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"Are You Ready to Get This Party Started?"

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008

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

“Are You Ready to Get This Party Started? That has two meanings this week!”

And thus, the Flobots truly defined in short and simple terms what this week is about.

Oh, yeah. Let me first explain who the Flobots are. The Flobots are a musical group dedicated to civic action and making change in America. They’re a Denver band that is sweeping the nation. And important to this discussion, they headlined the Media Party that kicked off the 2008 Democratic National Convention tonight.

Brandy and I have been listening to the Flobots for a couple of months now, but seeing them in concert was truly revolutionary. They challenge their audience to get involved — to become activists. They’ve even started a nonprofit organization whose goal is to engage youth and register them to vote across American.

Tonight, approximately 15,000 members of the media joined together to enjoy the opening event of the National Convention at Elitch Gardens. As a member of the Host Committee Board of Directors, I was lucky enough to join the crowd at Elitches. Beyond the amazing concept of being able to ride the Mind Eraser without any line, the evening was truly a night to celebrate Denver’s week in the limelight.

Senator Ken Salazar kicked off the night as we enjoyed traditional Native American dances. Then, we heard a few words from Governor Ritter and Mayor Hickenlooper before the Flobots kept the energy of the night moving. The evening ended with a fantastic three-level fireworks display that was, in a word, breathtaking.

The day began over at the Convention Center, where we attended the Rules Committee meeting. Brandy is one of Colorado’s representatives to the Rules Committee. The Committee rather uneventfully adopted the permanent rules that will govern the National Convention this week. The Clinton and Obama campaigns worked hard to ensure that both sides were satisfied with the outcome. The Rules Committee also adopted a proposal to create a commission to review the timeline and caucus / primary process for the nomination, which will start up next year. I had some discussions with campaign officials out of concerns that out of state interests would attempt to dictate how Colorado runs our caucuses; I’m confident we will have our voice heard when this Commission forms next year.

After the Rules Committee, we headed over to the Grand Hyatt to check in to the Colorado delegation hotel. Interestingly, this is also the DCCC hotel, where many members of Congress are staying. Security here is rather tight; it is a rather surreal experience.

On the way over to the Media Party, we stopped at a reception for State Party Chairs, Vice Chairs and Executive Directors at Tamayo on Larimer. It was great to see so many of our colleagues — they all seem to be enjoying their stays here in the Mile High City so far.

Tomorrow, there are a lot of things going on, including a couple of Colorado Delegation events. I also may have to do a walk-through of the Pepsi Center, missing the key Colorado reception. As with tonight, I will try to write when I can.

Posted in DNC, National Convention 2008 | Comments Off

D Minus Three Days — And a Slew Of Information!

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

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

Today’s post to DemNotes feels like the original DemNotes. For those who don’t remember, or who weren’t involved with the Party back then, DemNotes began during the 2004 election cycle as an e-mail newsletter from me as State Party Secretary to everybody on the then-small State Party e-mail list. After 2004 — where I first blogged during the Democratic National Convention in Boston — I turned it into the blog demnotes.com that is in use today. In any event, when it was a newsletter format, there were several posts all at once, and there’s so much to report today that it seems a lot like that again.

D Minus Three Days. Or two days. Or one day. Depends on your point of view. Tomorrow, Saturday, is the first day for official convention-related activities in Denver. The Rules Committee meets in the morning, and the Media Party is in the evening. Sunday is the first day for delegation events, with an Interfaith Service and all-delegation party during the day, and the Green Concert with Sheryl Crow and Dave Matthews at Red Rocks in the evening. But the gavel doesn’t officially come down to start the convention until around 3:00 Monday afternoon at the Pepsi Center, so that’s why I say “three days”.

Pepsi Center StageWe saw today the first public look at the Pepsi Center’s interior, and it looks fantastic! If you haven’t seen it, go online to the Denver Post or Rocky, or CNN, or any other news site and take a look. It is colorful, bright, and stunning. If you’re looking at this by e-mail, I’ve put a picture up on the website at www.DemNotes.com.

If you’re not going to be able to get into the Pepsi Center, don’t worry. There will be PLENTY to do in Denver without getting into the Pepsi Center. I’d encourage you to attend the Caucus meetings during the day at the Convention Center if you can. Here is the schedule of caucus meetings. On Monday and Wednesday, the following caucuses will meet from 10 am to Noon: African American Caucus, Asian / Pacific Islander Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, Native American Council, and the Ethnic Coordinating Council. From Noon to 2 on Monday and Wednesday, the GLBT Caucus and the Senior Council will be meeting. Finally, from 1 to 3 on Monday and Wednesday, the Rural Council will be meeting.

On Tuesday and Thursday, there are more caucus and council meetings. From 10 am to Noon, the Women’s Caucus — the largest DNC Caucus — will be meeting. From Noon to 2 on Tuesday and Thursday, the Disability Caucus, the Faith Council, and the Youth Council will be meeting. Finally, the Veterans and Military Families Council will be meeting from 1 to 3 on Tuesday and Thursday.

If you’re not a delegate, you can definitely attend any of these caucus meetings, but you need to pre-register online for the caucus meetings BEFORE 5 PM ON SATURDAY! You can pre-register for the caucuses at:
http://www.demconvention.com/caucus-meeting-preregistration

I will try to keep DemNotes updated during the week with the activities; however, I’m not sure yet how regular that will be. The calendar is already looking pretty packed each day from about 7 am to about 2 am, so I’m not sure when I will find a computer to write, but I promise to try. I will say that it seems like there are an awful lot more things to be done as a superdelegate than when I was a pledged delegate in 2000 and 2004.

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Folks are already arriving in Denver for the Convention, as you may have noticed if you’re in Denver. Governor Dean is here — and if you get this e-mail in time, you can attend a rally with Governor Dean at Noon today (Friday). He will be at a “Register for Change” event at the Auraria College Campus, St. Cajetan’s Chapel, Lawrence Way in Denver. There are sure to be other key Colorado leaders there, so stop by during your lunch hour if you get a chance.

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Looking for a yard sign? Tired of waiting for the campaigns to get your own in? There’s a great promotion out there that we as Democrats should take advantage of before the other side does: a sign-making company is offering free signs that you can design yourself. Go to www.buildasign.com and you can design your own sign that they will make for you for FREE. They’re giving away 100,000 of these signs as a promotion of their services.

