They are also working on arranging for a “Progressive Night for Progressives,” featuring a street party with a “progressive dinner” — food from several different restaurants downtown. There is an incredibly intense interest in showing Colorado Democrats a good time when they visit Colorado Springs.

In addition to those efforts, the local Democrats and the State Party are working hard to make sure that delegates and alternates are treated well, and plans are being made to do just that. After leaving the first meeting, I attended a meeting of local committee chairs. As I told the committee last night, there is simply no way we can over-estimate the crowds we will see in May. Plans are being made to double the estimates of the crowds we usually have (and the crowds we usually have are pretty big), but we really could see a lot more than that even. We are working to make sure that the State Party learns from the crowds seen on caucus night and at the county assemblies, and that we make sure that the plans are in place to deal with those crowds effectively and efficiently.

There are a number of efforts already underway. We have a committee working to ensure that transportation issues within Colorado Springs are handled well. Another committee is focusing on accessibility issues, and working to keep focused on planning for delegates and alternates with disabilities. Yet another committee is working to be sure that registration runs smoothly; another committee is focused on being certain delegates and alternates are warmly welcomed to Colorado Springs and questions are answered quickly (and correctly). We even have a committee focused entirely on “greening” the convention — making sure our efforts are as environmentally-friendly as possible. And that’s just a handful of the committees. The planning is going very well!

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A couple of days ago, I mentioned the Denver Film Society’s “Cinemocracy” efforts in conjunction with the National Convention. Well, the Host Committee has issued a press release this morning with more details. Here is some of that release:

Building upon the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee’s Call to Democracy effort, the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) and Denver Film Society (DFS), producers of the Starz Denver Film Festival, are pleased to announce the creation and launch of the Cinemocracy Film Festival, an open source film festival to coincide with the 2008 Democratic National Convention. As an official event of the Host Committee, Cinemocracy calls for open participation in the political process.

Info at a Glance:

– 2008 Cinemocracy Film Festival addresses the topic of “How do you define Democracy?”
– Top-ranked films will be publicly screened in Denver during the week of the 2008 Democratic National Convention (August 25-28).
– For submission guidelines and official rules, visit www.denverfilm.org/cinemocracy.

During a year of monumental change, the Host Committee, DOCA and DFS invite citizens of the world to speak out and share ideas on what democracy is (or isn’t) through the creation of short films. All films submitted via free upload will be judged by the online public and the top 10 will be screened at a free public event in Denver during the week of Aug. 25-28.

Additionally, the winning film will be screened as part of the official program of the 31st Starz Denver Film Festival (November 13-23). The film festival is one of many events planned that underscore the Host Committee’s Call to Democracy efforts, encouraging public engagement and civic awareness in the democratic process.

Submitted films can be up to five minutes long and can be uploaded from March 1 through July 15 to www.denverfilm.org/cinemocracy. Voting will remain open until Aug. 1.

If you’re an amateur (or maybe even better-than-amateur) film-maker, take a look at this and do your submission ASAP. And, heck, you might even see your submission in May at the State Convention if you get things done and submitted early enough! I have had a preliminary discussion with the Denver Film Society, and we may be able to show a few of their submissions at the State Convention on May 17 (if you attended the State Convention in 2004, you may recall we used some Moveon.org submissions in a similar contest during that convention).

Saturday morning we left Erie, Colorado for Colorado Springs at 8am. Arriving at the El Paso County convention/assembly, we discovered a line outside, a lobby crammed with people, and an auditorium filled into the balcony. I had the opportunity to open up the events by asking how many people were at the convention/assembly for the first time. Most of the people raised their hand.

El Paso County had over 7,000 people at their precinct caucuses. John Morris, the county chair, is seeing a new interest in party politics. Between 1600 and 1700 participants were at the meeting on Saturday. It was great to see Hal Bidlack, candidate for the 5th Congressional District. Also Sen. John Morse and Rep. Mike Merrifield were enjoying this huge turn out.

From there we drove to Pueblo. Pueblo County precincts had almost 2500 participants on Feb. 5. Out of 600 delegates elected to the county convention/assembly, 520 participants were there on Saturday. We listened to the nominations for Pueblo County Commissioner. Commissioner John Cordova and State Rep. Dorothy Butcher both gave campaign speeches.

