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Democratic Excitement in Colorado Springs — And Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama in Colorado!

Friday, October 24th, 2008

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

Yesterday, I spoke at a couple of great events up in Colorado Springs. The first event was a rally and march to early voting in north Colorado Springs. Some called this the “holy land” because of its high proportion of religious right-wing voters (this is the home to Focus on the Family, after all). But there are plenty of Democrats in “the holy land,” it turns out.

Well over 60 folks were on North Academy when I arrived, waving Obama signs and flags and about every other thing you can imagine at the heavy traffic driving by — and the response was, well, it was Boulder-like. Honks and thumbs up abounded! For a minute, I forgot I was in El Paso County! Barbara Thummalapally described the scene quite well in her e-mail to Colorado Springs Obama supporters:

We had a joyful rally and march to the polls (Starbucks on Academy and Briargate – to Chapel hills mall) for early voting, this evening from 5-6pm.
We had about 60 people show up for the march and it was wonderful!

Dan Slater, CO Democratic Vice Chair, fired us up with some inspiring words of encouragement and advice and then we marched… ~ whooping, hollering, whistling and chanting…. to the polling place at the mall!

People mostly honked their support when they passed and we all had a great visual effect in Northern Colorado Springs. You would all have been proud to see such a display of Obama presence in “Focus country” or the “holy-land,” as someone put it! )

Since Vinai had managed to get in early, he set up some tables and chairs at 6pm so that some of us marchers from HD 14 were able to congregate at the office after the march, to do a phone bank!!

It was a great scene. And there WERE a lot of people. I know some of you out there may not believe me, but maybe this will change your mind. Those of you who have heard me speak know that I can get loud. Microphones are usually not necessary. But for the folks in the furthest corners of the crowd to hear me, I actually had to use a BULLHORN! Yep, that’s when you know the crowd is big.

I then hurried down the Interstate to the main Colorado Springs office on Limit Street, around Old Colorado City. As I drove up, I realized that I had an ironic relationship with this particular location. You see, in January, when Sen. Obama came to Denver for the pre-caucus event at D.U., our car broke down in Colorado Springs on the way up. Rather than miss the event, we dropped the car off at the Saturn dealership and rented a car to drive up to see Sen. Obama. The car rental place? Well, that is now Obama headquarters in the Springs! (By the way, thanks to our renting of the car, we did make it up to Denver on time, and I not only got to meet Sen. Obama, but I also helped talk Rod Smith into publicly endorsing Obama at the rally!)

Anyway, I was scheduled to talk to a group of veterans doing a phone bank that evening. The operation in the Springs is massive, and it is impressive. When I arrived, every computer terminal along the wall was filled with a volunteer entering data — easily nine or ten people alone doing that. Alongside the computers, in the middle of the room, was a set of tables for phone banking, with the seats filled with another dozen or so folks calling voters. And that was just one room. All around the office you could find staffers, interns, and volunteers busily making phone calls or welcoming the steady stream of volunteers coming in and out of the office.

When it was time for me to say a few words, I actually felt pretty guilty. I had been asked to come in and give a pep talk, but I’m not really sure that anybody needed a pep talk. When I was introduced by the coordinator, he said I would speak for a “few minutes”. I grinned rather sheepishly — “I’m not going to talk for a ‘few minutes’ – just a minute or two. Because I know that every minute I talk to you is a minute that isn’t being spent making calls or entering data.” So I gave a shortened version of my talk about the importance of what they were doing. I was well-received, but as soon as the applause was over, the friendly command was given: get back on the phone. And they did, happily.

In talking with the coordinator, I did find something a little concerning. Even though the place was buzzing, there were still a few volunteers that didn’t show up for their shifts last night. It was a problem of overconfidence. I’ve heard some anecdotes of this before, and so it was concerning to see it in person.

Let me be clear: the polls show this is still a VERY CLOSE race — maybe still within a point or two, according to the latest polling — in Colorado. Don’t buy the misinformation that the McCain campaign is leaving Colorado: Sarah Palin and John McCain were both here this week. They wouldn’t be wasting their time here if they didn’t still think they could win Colorado.

Our job is clear: sprint, not coast, to the finish line!!!!