Note that these signs are NOT union-made, so I would not endorse you buying their services, but if you can get a sign for free, I’m not sure how you can complain. I’ll also make a caveat that I only heard about this site on the radio yesterday, so I don’t really know much more about it than I’ve already indicated.

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Last Saturday, we headed up the road to a great event in Coaldale. For those who don’t know, Coaldale is in the heart of the mountainous portion of Fremont County, and the more sparsely-populated area of Fremont County. It’s also historically been a heavily Republican area. When I was county chair, we tried to do a couple of events out there, and the best turnout we had was maybe 20-30 people.

Saturday did not look good for an outdoor rally for Democrats. It was raining. It was a bit chilly. Parking along Highway 50 could get dicey. And did I mention that this was a heavily Republican area?

About 150 people showed up.

150.

Last year, we had a traditional summer picnic for Fremont County Democrats in Canon City, the population center of the county. It was a beautiful day — sunny but not too hot. No rain in sight. We didn’t see even close to 150 people there.

It was a truly great event — people huddled under umbrellas and tents to hear great candidates like Hal Bidlack (5th CD), Cal Cali (HD60), Gloria Stultz and Walt Myers (County Commissioner). Even Rep. Michael Merrifield came down from Colorado Springs to speak for Mark Udall. The wet crowd was enthusiastic — and did I mention it was a large crowd? Even State Chair Pat Waak briefly stopped by to say hello and deliver Invesco Field tickets to the county chair.

Change is in the air in Colorado — even in the most Republican of areas of our state!

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Last night, I drove down to San Luis to attend and assist with the Costilla County Dems’ Central Committee meeting. They were filling some officer vacancies, including that of the county chair. Congrats to their new chair, Ubaldo Padilla, who was elected last night. In addition, Natalie Cisco was elected Treasurer, and Raphael Maestas was elected the Second Vice Chair.

After the elections, the central committee — along with several guests — had a great discussion about how they can help out in the local and state races. It was an enthusiastic and inspiring session of people understanding how important it is to get out and walk and help all of the candidates on the ballot. I told them it was a wonderful way to kick off convention week, as I head for Denver this afternoon.

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Finally, this morning, I was on the radio in Sterling to talk about the Democratic Party, our candidates, and the National Convention. The half-hour interview went well, I think, and I worked to make sure that folks in Northeast Colorado understand that Republicans like Marilyn Musgrave are not standing for Colorado values and issues that are most important to Eastern Colorado. I hope to be on again in the near future.

Well, that’s enough for one post. Hopefully, I’ll see you around Denver in the next week

Posted in CDP, Counties, DNC, National Convention 2008, Presidential Campaign 2008 | Comments Off

A Weekend on the Western Slope

Sunday, August 17th, 2008

After a week of enduring a lot of flack for doing our job, it was refreshing to hit the road with packets for counties that will get them into some of the Democratic convention functions next week. Of course, like any journey, it was fraught with its on little adventures.

I was an hour late getting started because the packets were not ready. My hat is off to all of the people who worked to get lists reviewed. At the Campaign for Change office, no one seemed to have slept on Thursday night. However, they were cordial and helpful, especially Paul Schnaitter and Ray Rivera.

And of course, it was pouring down rain. I am not complaining. We need the water. It just made a slower go of the travel. I met Becky Cook, co-chair for Clear Creek, at a parking lot in Morrison. We damply went through her packet of instructions and documents.

By then I knew that the Eisenhower Tunnel was closed. Charlene Smith from Lake County called me along the way. She was on the other side waiting for her packet. We decided to hope and pray that the tunnel would be clear by the time I got there. It was, but I was greeted with a five-mile back up and some light snow. In August!!

Charlene waited for over an hour and then met Sandy Briggs from Summit County at Frisco. We counted out documents and information. All in good spirits so I could be off to Edwards.

DNC Committeewoman Debbie Marquez and her daughter, Francesca, met me at the exit 163. We once again went over documentation for Eagle County and discussed upcoming events.

Next stop was Glenwood Springs. I got off I-70 and arrived at our drop off point to meet Camilla Auger from Pitkin and Pat Tamasko from Garfield. Once again we counted documents, went through instructions, and I headed up the road.

By now, I was running one and half hours late. So I called Rep. John Salazar’s chief of staff, Ron Carleton so he could pass on the word to the attendees of the Montrose County barbeque. Did I say that was where I was heading?

And I did arrive around 7pm. Everyone had stayed to hear me speak so I made it short. They had a great turn out. I had little mini-meetings with John Hollrah from Ouray County; Frank and Pat Ventura from Gunnison County; and Dick Unruh’s representative from San Miguel. More packets distributed and documentation reviewed. I gave Ron Carleton packets for the counties of Montezuma, La Plata, San Juan and Archuleta since he was meeting Rep. Salazar over there the next day.

Kim Wille was there taking her great pictures, and she filled up a plate of barbeque for me. It was cold but delicious. While I ate, Steve Dooley entertained me with stories about local characters. Steve is an attorney in Montrose County.

I went home with Karen Connor, former Montrose County Democratic Chair, for the night. Jayne Bilberry came over to pick up packets for Montrose and Delta. Jayne is also a member of the Colorado delegation so we talked about the upcoming convention.

Saturday morning I was on the road again. I did stop in Gunnison to buy a new cowboy hat and then headed to Salida. Tom Thomas met me at Bongo Billy’s to pick up Chaffee County’s packet. And Terry Hart was waiting, with his lovely daughter, to get Pueblo’s information. They talked to me, while I ate a quick lunch, about what is happening in their county.

By this time I am back in a deluge of rain. I arrived at Coaldale, where a big rally was occurring at Itty Bitty Campground. Dan Slater was there, as was CD5 candidate for Congress, Hal Bidlack. (BTW, Hal was at Bongo Billy’s earlier in Salida). I was able to give Kevin Bradley the packet for Fremont County.

Then I headed for Woodland Park. The Democratic dinner in Teller County was held for the first time in 11 years. Over 100 people attended. I gave the keynote speech and could feel the electricity in the air as these dedicated people gathered to celebrate new activism in the county. Laurie Glauth did a wonderful job as the emcee. Hal Bidlack gave a great speech. Attendees got to hear from Joe Alsup, who is running for State Senate; Holly Gorman, candidate for State House: and their local candidates for county commissioner, Rev. Saunders, and Charles Olson. And yes, Laurie got a packet for Teller.