Terry Hart, Chair of Pueblo County Dems, introduced me and once again I asked for a show of hands on “first-timers.” Most of the participants were new. I talked about the excitement around the Presidential campaign but how important it is to be active on all the campaigns. Rep. Mark Udall arrived after me and really got the crowd cheering.

It was great to see my old friends Deann Martinez and Matt Pujol. They used to live in Fort Collins and moved to Pueblo some time ago. Deann was my campaign coordinator in 2005, and it is great to see that she is so involved in Pueblo County politics.

From Pueblo we traveled to Fremont County. I had not been to Fremont in a while, so it was great to get over and see the Chair, Kevin Bradley and the other officers. Fremont County had 660 attendees at the precinct caucuses and over 200 attended the county meeting. Once again most of the participants were there for the first time.

Rep. Udall’s niece spoke on his behalf. Hal Bidlack gave a great speech for his CD5 campaign bid. I was delighted to see so many friends in Canon City before we headed out.

The last stop was Parker, Colorado. Douglas County Democrats held their Clinton-Carter Annual Dinner. The attendance was 235 strong Democrats who came to listen to Sen. Lois Tochtrop, Rep. Alice Borodkin, Speaker Andrew Romanoff and me. I talked about the pride they were all feeling in Douglas County because they had a turn out of over 5,000 people on Feb. 5. it was over 1,000 more than the Republicans. Earlier in the day Douglas County Democrats had to change meeting sites because their central committee had grown so much.

Paul Thompson, Chair of the Douglas County Democrats, has done a fantastic job of getting the county organized, along with
Ron Clark, Ralph Jollensten and so many others. We had the chance to hear from Mike Collins and Hank Eng, who are both running for CD6. Imagine that. Two Democratic candidates for CD6.

We returned home at 10:30pm, weary but exhilirated. The excitement we continue to see just is a reminder of the energy acrosse the country. We will win the White House, and I believe add another Democratic Senator from Colorado, pick up some more Congressional seats, and add to our state house and senate majorities. We will change the face of America and be able to provide what is best for Coloradans and the rest of the country.

Pat Waak

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

Lines snaked. Cars were towed. Traffic was jammed. People voted. Delegates were elected.

And Colorado Democrats proved their mettle.

I’m so proud this morning to be a Colorado Democrat. And, no, it isn’t because my candidate won.

No, I’m so proud because of how revitalized this Party is today. In 2004, we had between 10,000 and 15,000 people show up to caucus. Last night, we had about ten times that number — a 1,000% increase in attendance!

I’m proud because the Democratic Party — with fewer registered Democrats than registered Republicans — had over twice the turnout of the Colorado Republican Party. Not in percentages, but in raw numbers of people.

I’m proud because that turnout came even though Democratic caucuses are more complicated beasts than the Republican caucuses (from what I can tell, you just show up and cast your secret ballot at Republican affairs). Dick Wadhams must be trembling with what he saw in Colorado last night.

I’m proud because, for the most part, our county parties handled the massive influx of new people pretty well. As I predicted yesterday, there were periods of chaos, but we still made it through without any complete breakdowns of the system.

I’m proud because — even with the longer meetings and the heavier turnout — the Colorado Democratic Party reported its results much faster than the Republicans. At every stage last night, we were at least 20% ahead in terms of precincts reporting — by about 10 or 10:30, we had around 95-98% of the precincts reporting to the 70-75% of the Republican precincts reporting. We gave county chairs as close to a mandate as we could: have your results to us by 9:30. I’ve spoken to some who say the Republican mandate was to have their results reported no later than 7:30. This is just more proof that you can’t trust elections to Republicans — they have proven time and time again they can’t even run their own elections efficiently!

I’m proud of the county chairs and other county party officers and leaders out there who worked their rear-ends off to pull off this historic evening. I’m also proud of the State Party staff and my fellow officers, who have spent the last few weeks tirelessly answering phone calls and e-mails and taking questions from voters about this process. Because of the intense interest in the caucus, the CDP put in nine new phone lines — and they were constantly lit!

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Last night, from the very beginning, something was different. I showed up at Washington School a little after 5:00 to help set up, along with the other key Fremont County Dems who had been planning the caucuses. Already, three people were sitting down in the lobby of the school waiting to check in two hours early. School officials advised that they had at least a dozen Democrats stop by during the day looking for the caucuses — they eventually had to put a sign out in the front door to keep people away.

