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

I’m in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania this morning. Yep, Harrisburg. Yesterday, we spent the entire day hopping from airport to airport to end up here — just a couple of hours north of our final destination: Washington DC.

It is a little reminescent of my first trip to Washington DC, way back in January 1993. Back then, a few of us Young Democrats from my school packed into a compact car and made the 20-hour drive from Norman, Oklahoma to watch the President we helped elect become, well, President. It was a breath-taking and exciting experience. But it was nothing like this time.

This time, I’m feeling a lot more emotional.

I wasn’t this emotional on election night — mind you, I was excited, happy, cheerful, just like on any other successful election night. But the sense of history this week seems much more palpable; it seems even more palpable than when we stood there in the Pepsi Center and nominated Barack Obama with tears streaming down so many faces.

I think, perhaps, this is more emotional because of the mass travel — from all colors, from all stripes of society — to Washington. Yes, it truly seems like a “pilgrimage”.

Heck, my presence in Harrisburg this morning is emblematic of that mass movement. Airline tickets here were about a third the cost of tickets to any of the three DC-area airports. It was a whole lot cheaper to fly here and rent a car to drive to DC than to fly directly there.

And we are not alone. On the final leg of our flight, from Chicago (how appropriate!) to Harrisburg, our flight was full – not a seat to be found – and it was full of folks whose final destination was not Pennsylvania nearly as much as it was Pennsylvania Avenue.

So, I’m getting emotional. Reading the special section of the Rocky on the plane yesterday — reading about those who are also making this trip, whether as a journey of personal fulfillment, or because they’re in the parade — I became a little teary-eyed. This is why we get involved in politics. Indeed, this is why we are Americans: the peaceful transition of power; the orderly transition from the status quo to an era of Hope. This historic nature of this is not lost on anybody around here.

Thanks to our wonderful Fremont County Vice Chair, Alain Chamot, we are staying with his incredibly hospitable and generous mother in her home in Northwest D.C. I’m not sure whether we will have Internet access, but if we do, I’ll try to write about what we do and see for the next few days. Tomorrow night, we attend the Colorado Ball here in D.C. Tuesday, of course, is the Inauguration and the Western Inaugural Ball. Finally, Wednesday will be filled with official meetings, both of the Association of State Democratic Chairs (in the morning, where we will elect a new President of the organization) as well as of the Democratic National Committee (where we will formally elect Virginia Governor Tim Kaine as our Chair).

But you don’t have to be in Washington to celebrate this history. Celebrations are going on in nearly every community in Colorado. Go to DemNotes.com and use the comments section for this post to let everybody know what you’re doing and what this week means to you!

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

We arrived back in Colorado from San Diego late Sunday night. Well, technically speaking, we didn’t get to our hotel in Denver until the wee hours of Monday morning. And, boy, was it cold! We stayed in a hotel in Denver because I was to be at the State Capitol Monday morning, and it didn’t make sense to drive back to Canon City only to come straight back up the next morning.

I’m thankful I stayed, because I was able to witness something that has not happened for 16 years in the Centennial State: electors casting their votes for Democrats for President and Vice President.

Our Party Chair, Pat Waak, stayed over in California for a few days to enjoy some well-deserved and much-needed vacation and rest time with her husband. So I was there at the Governor’s office to represent the Colorado Democratic Party. Even to the end of this exciting election cycle, there was a little drama. State Party Second Vice Chair Margaret Atencio, who was one of Colorado’s two at-large electors, was sick in the hospital and unable to attend. The statute regarding presidential electors says that the remaining electors elect a replacement.

Thankfully, the chair of our African-American Initiative, Vivian Stovall, was there and ready to vote. The electors unanimously selected Vivian to take Margaret’s place, and, with Margaret on the phone, the Governor thanked Margaret for her lifetime of service to the Party.

The meeting was handed over to a somewhat dour-looking Mike Coffman, who — as the Secretary of State — was tasked with chairing the meeting of the electors. His staff handed out separate ballots for President and Vice President, and both were filled out and signed with much fanfare and excitement in front of the capacity crowd and media (there was even a television set out in the hallway for a feed of the proceedings for those who could not fit inside the Governor’s office).

Not much suspense: as expected, all nine of our electors officially cast their votes for Barack Obama for President and Joe Biden for Vice President. Original certifications of the vote were sealed in envelopes in front of us and sent on their way to Vice President Dick Cheney (as President of the Senate), the National Archives, and U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado Chief Judge Wiley Daniel. It was truly inspiring to see democracy and the peaceful transfer of power work as it is supposed to work.

After the vote, the State Party held a reception at the Blair-Caldwell Library and Museum. It was a small affair, attended mostly by electors and their families, and national convention delegates. But it was a great opportunity to celebrate the last leg of this journey in Colorado, one that will be officially certified on January 6th, when the votes are tallied in Congress and Barack Obama is officially declared the President-Elect.