Of course, the fun of the night was when Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff conducted the live auction, raising several thousand dollars.

I arrived home last night exhilarated and exhausted. However, it was a great trip for two main reasons. Connecting with local Democrats who are doing the important work to register voters, rally their communities and raise dollars is always a reminder that they are the essential core of our party. We constantly look for ways to motivate and reward them. Often that is just about “showing up.”

Secondly, I traveled over some of the most beautiful parts of our state. Mountains, valleys and streams that fill me with so much spiritual renewal. I saw a big horn sheep, young buck, lots of birds and just the wonder that is Colorado.

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I don’t always have time to post comments, but I wanted to share this with you.

Pat Waak, Chair, Colorado Democratic Party

Posted in CDP, Counties, National Convention 2008 | 1 Comment »

Here's How to Get Invesco Credent… Oh, Wait…

Friday, August 8th, 2008

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

Open ConventionI had planned to write this morning on the details of getting credentialed to attend Sen. Obama’s acceptance speech at Invecso Field. Indeed, we only learned of the details for requesting such credentials Wednesday afternoon — and when I say “we”, I mean everybody; State Chairs and Vice Chairs only learned of the details Wednesday as well.

I suppose I should have anticipated the World Series-like enthusiasm for the event; we’ve seen record crowds and interest all across Colorado for our Democratic nomination process; why should it stop now? But the reality is that we have seen unprecedented interest — the response has been so overwhelming that about 24 hours after announcing the phone lines for requesting credentials, the DNCC had to shut down requests and allow only “waiting list” applications. Here’s what a press release from the Obama campaign has to say:

The Colorado Campaign for Change announced this afternoon that more than 60,000 Coloradans from across the Rocky Mountain state have requested community credentials to take part in the historic final night of the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field.

“This incredible response and excitement shows that there is a huge appetite for change in Colorado,” said Anne Filipic, the General Election Director for the Campaign for Change.

Due to demand, which has exceeded community seating capacity, the campaign will now place Coloradans who request community credentials on a waitlist. Coloradans can request to be placed on the waitlist online at co.barackobama.com/invesco or by stopping by a Campaign for Change office.

Wow. Now, even though 60,000 requests were received in one day from Coloradans, remember that we don’t even have that many seats allocated to Colorado. We’re extraordinarily fortunate that about half of the “community credentials” will go to Coloradans (and about 2/3 will go to the Rocky Mountain states, including Colorado), but every state will have an allocation of these community credentials. If you’re fortunate enough to get a Community Credential, you’ll be rubbing elbows with Obama supporters from Maine, Alabama, American Samoa, Montana — every corner of this Nation.

As we get closer to this Convention, we’re starting to get more and more clarity on what each day will look like. In one word: Busy. The Post estimated that something like 1000 different events will be occuring during Convention week in Denver. And, no, contrary to what some of you have inferred, they’re not all parties. Indeed, the days will be filled with all sorts of issues conferences, forums, and trainings. While the official website lists a lot of entertainment events (http://www.denverconvention2008.com/index.cfm?page=events), just check out the Rocky Mountain Roundtable for some pretty high-level discussions of all sorts of pressing issues:
http://www.2008rmr.org/

Whether you can get into Invesco or not, you certainly don’t want to miss out on the excitement of the Convention — there will be plenty of events around Denver (and the state) for you to attend during Convention week.

Posted in National Convention 2008 | 2 Comments »

Breaking Down the Walls of the Democratic Party

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

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

One of the main purposes of my writing DemNotes has been to open the curtains of the Democratic Party at all levels: local, state, and national. I’ve wanted to bring people in Colorado a little closer to the way things work within the DNC and CDP, as well as to share how things are working in counties all across Colorado. This concept of opening this Party up and breaking down fictitious walls has been very important to me.

That’s why I’m so excited at a couple of new developments over the past two days that have really shown that the leadership of this Party — and of our presumptive nominee — are in tune to the same kind of thinking.

When Governor Dean announced that the national convention would be coming to Denver, he also made it clear that he wanted this convention to be rather un-conventional. The DNC’s announcement yesterday that the final night of the Convention would be at Invesco Field at Mile High certainly fits that mold. As opposed to another night in the Pepsi Center — which would have been a fantastic night itself — Senator Barack Obama will accept the Democratic nomination for President in front of a crowd of over 75,000 just across I-25. What is even more fantastic is that that acceptance will come in front of thousands upon thousands from the Colorado community.

We’ve spent the last year trying to tamp down expectations of the ability to access the national convention. Even most volunteers, we said, wouldn’t see the inside of the Pepsi Center. The average Democratic activist in Colorado would have to be satisfied with watching from one of the community watch parties that are being set up around Denver.

This changes everything. This allows the average Democratic activist — whether in Durango or Sterling; whether veteran or getting involved for the first time — this allows the average activist to watch history live and in person. Here’s some of the DNCC’s press release from yesterday:

“The Democratic Party is nominating a true change candidate this August, and it is only fitting that we make some big changes in how we put on the Convention,” said Governor Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). “Senator Obama’s candidacy has generated an enormous amount of excitement and interest, not only in the Democratic Party but also in the 2008 Convention. By bringing the last night of the Convention out to the people, we will be able to showcase Barack Obama’s positive, people-centered vision for our country in a big way.”

“Barack Obama’s campaign for change has inspired millions of Americans and brought people into the political process who might never have been involved,” said Convention Co-Chair Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius. “This change in the Convention program will allow thousands of first-time participants a chance to take part. I can’t think of a better Convention finale for our nominee who has made reaching out to voters a hallmark of his campaign.”

“When we said we wanted to ‘bring down the walls,’ open up this Convention like never before and truly speak to the American people, we meant it,” said Leah D. Daughtry, CEO of the DNCC. “On August 28, we will offer grassroots Democrats, who have turned out in record numbers this year, the opportunity to witness history shoulder to shoulder with thousands of Americans standing up for the change our country desperately needs.”

“Senator Obama and the DNCC have truly brought the community into the Convention,” said Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. “This decision will enable thousands of residents from Colorado, the Rocky Mountain West and across the nation to witness history first hand. What a way to fire up our grassroots activists as we head into the fall campaign.”