By 6:00 — an hour before the beginning, the line stretched to the door. Parking was at a premium. Already, more people were at the school than had attended all of the caucuses in Fremont County in 2006 or 2004. Thankfully, Fremont Dems had planned for this well. They had a dozen people to check folks in, and the line moved smoothly. Volunteers for Clinton and Obama greeted people at the door. Beyond the registration table was a classroom set up as a “hospitality suite” for the Obama and Clinton campaigns, with both offering water, cookies, and other treats for caucus-goers.

Here, most of the classrooms were open, with each room serving as the caucus location for either one or two precincts, depending on the size of the precinct. Long-time Democrats showed up and their jaws just dropped. The crowds of Democrats were unbelievable. Later on in the evening, I caught up with former State Representative Bob Shoemaker. He just smiled and shook his head. “Back in my day, this would have been the whole county’s turnout for the Democrats,” motioning to the packed room serving as a caucus site for two precincts. “I’ve never seen anything like this before!”

At 6:30, organizers asked people to gather in the school’s auditorium. While quite ample, it still was not big enough for the crowd of Democrats (at the end of the evening, we learned that about 450 Democrats caucused at this location alone). I kicked things off by pointing out that we were told Fremont County did not have any Democrats. “If we can get this kind of turnout at caucus for the Democratic Party in Fremont County, we can sure get this kind of turnout in September and October, when we need your help to elect a Democratic President in Fremont County!” The crowd cheered, and there was real excitement in the air about Democrats.

Then, at about 10 minutes to 7, we dispersed into our precinct rooms. I was in Precinct 9, and as one of the larger precincts historically, we had been assigned the school’s library. Nearly 50 people gathered around the library tables, and we read the rules and elected our officers. We then heard about 20 minutes of discussion about the candidates. I spoke for Sen. Obama. A wonderful lady I had never met gave a moving speech for Sen. Clinton. Then a few more folks said a few words about Sen. Obama or Sen. Clinton. After a straw poll determining that both candidates would meet viability, we voted. The results (I think - this is from memory): Obama 27, Clinton 18.

We then went on to elect delegates and do the other things required at caucus — the vote for Sen. Udall was unanimous. A few people left after the Presidential vote, but to my surprise, most people stayed through the end.

In the end, Obama narrowly won in Fremont County with record turnout, 336 to 319. There was a great cheer among those who remained at the school when the results were announced.

As we left around 9:30, a gentleman drove up looking for the Republicans. We smiled. “We think they’re at the Abbey, or maybe the High School. Anyway, they’ve probably been finished for quite a while now.”

It was an AMAZING night to be a Democrat!

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A few statistics from the results reported last night in Colorado.

The tally now stands at Obama - 79,344 (66.2%) to Clinton 38,587 (32.2%), with 3165 of 3208 precincts reporting.

Denver had the highest vote for Obama, at 17,942, followed by Boulder with 13,100.

Denver also had the highest vote for Clinton, at 7806, followed by Jefferson with 5,208.

Cheyenne and Sedgwick both had the lowest votes for Obama, with 7 votes, followed by Jackson and Kiowa, with 8 votes apiece. Hinsdale had the lowest vote for Clinton, with 7 votes, followed by San Juan with 8 votes.

Percentage-wise, Obama had his best night in San Miguel, Ouray, La Plata, Pitkin, Hinsdale, Archuleta and Boulder, with a range in those counties from 86% (San Miguel) to 74% (Boulder). Clinton did best in Sedgwick, Kit Carson, Jackson, Costilla, Prowers and Las Animas counties, with her percentage in those ranging from 67% (Sedgwick) to 57% (Las Animas).

Clinton won 14 counties; Obama won 49 counties; one county (Bent) was an exact tie. I have created a map of the counties won by each and it is in the web version of this post at www.demnotes.com.

The highest turnout counties were: 1. Denver (26,096); 2. Boulder (17,910); 3. Jefferson (14,595); 4. Arapahoe (12,224); and 5. Larimer (8,637).

The lowest turnout counties were: 1. Jackson (20); 2. Kiowa (23); 3. Cheyenne (24); 4. Washington (29); and 5. (tie) Sedgwick, San Juan, and Hinsdale (30).