Tonight, we’re not resting, but we’re staying close to home. We’re participating in what many of you have participated in the past couple of weeks: the traditional county party Holiday party. Fremont County Dems are meeting at the local VFW to celebrate our wins and commisserate over our losses, and to generally enjoy each other’s company. I’ll try to write about that tomorrow.

From the Colorado for Obama blog:

We are now halfway through Election Day, and across Colorado supporters are voting and helping others get out to vote.

There is a lively buzz filling the staging location in Aurora, where dozens of volunteers are making phone calls to remind folks to vote. Other volunteers are stopping by between canvass shifts.

Ginger the staging location director told me about what today means to her.

She said:

We’ve been practicing today for the past two weeks, and we have this down to a fine tuned machine. Barack has elevated this whole area, and empowered this community. I’m inspired by the passion and the people who walk in here step by step. Today I would say we had at least fifty brand new people we’ve never seen before. I am so proud to be a part of this.

Have you voted already? Share your voting story with us and then come help get others out to vote. If you haven’t voted, there are only five hours left until polls close. Find your polling location .

From the Colroado for Obama blog:

Yesterday, the streets of Pueblo were filled with thousands of people, as Barack stood on the corner of South Union and D Street, talking to Coloradans one last time before Election Day.

He said:

Colorado, I have just two words for you: three days. Three days. After decades of broken politics in Washington, eight years of failed policies from George W. Bush, 21 months of a campaign that has taken us from the rocky shores of Maine to sunshine of California, we are three days away from bringing fundamental change to the United States of America.

Don’t believe for a second that this election is over. Don’t think for a minute that power will concede anything without a fight, we’re going to have to work like our future depends on it these last few days, because it does. But I know this Colorado, the time for change has come, we have a righteous wind at our backs. And these last few days, if you will knock on some doors for me, if you will make some phone calls for me, if you will stand with me and fight by my side, then I promise you we will not just win Pueblo, we will not just win Colorado, but you and I together we are going to win this election and we are going to change the country and we are going to change the world.

Sign up to volunteer and make sure Barack wins Colorado this Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Michelle returned to Colorado for her second visit in October, this time traveling south to Colorado Springs, where she spoke to around 2,500 people about the election and the importance of early voting.

Before the event started, Michelle shook hands with the 300 people who listened to the event outside after the auditorium filled up. During her speech, Michelle expressed her delight at retuning to Colorado at the end of the campaign. She said:

It has been 21 months and I can probably count down the hours. We have seven more days and once we get through this day, we’ll be almost done, it will be six! This journey has been wonderful for the Obama family — we have seen so much. And I have been traveling around even more this week, because we’re in the final days. But it is good to come back to the states that have given us so much. Colorado is really one of those states — you guys have been amazing.

Michelle talked about the incredible sacrifice of the military members and families in the Springs. She said:

Our hearts go out as I think about all of our troops our men and women who are away today and fighting and taking care of this nation across the seas. But it also reminds me that we cannot forget the loved ones left at home. Whether you are a parent or a child or a grand parent, we have to remember that when our troops go to war our families go with them, which means that we have to make sure that they come home to families that have been cared for.

That is one of the reasons that the conversations that I have been having with military families all across this country has meant so much to me — it has opened my eyes to the challenges that you uniquely face. And I know that once this nation understands more about those challenges we will be unified around solutions around answers around discussions to make your sacrifice not so hard.

Today is the last day to vote early in Colorado. You can find your early vote location here.

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

I’m sure you all are familiar with Tom Strickland, the United States Senator that Mark Udall is running to replace, right? What’s that? He’s not a Senator? Oh, yeah, that’s right — he lost.

I last ran into Tom Strickland at an event during the Democratic National Convention in August. It was a brief meeting, but it certainly brought up a lot of memories of the campaign trail in 2002. Tom seemed to be doing okay — enjoying his life in the “private sector”; however, I know that Colorado (and America) would have been much better if he had won in 2002 instead of Wayne Allard.

It was this very point in 2002 — the weekend before the election — that I was standing on a stage with Strickland at Pueblo’s Union Depot, just a few hundred yards from where Senator Barack Obama will be speaking on Saturday. The atmosphere was quite upbeat; a new statewide poll by one of the Denver newspapers had put Strickland up by something like 6 points. There was a clear air of confidence that we were standing with our next United States Senator.

A few days later, Colorado’s voters had a different message to send.

In 2004, the polls taken at this point in the election cycle — less than a week left before the election — showed John Kerry with a one-point lead in Colorado. He lost by around five points.

Look, I’m not trying to pour cold water on the idea that we can win Colorado; we most certainly can. But we have to work like we’re five points down. We cannot let up any bit. This is still the sprint to the finish line. For those of you looking at this on the Internet, this short video is instructive (and funny):

(For those reading this via e-mail, you can find the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xnk9aqih8o

Now, I’m going to do something “rogue” right now. I’m NOT going to encourage you to see Barack Obama in Pueblo Saturday. If you’re interested, the event will be at the corner of Union and D streets, and the gates open at 1:00 for the 3:00 event. But you can do a LOT more good for the campaign if you spend that time knocking on doors and making phone calls for the campaign.