Wow. What a night that will be. We still don’t know all the details on how you will be able to get credentials — that will come soon enough. Just with the other nights, though, it will continue to be a credentialed event — with credentials available to the public called “Community Credentials”. The Colorado Democratic Party has already put a page on our website for those interested in credentials for this historic evening — fill out the form and you will get information when it becomes available:
http://coloradodems.org/content/view/725

I have one last point on this topic: with this new opportunity for Colorado Democrats also comes great responsibility. People will be coming to Denver from all across the nation to attend the Convention, and this announcement means even more people are coming. We must be good hosts to our Democratic friends from across the country. We must also expect a pretty significant spike in visitors that week — even more than previously thought. As an example, in 1992, several dozen friends of mine at the University of Oklahoma scooted off to New York City for convention week, even though none of them had any hope of credentials to Madison Square Garden when they left Norman. Now multiply that by some unknown variable to account for the real possibility that they might get in on Thursday night!

It is going to be one heck of a time to be a Colorado Democrat!

Opening up the Convention on Thursday night is not the only wall being broken down by the DNC this week. This morning, the DNC announced that they were opening up the Platform process, as well. The announcement this morning encourages folks to host their own Platform Meeting in their community. You read that right: you can host your own Platform meeting right here in Colorado. The DNC will try to send as many of its Platform people as possible to these meetings, and the reports from these meetings will go straight to the Platform Drafting Committee.

Here’s some of the DNC’s release on this ground-breaking moment:

Members of the public will be invited to host and attend Platform Meetings in their communities as an opportunity to exchange ideas and share perspectives on the challenges we face. To facilitate the process, the Obama campaign and the DNC will send policy experts and DNC Platform Committee members to as many meetings as possible to serve as facilitators. Each Platform Meeting will produce a written summary that will be reviewed and considered by the Platform Committee.

“From the beginning, we said we were going bring down the traditional walls of the Democratic Convention and make this event more accessible and include as many people as possible,” said Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean. “This process will empower Americans in all 50 states to make their voices heard as they help write the document that embodies our Party’s values and vision for the future. Barack Obama will bring real change to Washington, and as we write the Democratic Platform, there will be a clear choice between more of the same failed policies of the Bush Administration with John McCain or real change with Barack Obama who will make the American people, not the special interests, the priority again.”

“Barack Obama believes that every American should be able to contribute to the Democratic Platform, just as record numbers have participated in this campaign,” said Steve Hildebrand of Obama for America. “It’s not the lawmakers in Washington who live the day-to-day reality of our policies–it’s workers, teachers, parents and first responders–everyday Americans who just want to the best for their families. What better way than to incorporate their voices into the process than to have them help shape the Democratic Platform, the statement of our ideals, values, and proposal for change.”

Registration is available at http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/listening/ , starting today through July 15th. The Platform Meetings will occur across the country from July 19th through July 27th.

Sign up soon! Never before has your voice as an individual activist meant so much to the Democratic Party as it does today!

Posted in National Convention 2008 | 1 Comment »

Post State Convention Ad Hoc Committee

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

Dear Democrats,

The State and Congressional District Conventions and Assemblies last weekend in Colorado Springs constituted an unprecedented gathering of Colorado Democrats. During the events of the weekend many of you were immersed in confused circumstances and experienced time-consuming difficulties during the registration and credentialing processes since we were unable to complete the credentialing-by-mail process in time for the conventions/assemblies. Facilities for the weekend were under contract eighteen months prior to the event before we had any idea of the overwhelming interest that would be displayed in the caucuses and county conventions and one of the local hotels where meeting were to be held cancelled at the last moment. We were also caught by surprise by the shortage of Obama ballots, we intentionally over-ordered both Clinton and Obama ballots so we would not run out of ballots – and we have now heard that the ballots were on the loading dock and not delivered to the main hall. This combination of events was regrettable and we must undertake steps to improve our procedures for future conventions and assemblies.

On the bright side, the appearance of thousands of attendees, their enthusiastic participation, and their demeanor in dealing with these untoward circumstances were marvelous. You are all to be applauded.

As a consequence of the events of the convention weekend we are appointing an ad hoc committee to be charged with reviewing and improving registration and credentialing processes. Examples of measures that may be considered are greater involvement of counties in the credentialing process and earlier recruiting and training of volunteers. The committee so far consists of Judi Butz, Jefferson County; Jim Spehar, Mesa County; Dana Barker, Garfield County; Karen Teja, El Paso County; and Teri Baird, Elbert County. We would like to have a volunteer from one of the Eastern Plains counties. The committee will be composed of no more than 15 members. Please use info@coloradodems.org as the contact point and title the email as Convention Input. We encourage you to submit comments and suggestions to the committee. We are asking them at the same time to interview staff and volunteers to get background information.

PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE, ELECTOR, AND DELEGATE SELECTION RESULTS

Counting of votes has been completed and final results are available for selection of delegates to the Democratic National Convention by presidential preference and presidential electors. Attached is a spreadsheet of all the delegates and alternates

State Convention Results
Barack Obama:8 At-Large National Convention Delegates, 2 National Convention Alternates5 Pledged Party Leader / Elected Official (PLEO) National Convention Delegates

Hillary Clinton:4 At-Large National Convention Delegates2 Pledged Party Leader / Elected Official (PLEO) National Convention Delegates

DNC Members:Debbie Marquez, Anthony Graves, Mannie RodriguezAt-Large Electors:Polly Baca, Margaret Atencio

Obama PLEO National Convention Delegates:Veronica Barela, Terrance Carroll, Vivian Stovall, Paul Lopez, Rosemary Marshall

Clinton PLEO National Convention Delegates:Mona Merchant, Jessica ClarkUnpledged

Add-on National Convention Delegate:Federico Pena

Obama At-Large National Convention Delegates:James Tucker, Julia Hicks, Jon Singer, Erica Hixson, Dunbar Watson, Jeffrey Hart, Susan McMahon, Jacqueline St. Joan

Clinton At-Large National Convention Delegates:Polly Baca, Richard Gonzales, Sonya Jaquez Lewis, Gordon Williams

Obama At-Large National Convention Alternates:Jay Barry, Morgan Carroll

CD Convention / Assembly Results

CD 1 CONVENTION
Barack Obama:
4 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate
Hillary Clinton:
2 National Convention Delegates

CD 1 Presidential Elector:
Wellington Webb
CD 1 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Anthony Graves, Crisanta Duran, Seth Masket, Allegra Haynes
CD 1 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Mark Thrun
CD 1 Clinton National Convention Delegates:
Awilda Marquez, Daniel Kagan
CD 1 ASSEMBLY
U.S. Congress:
Diana DeGette
State Board of Education:
Elaine Berman