Statewide, Democratic turnout was at 13.61%. The highest turnout percentage counties were: 1. Hinsdale (25.42%); 2. Boulder (23.81%); 3. Ouray (22.82%); 4. San Juan (19.48%) and 5. Larimer (17.20%). The lowest turnout percentage counties were: 1. Rio Grande (4.53%); 2. Otero (5.69%); 3. Pueblo (5.76%); 4. Baca (5.77%) and 5. Logan (5.94%). Other large counties: Adams - 8.08%; Arapahoe - 12.83%; Denver - 15.91%; Douglas - 16.54%; El Paso - 11.39%; Jefferson - 14.28%; La Plata - 14.74%; Mesa - 11.97%; Weld - 8.90%.

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

This weekend, I was busy traveling the state for training (and a little R&R).

The weekend began with me driving over to Pueblo to attend their caucus training. I wasn’t giving my traditional caucus presentation; instead, my job in Pueblo was to introduce the crowd to the concept of “preference polls” for the Presidential race. Easily over 150 Pueblo Dems attended the standing-room only training at the Steelworkers Hall.

If you’ve attended any of my caucus trainings, you know that I briefly mention that you should not try to explain the way the other 62 counties do caucuses to folks in Pueblo and Adams counties, because they have a very different way of doing things there. In most counties, you just elect delegates to the county assembly and the county convention — and electing just those two sets of delegates can sometimes be confusing enough. In Pueblo and Adams, however, caucus-goers elect six different types of delegates. In addition to the county assembly and convention delegates, they also directly elect congressional district and state assembly delegates, as well as congressional district and state convention delegates.

(Warning: arcane rules discussion ahead!) One of the reasons that they’ve been able to do this is because they have worked under the assumption that all delegates that are elected are elected as “Uncommitted” delegates. In other words, they simply replace the complex math formulas used for the preference poll with the complex variety of delegates elected. That has worked for quite a while now because nobody has challenged this paradigm.

However, the Party rules are very clear: you have to have a preference poll on the Presidential race, and you have to use the results of that poll to apportion these delegates. The rules do allow counties to select their state and congressional district delegates from the precincts if they so choose, but they still require the use of a preference poll. Presidential campaigns are depending on the results from Colorado to determine who will win on February 5, and it is certainly possible that one (or more) might challenge Adams or Pueblo if they choose to proceed without a preference poll.

In any event, my explanation of the caucus math worksheet received mixed reviews, at best. One gentleman got up and said it was too complicated for anybody to do. My response? It’s not too complicated for the 62 counties that already do it; I had confidence that Puebloans could figure it out. His next complaint? This process would result in lawsuits, because it discriminates against those who are poor at math. (It hasn’t yet, and essentially the same math process is used in other states, such as Iowa and Nevada, with nary a lawsuit.)

In the end, it was an interesting venture into Pueblo Democratic Party politics. In fact, I had assumed that I’d see a lot more complaints and negativity than I saw on Saturday. For the most part, Pueblo Dems were very nice and accommodating to the news I was delivering. Chair Terry Hart has been very helpful throughout this process in working with the State Party and the campaigns in resolving this issue.

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After Pueblo, I had to rush back to Canon City. There, I was greeted with a great surprise. I was to do caucus training for Fremont County Dems. The organizers expected around 30 people for the training. In 2004, only about 90 people even attended Democratic caucuses in Fremont County.

Boy, were they wrong! Nearly 100 people packed the Golden Age Center to hear my presentation and to participate in a mock caucus (using ice cream flavors as candidates). It was so exciting to see the same levels of excitement in my home county that I’m seeing everywhere else I go. The Fremont Dems even re-created the check-in procedure, issuing caucus credentials (don’t worry if your county doesn’t have caucus credentials — this is the first time I’ve seen that level of organization in a county caucus organization), and checking names.

There were a lot of new faces there — and plenty of supporters of all three of the major Democratic candidates for President. It was a good send-off for my trip to Southwest Colorado. And with the training in Fremont County, I estimate I’ve trained at least 1,500 people on caucuses this cycle (remember, there were only about 15,000 people who attended the Dem caucuses statewide last time, and my trainings have pretty much been outside of the Denver / Boulder / Colorado Springs metro areas).

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We then headed down to Durango. I was going to be doing a caucus training on Sunday in Pagosa Springs, and we turned it into a very miniature vacation. We took a short trip over to Mesa Verde on Sunday morning, went to the Pagosa hot springs on Sunday afternoon / evening, and went skiing on Monday at Durango Mountain Resort / Purgatory (outstanding beginner ski trails!!!).