If you DO insist on going, then you need to do one thing: bring somebody with you who is not quite sure about voting for Senator Obama. I totally understand the appeal and allure of seeing history in Southern Colorado. I do. But make sure that you’ve got somebody with you that still needs a little convincing if you’re going to go. We’ve proven to the world that Coloradans will show up for Barack Obama — some reports say last Sunday’s event in Denver was the largest political rally in the history of our nation.

We now need to prove to the world that Colorado will VOTE for Barack Obama. And Mark Udall. And Betsy Markey. And Hank Eng. And Hal Bidlack. And John Salazar, Ed Perlmutter, Diana DeGette, and Jared Polis. And our many great State House and State Senate candidates.

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Speaking of Hank Eng, have you heard the news? The latest polling in the 6th CD shows him well within striking distance of GOP nominee Mike Coffman!!! With a GOP nominee below 50% in the 6th CD, I think we might have the biggest surprise in the Nation in the South Denver Metro area!

——————

I do have a couple more quick points / corrections / thoughts to add at the end of this. First, I’ve gotten a few e-mails from the Durango area about John McCain’s visit to Durango a little over a week ago. What went mainly un-noticed in the rest of the state was the Democratic response to McCain down there. Here is part of what La Plata County Chair Jean Walter wrote to me (with quotes from the Durango Herald):

We lined Main Avenue Friday afternoon with about 1,000 to 2,000 pro-Obama supporters. From the Durango Herald: Rochford said New York Times photographer Stephen Crowley told her Durango was the most beautiful stop he’s seen in months on the campaign trail. He also said the number of Obama supporters was the most he’s seen at any McCain event. He even commented about the civility shown by supporters and opposition toward each other.

I’m very proud of how the whole thing went. McCain can visit anytime, especially after he’s retired.

Jean, I’m very proud of how the La Plata Dems are dominating the coverage down there!

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I often write these DemNotes quickly and sometimes screw things up. I think I’ve done that at least twice now with Rep. Karen Middleton. Karen has a superb record of leadership in this Party, having served as Arapahoe County Chair and as a member of the State Board of Education. In my write-up of the Denver rally earlier this week, I wrote that Karen was a “candidate” for the state legislature. In reality, Karen serves currently in the State House of Representatives, representing House District 42. My humblest apologies to Karen.

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Finally, Party Secretary Carolyn Boller wrote asking that I re-emphasize how easy and simple it is to vote early. I voted early in person, but Carolyn voted by mail, and she wants to encourage folks to do that if they can. Here’s what she writes:

I voted weeks ago–right after the mail ballots came out and I too voted for Obama and Biden–and it really was simple–just check that box and vote the downticket and away it went with just 2 stamps and into the hands of the USPS.

At this point, if you’re voting by mail, it is probably safest to drop it off at your local election drop-off point by hand. Don’t let there be any chance your vote won’t be counted on time!

Tonight, I’m headed to — where else? — Colorado Springs to attend the one and only debate between Hal Bidlack and Doug Lamborn in the 5th CD. I’ll write more about that tomorrow.

From the Colorado for Obama blog:

Ordinarily, you might think it would be a struggle to get students to spend an hour at a political event during the weekend, but this is not your average election and Zach Braff is not your ordinary political speaker.

That’s why 1,000 students turned out at Mary Rippon Amphitheatre on Saturday. The star of ‘Scrubs’, as well as Ben Harper and Laura Dern, spent the sunny autumn afternoon entertaining the students and talking about the critical role they play in the election.

Zach told the crowd:

For months and months, I’ve been trying to get young people to vote, and my main message has been it doesn’t matter who you vote for — you get out there and vote. The most important thing is that you vote. I’ve been saying that for so long, and I’m tired of saying that. So I’m now going to come out and say “you’ve got to vote for Barack Obama.”

I’ve been watching the news and they keep saying that Colorado is the new Florida. So I said, “get me on a plane to Colorado and tell those young people who use the interweb that they got to vote.” You have to vote, you guys. You can vote early up until Halloween at the Rec Center. I love the Rec Center, it’s the best. You can do a lot of things at the Rec Center, I’m sure — I’ve never actually been to the Rec Center. But if I were to go to the Rec Center, I would vote.

Rebecca was at the event, proudly sporting her “I voted early for Barack Obama” button. She told me why she had voted early for Barack:

I voted because I’m tired of oil companies running our country. I want to bring to change to America. I think there are a lot of people who are suffering and it’s not right.

I didn’t want to wait in those lines. I would have, if I had put myself in that situation. But it’s so easy to vote early. Why put yourself in that situation? It could take you a couple of hours on election day, it took me 10 minutes the other day.