CD 2 CONVENTION
Barack Obama:
4 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate
Hillary Clinton:
2 National Convention Delegates
CD 2 Presidential Elector:
Terry Phillips
CD 2 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Jessica Wittmer, Shawn Coleman, Richard Gardner, Sarah Kihm
CD 2 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Wendy Wilson
CD 2 Clinton National Convention Delegates:
Odell Barry, Sacha Millstone
CD 2 ASSEMBLY
U.S. Congress:
Joan Fitz-Gerald 61%
Jared Polis 39%
CU Regent:
Joe Neguse

CD 3 CONVENTION
Barack Obama:
3 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate
Hillary Clinton:
2 National Convention Delegates
CD 3 Presidential Elector:
Camilla Auger
CD 3 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Blanca O’Leary, Brian O’Donnell, Jayne Bilberry
CD 3 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Neil Isenberg
CD 3 Clinton National Convention Delegates:
Joe Torres, Mary Beth Pyle
CD 3 ASSEMBLY
U.S. Congress:
John Salazar
State Board of Education:
Jill Brake

CD 4 CONVENTION
Barack Obama:
3 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate
Hillary Clinton:
2 National Convention Delegates
CD 4 Presidential Elector:
Pam Shaddock
CD 4 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Sharon Malloy, Nathan VanDerSchaaf, Paul Anderson
CD 4 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Pam Shaddock
CD 4 Clinton National Convention Delegates:
Stan Matsunaka, Kathleen Ensz
CD 4 ASSEMBLY
U.S. Congress:
Betsy Markey

CD 5 CONVENTION
Barack Obama:
3 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate
Hillary Clinton:
1 National Convention Delegate
CD 5 Presidential Elector:
Jennifer Trujillo-Sanchez
CD 5 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Mike Maday, Benjamin Taber, Lynn Young
CD 5 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Jason DeGroot
CD 5 Clinton National Convention Delegate:
Brenda Krause
CD 5 ASSEMBLY
U.S. Congress:
Hal Bidlack

CD 6 CONVENTION
Barack Obama:
3 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate
Hillary Clinton:
2 National Convention Delegates
CD 6 Presidential Elector:
Don Strickland
CD 6 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Robert Kihm, Marzette Bedford-Billinghurst, Paula Noonan
CD 6 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Carmine Iadarola
CD 6 Clinton National Convention Delegates:
Rebecca McClellan, John Petty
CD 6 ASSEMBLY
U.S. Congress:
Hank Eng
CU Regent:
AJ Clemmons

CD 7 CONVENTION
Barack Obama:
3 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate
Hillary Clinton:
2 National Convention Delegates
CD 7 Presidential Elector:
Ann Knollman
CD 7 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Joe Beaver, Allison Cotton, Dorian DeLong
CD 7 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Saorise Charis-Graves
CD 7 Clinton National Convention Delegates:
Monisha Merchant, Jere Kennedy
CD 7 ASSEMBLY
U.S. Congress:
Ed Perlmutter
CU Regent:
Patrick Mulligan
State Board of Education:
Jane Goff

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Posted in CDP, Counties, DNC, National Convention 2008 | Comments Off

Lots of Explanations … And Apologies

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

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

I’ve spent the past few days both recuperating from this past weekend and focusing again on getting some money-generating work done for my clients. But I did stop long enough to attend a Fremont County Dems Central Committee meeting Monday night, and fielded a ton of questions and concerns about the State and Congressional District meetings on Friday and Saturday. Before I get to my thoughts on those, however, I want to be sure you all have the latest news on the results of the balloting this weekend.

State Party staff and volunteers have been very busy counting ballots for the past three days. We finally have results from all seven Congressional Districts. Here are the results we have so far, courtesy of the CDP website:

Barack Obama:
8 At-Large National Convention Delegates, 2 National Convention Alternates
5 Pledged Party Leader / Elected Official (PLEO) National Convention Delegates

Hillary Clinton:
4 At-Large National Convention Delegates
2 Pledged Party Leader / Elected Official (PLEO) National Convention Delegates

DNC Members:
Debbie Marquez, Anthony Graves, Mannie Rodriguez

At-Large Electors:
Polly Baca, Margaret Atencio

Obama PLEO National Convention Delegates:
Veronica Barela, Terrance Carroll, Vivian Stovall, Paul Lopez, Rosemary Marshall

Clinton PLEO National Convention Delegates:
Mona Merchant, Jessica Clark

——————————————————————————–

CD 1 CONVENTION

Barack Obama:
4 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate

Hillary Clinton:
2 National Convention Delegates

CD 1 Presidential Elector:
Wellington Webb

CD 1 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Anthony Graves, Crisanta Duran, Seth Masket, Allegra Haynes

CD 1 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Mark Thrun

CD 1 Clinton National Convention Delegates:
Awilda Marquez, Daniel Kagan

CD 1 ASSEMBLY

U.S. Congress:
Diana DeGette

——————————————————————————–

CD 2 CONVENTION

Barack Obama:
4 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate

Hillary Clinton:
2 National Convention Delegates

CD 2 Presidential Elector:
Terry Phillips

CD 2 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Jessica Wittmer, Shawn Coleman, Richard Gardner, Sarah Kihm

CD 2 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Wendy Wilson

CD 2 Clinton National Convention Delegates:
Odell Barry, Sacha Millstone

CD 2 ASSEMBLY

U.S. Congress:
Joan Fitz-Gerald 61%
Jared Polis 39%

CU Regent:
Joe Neguse

——————————————————————————–

CD 3 CONVENTION

Barack Obama:
3 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate

Hillary Clinton:
2 National Convention Delegates

CD 3 Presidential Elector:
Camilla Auger

CD 3 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Blanca O’Leary, Brian O’Donnell, Jayne Bilberry

CD 3 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Neil Isenberg

CD 3 Clinton National Convention Delegates:
Joe Torres, Mary Beth Pyle

CD 3 ASSEMBLY

U.S. Congress:
John Salazar

State Board of Education:
Jill Brake

——————————————————————————–

CD 4 CONVENTION

Barack Obama:
3 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate

Hillary Clinton:
2 National Convention Delegates

CD 4 Presidential Elector:
Pam Shaddock

CD 4 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Sharon Malloy, Nathan VanDerSchaaf, Paul Anderson