Sunday afternoon, I met with a group of about 30 Archuleta County Dems, along with Jean Walter, the provisional county chair for La Plata County, to go over caucus training with them in Pagosa Springs. They are definitely hardy souls. I arrived with a warning from Bob Nash, the county chair, that the meeting room would be a bit cold. It was — forty degrees cold. After about thirty minutes of the heaters working, when the meeting started, the room was about 46 degrees. About the only pocket of warmth was that right around the computer projector.

But nobody left. Nobody even really complained. They just sat there and asked questions about the caucus process.

Archuleta county Dems are looking at a potential primary for county commissioner — which is pretty amazing, considering that the county has historically been pretty Republican. Democrats in Archuleta County are looking forward to seeing some real gains in 2008, and it looks like there will be an impressive push to elect a Democratic county commissioner there. It was a very heartening trip, to say the least.

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Tomorrow night is my last scheduled caucus training, to be combined with a National Convention conversation, in Alamosa. After that, I think I get to go back to making more entertaining speeches. Here is a bit from the State Party’s press release:

In keeping with the mission of creating a regional Convention for the Rocky Mountain West, Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) Deputy CEO for Intergovernmental Affairs, Sky Gallegos will conduct a Convention Seminar on Wednesday, January 23 at 5 p.m. at the Alamosa Family Recreation Center, 2222 Old Sanford Road, Alamosa. Gallegos will discuss opportunities for involvement in the 2008 Democratic National Convention, including running for delegate and volunteering opportunities. Democratic National Committee (DNC) member Dan Slater will join Gallegos and lead a delegate training session for attendees.

“Our mandate is clear: to make the 2008 Democratic National Convention the most inclusive, accessible and engaging in our Party’s history,” said Gallegos. “We aim to make this a reality by traveling the state and hearing what folks have to say. We want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to get involved in the Convention experience.”

The Neighboring communities in the San Luis Valley are also urged to attend the seminar in Alamosa.

Originally, State Chair Pat Waak was to attend, as well. However, her father passed away in Texas late last week, and she has been in Texas with her family taking care of the arrangements down there. Please keep Pat in your thoughts and prayers as she goes through this difficult time. Here is the information on what you can also do, if you would like:

Flowers are accepted. However, you may give a contribution in memory of Boxly Waak to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Avenue, Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601-7633.

Cards can go to Pat at her home at 4225 County Road 1.5, Erie, Co 80516.

Yesterday more than 200 people were on hand for the Engaged Spirituality Forum at Iliff School of Theology. We will be posting copies of remarks and a video of the proceedings on the website in the near future. However, I want to provide some highlights from the day on this site.

After a wonderful opening mediation with George Tinker, David Trickett, President of Iliff gave his welcome. To follow are his remarks:

“Welcome to our second collaboration with the Colorado Democratic Party. Thank you for your continued interest in and support of this undertaking. It is my goal that we will collaborate effectively with all contenders for public service, no matter one’s affiliation, for we are called to be a community asset for reconciliation and healing of deep division. In truth, we know that the fratricidal tendencies apparent in some highly visible public arenas are adding toxins to the body politic–and such conditions are not sustainable.

I will share with you why I believe this kind of event is worth continuing, and not just before election cycles but also throughout the less hectic periods of our life together: public service is to be a calling, a vocation. Certainly privilege accrues to those who serve and lead us, but at the heart of it all is properly to be a sense that a public leader is actually working not for small interests but in truth for the common good. And far too many of us have allowed this inconvenient realization to slip from the center of our focus.

I grew up in a context–the Deep South–where hardball politics has been part of the culture since before the end of the War Between the States. My hometown was the last spot on the North American continent where the flags of the Confederacy were furled (some two months after Appomattox, since my ancestors refused to believe that General Lee had made a good decision by surrendering). I have seen the good and the bad, the smarmy and the exciting: LBJ used to visit my father’s business; we lived around the corner from Huey Long’s widow, and Russell Long was a family acquaintance; I dated the daughter of a governor of our state, and he (John McKeithen) used to spend hours in the late nights when I was at the mansion talking to me about the “human” side of being a public servant; and the very first burning cross I saw was up the street at the home of our local member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He stood for something that incurred the wrath–actually, the deep fear–of those who refused to see that civility and equity were truly for all and not merely for some. And then I lived and worked in Washington, DC for almost exactly twenty years before coming here. So I, like many of you perhaps, have seen a lot.