CD 4 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Pam Shaddock

CD 4 Clinton National Convention Delegates:
Stan Matsunaka, Kathleen Ensz

CD 4 ASSEMBLY

U.S. Congress:
Betsy Markey

——————————————————————————–

CD 5 CONVENTION

Barack Obama:
3 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate

Hillary Clinton:
1 National Convention Delegate

CD 5 Presidential Elector:
Jennifer Trujillo-Sanchez

CD 5 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Mike Maday, Benjamin Taber, Lynn Young

CD 5 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Jason DeGroot

CD 5 Clinton National Convention Delegate:
Brenda Krause

CD 5 ASSEMBLY

U.S. Congress:
Hal Bidlack

——————————————————————————–

CD 6 CONVENTION

Barack Obama:
3 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate

Hillary Clinton:
2 National Convention Delegates

CD 6 Presidential Elector:
Don Strickland

CD 6 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Robert Kihm, Marzette Bedford-Billinghurst, Paula Noonan

CD 6 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Carmine Iadarola

CD 6 Clinton National Convention Delegates:
Rebecca McClellan, John Petty

CD 6 ASSEMBLY

U.S. Congress:
Hank Eng

CU Regent:
AJ Clemmons

——————————————————————————–

CD 7 CONVENTION

Barack Obama:
3 National Convention Delegates, 1 National Convention Alternate

Hillary Clinton:
2 National Convention Delegates

CD 7 Presidential Elector:
Ann Knollman

CD 7 Obama National Convention Delegates:
Joe Beaver, Allison Cotton, Dorian DeLong

CD 7 Obama National Convention Alternate:
Saorise Charis-Graves

CD 7 Clinton National Convention Delegates:
Monisha Merchant, Jere Kennedy

CD 7 ASSEMBLY

U.S. Congress:
Ed Perlmutter

CU Regent:
Patrick Mulligan

State Board of Education:
Jane Goff

So, congrats to the many winners over the past few weeks that will comprise our delegation to the National Convention in Denver in August. There was a lot of furious campaigning, and a lot more people ran who were deserving of a position than the number of positions that were available, but I’m confident we are going to have a great delegation to the Convention in August.

The State numbers are still being tabulated as I type this; however, I have learned that the vote at the State Convention was approximately 70% Obama to 30% Clinton, creating an 8-4 split in the At Large delegation for Obama (with 1 alternate to each campaign At Large), and a 5-2 split in the Pledged Party Leader and Elected Official category for Sen. Obama.

The Party is still tabulating / has not released results for the individual At Large delegate races. I just received word that they are looking for more Obama volunteers to count the Obama At Large ballots.

———————–

Now, on to the meetings this weekend.

I spent the bulk of the day Friday at the World Arena, as my job in preparing for this weekend was to deal with most everything that went on inside the arena bowl (i.e., the actual program of the State Convention and Assembly). I worked with the campaigns in dealing with space issues, and supervised the installation of the sound, lighting, and video systems. At about 2:30, I headed back over to the Doubletree to register for and attend my own Congressional District meeting (the 5th CD). As soon as I arrived, I wished I was back at the much less chaotic World Arena.

For those of you who were there, you know that it was a complete mess — lines around and out of the convention area and into the hotel room hallways. I do want to make sure that some explanation is made — this was not what the Party had in mind, nor was it what was proposed to the Site Selection Committee when we selected Colorado Springs. Instead, the original plan was to use both the Sheraton (now the Crowne Plaza) and the Doubletree for the Friday meetings. Under that plan, two of the Congressional Districts would have met at the Sheraton at very ample and spread-out meeting room spaces, while the final of the three Congressional Districts would have still met at the Doubletree. Those of you who attended the State Party Summit in 2005 in Colorado Springs likely remember the Sheraton, as that is where we held that event — and it worked quite well.

Unfortunately, in a turn of events that has never been fully explained, the Sheraton / Crowne Plaza backed out of a commitment to host the Friday meetings about two months ago or so. At that point, it was too late to move the State Convention and Assembly from Colorado Springs — and pretty much any venue we would have chosen would have still had space issues. The Party explored using other last-minute venues to replace the Crowne Plaza, but the solution would have cost tens of thousands of dollars more — money that the Party simply could not afford (the State Convention and Assembly was already costing much more than planned). So we were stuck not only with holding everything at the Doubletree, but also with holding three Congressional Districts back-to-back-to-back.

In a normal year, that would be a daunting proposition. In 2008, that was a recipe for chaos. At the CD assemblies in previous weekends, we had already seen where some bottlenecks lay, and the Party staff worked quite valiantly to try to address those issues before the 16th. But some institutional bottlenecks remained, and those simply drove the process into a process that doubled the amount of time alloted to hold the 5th CD meeting, making everything else run even later.

Compounded on all of this was the fact that, in the 5th CD and in the 4th CD, the numbers coming out of the caucuses and county assemblies were such that the Clinton and Obama campaigns were within a couple dozen votes of gaining or losing a national delegate position. That focused an awful lot of intense heat on Party staff and volunteers, as campaign staff scrutinized every decision and every delegate credential awarded. How alternates were seated was, quite literally, going to decide how many national delegates each campaign was awarded. In 2008, in our national atmosphere, that slowed everything down even further.

With all of that in mind, though, I don’t want to make you all think that I believe what happened on Friday night was excusable. It was not. But I also want folks to realize that there isn’t a single villain or a single problem that caused all of the registration and alternate seating issues. The issues were caused by an amalgam of issues and mistakes — and I do know that the State Party officers and staff are well aware of those issues and mistakes. Dana Barker of Garfield County has rightly suggested that Chair Pat Waak form an ad hoc committee to review the state convention procedures and to make recommendations for changes in future years. I know Pat is going to work on doing that, and that is to be commended. The best thing that can come from this past weekend is a review and self-analysis to figure out how to ensure that — even though we may never see the same kinds of crowds again — we never subject Democrats to what happened on Friday night again.

As for Saturday, I must admit that all I’ve heard about are second-hand reports. I spent the entirety of the day stage right, handling the production (yes, the music and videos were all my doing (except for the Udall presentation), so address any complaints about those to me). I never got out onto the concourse to see what was going on. We heard occasional reports, and I assure you we were very frustrated with the slow pace of seating alternates, but it sounds like that process ran a little more smoothly on Saturday than it did on Friday. Many delegations organized to have their alternates sit in the arena until they were called back for seating, but I understand that some others were stuck out there most of the day. Again, for that, I don’t think there is any good excuse.