I’ve spoken several times with one of our distinguished speakers today, Leah Daughtry, about a dream for a certain big political event that will take place here in Denver this August. Rather than merely view the event as an occasion to rally forces for the election of a very good leader of this nation, what if it was a platform for a clarion call to this whole nation for renewal? For the renewal of pride in citizenship, for the renewal of hope that we can navigate the whitewaters of societal uncertainty together, for the renewal of the change that all can have a voice at the table?

It is in this spirit that I welcome you to this place and encourage you to discern afresh the bigger-picture value of what we’re all about today. Thank you for being part of this vital conversation. We here at Iliff very much want it to continue, and aim to be a partner with you.”

With this welcome, much of the discussion centered around a call to public service. I have asked Leah Daughtry, CEO of the 2008 Democratic National Convention Committee, to povide a copy of her remarks so we can post them as well–here and on the website.

Yesterday more than 200 people were on hand for the Engaged Spirituality Forum at Iliff School of Theology. We will be posting copies of remarks and a video of the proceedings on the website in the near future. However, I want to provide some highlights from the day on this site.

After a wonderful opening mediation with George Tinker, David Trickett, President of Iliff gave his welcome. To follow are his remarks:

“Welcome to our second collaboration with the Colorado Democratic Party. Thank you for your continued interest in and support of this undertaking. It is my goal that we will collaborate effectively with all contenders for public service, no matter one’s affiliation, for we are called to be a community asset for reconciliation and healing of deep division. In truth, we know that the fratricidal tendencies apparent in some highly visible public arenas are adding toxins to the body politic–and such conditions are not sustainable.

I will share with you why I believe this kind of event is worth continuing, and not just before election cycles but also throughout the less hectic periods of our life together: public service is to be a calling, a vocation. Certainly privilege accrues to those who serve and lead us, but at the heart of it all is properly to be a sense that a public leader is actually working not for small interests but in truth for the common good. And far too many of us have allowed this inconvenient realization to slip from the center of our focus.

I grew up in a context–the Deep South–where hardball politics has been part of the culture since before the end of the War Between the States. My hometown was the last spot on the North American continent where the flags of the Confederacy were furled (some two months after Appomattox, since my ancestors refused to believe that General Lee had made a good decision by surrendering). I have seen the good and the bad, the smarmy and the exciting: LBJ used to visit my father’s business; we lived around the corner from Huey Long’s widow, and Russell Long was a family acquaintance; I dated the daughter of a governor of our state, and he (John McKeithen) used to spend hours in the late nights when I was at the mansion talking to me about the “human” side of being a public servant; and the very first burning cross I saw was up the street at the home of our local member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He stood for something that incurred the wrath–actually, the deep fear–of those who refused to see that civility and equity were truly for all and not merely for some. And then I lived and worked in Washington, DC for almost exactly twenty years before coming here. So I, like many of you perhaps, have seen a lot.

I’ve spoken several times with one of our distinguished speakers today, Leah Daughtry, about a dream for a certain big political event that will take place here in Denver this August. Rather than merely view the event as an occasion to rally forces for the election of a very good leader of this nation, what if it was a platform for a clarion call to this whole nation for renewal? For the renewal of pride in citizenship, for the renewal of hope that we can navigate the whitewaters of societal uncertainty together, for the renewal of the change that all can have a voice at the table?

It is in this spirit that I welcome you to this place and encourage you to discern afresh the bigger-picture value of what we’re all about today. Thank you for being part of this vital conversation. We here at Iliff very much want it to continue, and aim to be a partner with you.”

With this welcome, much of the discussion centered around a call to public service. I have asked Leah Daughtry, CEO of the 2008 Democratic National Convention Committee, to povide a copy of her remarks so we can post them as well–here and on the website.

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

WARNING: If you are one of the four or five folks who have e-mailed me complaining about my support for a particular Presidential candidate, you may want to only read the first part of this post….

In an hour or so, I’ll leave Canon City and head north to do some more caucus training. I encourage you to come by if you are in the area — there should also be an opportunity at most of these events to learn more about the various Presidential campaigns, as well.

Tonight, I will be in Estes Park; here is the information on that event:

Fri, Jan 11; ESTES PARK DEMOCRATS WELCOME CANDIDATES & OFFER CAUCUS TRAINING

Estes Park Democrats will meet to hear from several Presidential campaigns, the Udall for Colorado campaign (for U.S. Senate), and Betsy Markey, candidate for Congress. The event also includes caucus training by Dan Slater, 1st Vice Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party.

The event is open to the public.

Date & Time: Fri, Jan. 11, 2008; 7:00 p.m.Location: Estes Park Municipal Building, 2nd Floor, rooms 202-3.

Contact: John & Karen Ericson, 586-5042

Tomorrow (Saturday), I then head to Loveland and Greeley for more training. Here is the information on the Loveland training, for 1:30ish:

Its Central Committee time again, and what a meeting this should be!

Dont miss it! 1:p.m. Official Business: Our official business is to approve a formula for determining how many delegates each precinct is allotted to go forward to the County Assembly and Convention. These delegates will be selected at precinct caucuses on Tuesday, Feb. 5. We also will fill officer vacancies of the Larimer County Democratic Party. Current members of the Larimer County Central Committee have received the OFFICIAL CALL and may vote. They include Party officers, directors, precinct committee people, and Democratic elected officials. All other Democrats are welcome to attend.

1:30 or 2 p.m. Caucus Training and Candidates for U.S. House and Senate; Dan Slater, First Vice Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, will be on hand to conduct caucus training. Betsy Markey will attend and speak. Mark Udall will either attend or send a representative to speak on his behalf. Representatives of Presidential Campaigns: Representatives of five of the eight Democratic presidential campaigns will address our meeting. Those speakers will represent Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, and Bill Richardson. Come join your friends, meet the candidates and/or their representatives, and prepare for caucuses.

Central Committee Meeting Date & Time: Sat, Jan. 12, 1-1:30 p.m.

Caucus Training & Candidate Speeches: 1:30 +

Location: Bill Reed Middle School , 370 W. 4th St . , Loveland

And here is the Greeley information:

Caucus training is scheduled for January 12th, from 5:30-8 pm, at the University Center, Columbine Room, 11th Ave between 19th and 20th Street, Greeley. Colorado Democratic Party officials, including 1st Vice Chair Dan Slater, are expected to assist. Representatives of the presidential campaigns will have tables with information. Parking is available at the University Center; for directions, go to http://www.unco.edu/uncmap/.

Training resources will include a Colorado Democratic Party Caucus Rules Summary, Step-by-Step Caucus Agenda, Caucus Process Instructions, Presidential Preference Math Worksheet, Weld County Assembly Math Worksheet, Weld County Assembly/Convention Call and Delegate Form, and Nominating Process Flowchart.

Finally, I’ll be doing caucus training for Park County on Sunday. Here are the details for that event, if you can attend:

NEXT MEETING OF PARK COUNTY DEMOCRATS

January 13, 1:00 PM

Jefferson Community Center

The Public is Invited

The next meeting of the Park County Democrats will take place on Sunday, January 13, at the Jefferson Community Center. The meeting begins at 1:00 pm. The public is invited. There will be Caucus Training prior to the start of the Central Committee meeting. If you’re interested in the Caucus process and what exactly is involved, please come to this meeting.

The Jefferson Community Center is located in Jefferson along US Highway 285 about 15 miles northeast of Fairplay and 23 miles southwest of Bailey.

I’m not done on Sunday, though. On Monday, I’ll be in Frisco, and on Tuesday, I’ll be in Rocky Ford for caucus trainings for those two areas. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to write about the details of those before Monday.

——————————————

Last night, we went up to Colorado Springs to attend the grand opening of the Obama for President office there. I’ve been to open houses and grand openings before, and I expected maybe 20-30 folks there. Boy, was I surprised! A reporter I was standing next to estimated at least 250 people in attendance. I don’t think there was room for any more people there in that office — it was one of the more impressive sights I’ve seen lately.

Several folks spoke and were recognized, including former El Paso County chairs Ed Raye and Mark Johnson. The place was so packed, they had to do the speeches and information twice — once for one room, and again a second time for the another room of people. It was really impressive to see this level of support in Colorado Springs, of all places, for a Democratic candidate.

Well, I need to head off to Estes Park. Maybe I’ll see you there!

Dan Slater did a nice job of commenting in his blog on the State Executive Committee and State Central Committee Meetings this past Saturday. In spite of the weather there was a terrific turn out. It underlines the enthusiasm on the part of Democrats in the state. I personally welcome Butch Hicks as our new treasurer. He has big shoes to fill with Rep. Mark Ferrandino moving on. But Butch has been treasurer in Adams County for years and brings a ton of experience.