Enough about the problems.

If you missed the State Convention, I think you missed a really great event, even with the alternate issues. I loved how the crowd reacted to the music, and to the speakers. Both the Clinton supporters and the Obama supporters had plenty to cheer about — and everybody there had plenty to cheer about when Mark Udall came in the room from the back. The Udall campaign did an outstanding job re-introducing Mark Udall to Colorado Democrats, and Maggie Fox brought a tear to more than a few eyes in the room when she talked of her love for her husband.

You may not be aware of it, but we actually draft a “script” for these things. No, the votes aren’t scripted, but most of the day is pretty well timed out and scripted. In the past, we kind of have hoped to stay no more than an hour behind the script. Saturday, we finished the program and got to the balloting nearly an hour AHEAD of the script! For most of the day, indeed, we were running ahead of schedule. I know many of you appreciated that we started on time (actually, Pat ribbed me that we technically started with Rep. Merrifield and Rep. Morse going on stage four minutes late, at 10:04), and that was a big goal of mine.

In fact, some of you may recall that the last state assembly to be held at the World Arena went much, much worse. In 2006, the rancor and division within the Republican Party caused the Republican State Assembly to run well into the evening. Voting began by around 4 pm for the Democrats this year, and the last vote was cast by around 6 pm — and that was with us running out of Obama ballots!

Oh, yeah, we couldn’t end the State Convention without one last crisis. We ran out of Obama ballots. It appears from the preliminary analysis that our printer mixed up the orders for Obama and Clinton ballots, as the Party ordered several hundred more ballots of each than we would conceivably need. Thankfully, Billy Compton has worked in elections before (he was the head of the Secretary of State’s elections division before coming to the Party), and had some one-page write-in ballots ready just in case of a worst-case scenario. The last few hundred Obama supporters were given these write-in ballots and shared a few lists of candidates to ensure they knew who was running for each office.

Was it messy? Yep. Did it seem disorganized? You bet. Did we get through it and elect everybody we needed to elect? Absolutely.

Thanks to all of you who participated in the messy business we call democracy this weekend.

Posted in CDP, DNC, National Convention 2008, Presidential Campaign 2008, US Senate Race 2008 | 2 Comments »

On the Road – Montezuma, La Plata and the Tri-counties of Otero, Bent and Crowley

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Continuing with my weekend catch up visits to outlying areas, I was down in the Southwest in late April. On Saturday, the 26th, I met with about fifteen good Democrats in Cortez. In addition to the officers, like chair Toni Gurnea, Hazel Perkins, chair of the Dolores County Democrats, drove over with husband, Delano. We had a great morning talking about the statewide turnout for caucuses and all the work going forward for the campaigns in 2008.

Montezuma County Democrats are growing again and excited about rebuilding their local party after some rough times. They sent a table full of people over to Durango for the evening dinner.

In Durango, the La Plata County Democrats filled the room with tables and enough excitement to raise the roof. Jean Walters, Chair of the local Democrats, led off an evening of speeches. Wally White has launched his campaign for re-election as County Commissioner. And Peter Tregillus is also running for another commissioner seat. I know that Joelle Riddle, who won in 2006, is eager to keep Wally and have another Democrat on the county commission.

State Sen. Jim Isgar had a chance to talk about the accomplishments of the current legislative session. U.S. Rep. John Salazar also gave an update from the U.S. Congress. But the highlight of the evening was former Texas Agriculture Commissioner, author, and radio show celebrity, Jim Hightower. He gave his usual humorous assessment of the issues, even though he is quite serious about the need for us to “agitate.”

I got to say my words and then ran in to Jim Hightower the next morning. We talked about the changes going on across the country.

On my way to Otero I stopped off at the CD6 Assembly and Convention. The turnout was great but put huge demands on the credentialing system. We learned a lot and elected our first delegates to the national convention.

CD6 also nominated Hank Eng as the Democratic nominee for Congress. Steve Clark and Ivan Botvin were candidates as well, and we thank them for stepping up. Hank received an overwhelming 88% of the vote, which is a tribute to his hard work over the past few months. Hank has a great background, including some similarities to mine – former Peace Corps Volunteer and former USAID employee. He will work hard to earn the support of voters in the district.

This past weekend I attended the annual Tri-County JFK dinner in La Junta, along with 160 other guests. Otero County Democrats presented a check for $500 to me for the state convention. Hooray for Otero County Dems!!! They also gave checks to State Rep. Wes McKinley and the local commissioner candidates.

Rep. McKinley was the evening emcee. Speaker Andrew Romanoff talked about the state legislative session. He did his usual great job.

Betsy Markey talked about her Congressional race in CD4. We are so lucky to have Betsy as our candidate. She will be officially nominated on May 16, but she already is working really hard across the district.

I followed Betsy and talked about the process, the upcoming state and national conventions. It was a message that Democrats in this part of the state were eager to hear. Then Sal Pace addressed the group about his House District race. Finally we heard from Ronnie Carleton on behalf of U.S. Rep. John Salalzar.

Thanks to Ed Morris for his fine work organizing the dinner. It was great to see Otero Chair Diane Ritkoff. I also had a chance to talk to Crowley Democratic Chair, Tom Flores, about the fires around Ordway. And I sat between Mayor Lawrence Sena, former Bent County Chair, and Alex Netherton, current Bent County Chair. It is the best part of being CDP Chair, being able to spend time with hard-working Democrats throughout the state.
patsigweb.jpg

Posted in CDP, Congressional Races, Counties, DNC, National Convention 2008, State Legislative Races | Comments Off

Disabled Delegates to get First Class Transportation Services

Monday, April 21st, 2008

(Cross posted from Colorado Confidential.  Used with permission.)

http://www.coloradoconfidential.org/showDiary.do?diaryId=3693

by: Leslie Robinson
Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:41 PM MDT

Denver is home to the movement, spearheaded in 1983 by Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transit, that pushed for wheelchair lifts on buses and other improvements so that public transportation would be available for people with disabilities. In 1990, lifts were required as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In recognition to the ADAPT movement, transportation plans are in the works to make the Democratic National Convention in Denver the most handicapped-accessible convention ever held.

David Kennedy, disability rights coordinator for the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, said he is finalizing his plans to transport delegates with disabilities to and from hotels and activities during the Democratic convention, Aug. 25-28. “Denver is the home of the movement championing the rights of the disabled, so we are setting high standards.”