The next day, Sunday, Sky Gallegos and I flew to Durango for another community conversation and training. Over 80 people from La Plata, Montezuma and Archuleta County showed up to hear about the upcoming convention. They stayed for the next hour to learn about the caucus process and the DNC’s Neighbor to Neighbor project.

It was the liveliest session we have had, with tons of questions. I used part of Dan Slater’s really good powerpoint presentation, plus a new chart that Billy Compton has put together to show the total process. Dan’s presentation is up on the website so it can be downloaded. However, he is conducting a number of trainings throughout the state, as am I and Carolyn Boller. I also know that many counties are conducting their own.

Among the participants on Sunday, Joelle Riddle and Wally White, La Plata County Commissioners, were in attendance. John Whitney from Rep. John Salazar’s office was on hand. The Durango Herald called the event part pep rally. And we all agree.

After dropping Sky Gallegos at the airport, I stayed at Alison Dance’s lovely guest studio. Because of the ice and snow, I experienced what it is like to be without my winter tires. The car I was driving slid down a hill into the ditch. Luckily I was rescued by my hosts and no damage to the car or myself. The next morning’s snow storm cancelled my trips to Cortez and Dove Creek, so I spent most of the day on conference calls and my trusty Blackberry.

On Tuesday morning, Joelle Riddle and I traveled through the snow to have breakfast with Chairman Frost of the Southern Utes. We discussed how we might get some of the Democrats in the seven tribes to run for delegate. I have a list of people to confer with in the next few weeks.

It cleared enough so I could fly back to Denver and meet with Beage Atwater, who is once again directing the coordinated campaign. That was followed by a larger meeting with the DSCC and consultants. Staff is already working on outreach efforts,.

That evening a dozen members of the CDP Faith and Politics Project met with Rev. Terri Lavelle, director of the DNC Faith in Action Program, and John Kelly, who works on outreach for the same program. The night before they had attended a house party of 20 people from the Catholic community.

Our major discussion was around the upcoming seminar on Engaged Spirituality. We hope to use this event to recruit more people who would be willing to hold house parties. To follow is the information on the seminar to be held January 12, 2008.

Registration is 9:30 a.m. Program begins at 10:00 a.m.
End time: 4:00 p.m.

The event is at the Iliff School of Theology, 2201 S. University Blvd.
Denver, CO 80201. The meeting will take place in the Great Hall to the right as you enter the main entrance.

Agenda to follow:

Engaged Spirituality Forum
Faith and Politics Project of the Colorado Democratic Party
Hosted by Iliff School of Theology
January 12,2008

10:00 a.m. Native American Meditation: George Tinker

10:15 a.m. Welcome: Iliff President David Trickett

10:30 a.m. Greeting and Introduction of Keynote Speaker: Pat Waak, Chair, Colorado Democratic Party

Keynote Speaker: The Rev. Leah Daughtry, Chair of the 2008 Democratic Convention

11:00 a.m. A panel discussion: Exploring the Constitutional Mandates: Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause
The Rev. Ron Stief of “Faith in Public Life”
Taj Ashaheed: Executive Director of the Colorado Muslim Council
Representative Morgan Carroll, Colorado General Assembly

12:30 p.m. Lunch with Governor Bill Ritter

1:30 p.m. & 2:30p.m. Break-out Workshops
Faith and Immigration: American Hospitality and Economic Necessity
Representative Terrance Carroll, Colorado General Assembly
Dr. Miguel de la Torre

Faith and War: Superpower for Conquest or Common Good
Larry Howe-Kerr, Catholic Social Justice Activist
Pastor Ted Fritshel

Faith and Healthcare – Life-Health Issues in a Broader Context
Representative Jim Riesberg , Colorado General Assembly
The Rev. Dr. Michael Attas, Medical Ethics Professor at Baylor

Faith and the Environment – Making the Connections
The Rev. Peter Sawtell, Director of Eco-Justice Ministries, UCC
Eileen Regan, Environmental Scientist and Spiritual Director

Registration fee is $20, which includes a box lunch. You can register online at www.coloradodems.org

Contact for information: Pat Waak, Chair, Colorado Democratic Party, pwaak@coloradodems.org