Kennedy, who is also disabled, has been a long-time disability activist with more than 20 years of experience in project management for exhibitions, events, and building design projects, such as directing the ADA compliances for the new extension of The Denver Art Museum.

“First, we will find out in advance what special needs, such as mobility problems or hearing impairments, must be met,” Kennedy explained. “Then, we will design extensive day-to-day transportation plans to get those delegates with disabilities from the airport to hotels and to downtown for specific events, and then to the convention at the Pepsi Center.”

Joe Beaver, chair of the initiative Dems with Disabilities, a political arm of the Colorado Democratic Party, said he welcomed the efforts to accommodate delegates with disabilities.

“At the 2004 Democratic Convention in Boston, our Colorado delegates in wheelchairs were often the last people placed on buses to the Fleet Convention Center and sometimes they had to wait a long time because there was no room for them on the first departing buses,” Beaver said.

“That will be totally unacceptable in Denver,” Kennedy said, reacting to Beaver’s story. “Boston couldn’t handle a sufficient flow of vehicles to their convention center, but that won’t happen in Denver,” Kennedy insisted.

Handicapped accessible vans will supplement bus routes to avoid bottlenecks and some taxis will be modified to transport wheelchairs, Kennedy noted. Special-needs designed three-wheel bicycles will be brought in, too “I’m working with a medical supplier now to have wheelchairs available with the free bicycles so delegates can freely move about downtown to events,” Kennedy added.

Beaver said his group is also going to work with the DNC, the Denver Host Committee and other organizations to help delegates with disabilities navigate Denver during the convention. “We want to sponsor a downtown information booth and a website that disabled delegates can refer to,” Beaver said. “Plus, we will put together a special transportation-access guide that will last long after the convention and could be a useful tourist tool to attract future visitors with disabilities to Denver.”

“Because of the ADAPT movement, it’s only fitting that Denver hosts the most handicapped-accessible convention ever,” Kennedy said, “And I hope we surpass expectations.”

Posted in CDP, National Convention 2008 | 4 Comments »

DemNotes: MIA?

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

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

I haven’t posted to DemNotes since the end of the county assemblies and conventions. That’s been a few weeks now, so I’m sorry that I’ve not gotten any more posts out since then. In the interim, I have been busy on a number of things, including preparations for the State Convention and Assembly in Colorado Springs, working on delegate selection, the national convention, and a few other things.

I’ve also taken some time to get some work done at my “real” job that had been piling up.

The one thing I did that I really do want to write about was emceeing the announcement for Lt. Col. Hal Bidlack, who is our candidate for Congress in the 5th CD. There was a great turnout at the Penrose Library in Colorado Springs a couple of weeks ago — well over 100 people showed up in the middle of a weekday to witness a great American announce his candidacy for Congress. Hal is a wonderful candidate — smart, funny, personable — and he will really make a run at this seat, building on the foundation set by the great run of Jay Fawcett in 2006.

State Chair Pat Waak was there, as was Mark Udall’s niece, Taryn Udall (who announced Congressman Udall’s endorsement of Hal). There’s even already a “Veterans for Bidlack” group out there working to build up support for Hal throughout this military-minded district. Many Republicans are realizing their mistake in electing Doug Lamborn to Congress, and they’re coming over — most for the first times in their lives — to support Hal Bidlack in his bid for this seat.

Hal could use some help all across this state. Take a second to go over to his website, and if you can afford to, drop him a donation or two:
http://www.bidlack2008.com/

——————————-

On a completely other note, the Denver 2008 Host Committee announced tonight where the fun spots will be for the Sunday night immediately prior to the National Convention. The Host Committee is responsible for the delegation welcoming parties for each delegation. I’ll post the full list below, but here are some highlights:

– In one of the worst-kept secrets around, it was confirmed that Colorado’s delegation party will, appropriately, be at the Governor’s Mansion.
– If you’re interested in rubbing elbows with those closest to the nominee, you will need to find a spot near the Denver Art Museum (Illinois) or the Pinnacle Club (New York).
– Or how about a party at Red Rocks? If you’re in the delegations from North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or West Virginia, you’ll get it!
– Gov. Dean is likely going to be at the Phipps Mansion, where the Vermont and New Hampshire delegation parties will be.
– Want a world-wise atmosphere? Check out the Blair Caldwell Library, where the Democrats Abroad (as well as the Virgin Islands) will be hanging out.
– The District of Columbia has a pretty large delegation due to all of the At-Large (and influential) superdelegates they have (think Donna Brazile); they’ll be at the Museo de las Americas.
– Only twelve states have their own welcoming party: The aforementioned Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, and New York, as well as South Carolina, Georgia, Kansas, Iowa, California, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Texas. The rest of the delegations share parties with other delegations.

Now here’s the full list from the Host Committee:

List of State Delegation Party Venues:
Belmar Center – Alaska, Indiana, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee
Blair Caldwell Library – Democrats Abroad, Virgin Islands
Botanic Gardens – South Carolina
Center for the Visual Arts – Georgia
Colorado History Museum – Arkansas, Kentucky, Wisconsin
Denver Art Museum – Illinois
Denver Chophouse – Kansas
Denver Public Library – Iowa
Denver Zoo – Alabama, North Dakota, South Dakota
Downtown Aquarium – Connecticut, Delaware, Missouri
Exdo Event Center – California
Grant Humphries – Minnesota
Governor’s Mansion – Colorado
Hudson’s Gardens – New Jersey
The Lab at Belmar – American Samoa, Guam, Idaho, Hawaii
Museo de las Americas – District of Columbia
Museum of Nature & Science – Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah
Palazzo Verdi – Nebraska, Oklahoma
Phipps Mansion – New Hampshire, Vermont
Phipps Pavilion – Mississippi, Montana, Wyoming
Pinnacle Club – New York
Red Rocks – North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
Wildlife Experience – Texas
Wings Over the Rockies – Arizona, Louisiana, Maryland, Oregon, Washington

Let me make one thing clear, though. While I joke about where “you” want to be that night, these will be open only to the delegations listed, and guests of those delegations. You can’t just walk up, say, to the Denver Art Museum and get in.

Anyway, I’ll try to write a little more frequently; see you all around!

Posted in CDP, Congressional Races, DNC, National Convention 2008 | Comments Off

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