———————————

If you needed more inspiration for how important the sprint to the finish is, just take a look at who’s coming to Colorado from our side. You may be getting this too late, but if you haven’t heard, Senator Hillary Clinton is coming to Colorado today. Come by the event this afternoon, if you can. Here are the details:

General’s Park
1561 North Quentin Street
Aurora, CO 80010
Gates Open: 3:30pm

Also, Sen. Obama will be in Denver and Fort Collins on Sunday. Here are the details for his visit:

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26
EARLY VOTE FOR CHANGE RALLY WITH BARACK OBAMA IN DENVER
Civic Center Park
Central Denver Park District
Denver, CO
Entrance: Greek Theater on 14th Avenue Parkway between Bannock and Broadway. No entry via Colfax Ave.
Gates Open: 10:00 AM

EARLY VOTE FOR CHANGE RALLY WITH BARACK OBAMA IN FT. COLLINS
The Oval on the Colorado State University Campus
Fort Collins, CO 80523
Public Entrance: University Ave. and West Drive
Gates Open: 1:30 PM MT

Limited public parking is available around the Jack Christianson Memorial Track and surrounding areas. Again, car pooling and public transportation are recommended.

Tickets are not required, but it is requested that you RSVP to: www.co.barackobama.com

————————————-

Finally, I do have more pictures up online. I’ve added photos from the Rural Policy Tour stops in Salida and Canon City, as well as the Biden events a couple of days ago in Colorado Springs and Pueblo. I have more pictures from yesterday in Colorado Springs, but have not been able to get them up yet. If you want to see the pictures that are online, go to:
www.demnotes.com/photos

Posted in Counties, Presidential Campaign 2008 | Comments Off

Biden Energizes Colorado Voters

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008

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

Yesterday, I spent the day in Colorado Springs and Pueblo, attending the rallies with Senator Joe Biden. Both events were exciting and energizing examples of the Campaign for Change in Colorado.

The day started with a chilly morning in Colorado Springs at Sierra High School. The cold didn’t seem to deter anybody from coming to see Joe Biden, though. The lines were long, but the folks I saw seemed just happy to be there. Thankfully, the actual speech was indoors, rather than outside in the 30-degree chill. Once inside, the room continued to pack, until every seat was taken. Indeed, it was truly a “standing room only” crowd. The response in Colorado Springs to Joe Biden was so positive that the fire marshall had to actually restrict entry to the room — there were people who could not get in due to the crowd. It was truly electric.

Once the program began, we heard from a variety of folks. Sure, we had the standard politicians, with great inspirational speeches, like Hal Bidlack, former Gov. Roy Romer, and Sen. Ken Salazar. But we also heard some very touching personal stories, too. We heard from a 16-year old high school senior who spends 30-50 hours a week volunteering for the campaign. She talked about how important the volunteer work will be in the coming two weeks.

We also heard from a lady who worked — along with her husband — for United Airlines. We heard of their sacrifice to help save the airline, and we also heard of how the corporation left them in the dust when they declared bankruptcy and gave the money they had saved the airline to executives as bonuses. She talked of her battle with medical bills and successful fight against cancer. And she explained how she — a life-long Republican — was going to vote for and work for Barack Obama and Joe Biden this year. Her story clearly touched Senator Biden, whom she introduced.

Senator Biden, of course, brought the crowd to their feet. He had some great lines — talking about the eerie similarities between President Bush’s economic policies and John McCain’s economic policies. He even posed in a Sierra High School baseball cap for the crowd, which included several students from the school.

One of the best points Biden brought up, both in Colorado Springs and in Pueblo, was the need for us as a Nation to come together after the election. He said we needed to remember that Americans didn’t have red hearts or blue hearts — but we have “purple hearts”. He truly embraced Senator Obama’s message that we are a nation of patriots; a nation of people who, regardless of our political beliefs, love America.

After the event, we headed down to Pueblo for the afternoon rally. The Pueblo rally was outside, in front of the always-impressive Union Depot. I will try to get photos uploaded soon to show you how beautiful it was — framed on one side by the historic depot, and on the other side by the brownstone office buildings with a massive “HOPE” banner on the side of the building. It was a great place for a rally.

But it was cold. When the sun was out, it wasn’t so bad, but there were some clouds rolling in. In talking to some of the local Democrats, there was a concern that the weather would keep people away from the rally. But the weather didn’t really seem to have that effect — there were hundreds of folks there; the crowd stretched back as far as I could tell. It did seem to have an impact on when people arrived — I was concerned that I would be stuck toward the back after driving from the Springs, but I essentially ended up one person back from the front row, right in front of the podium. People arrived in droves — they just arrived closer to the scheduled start of the event than in Colorado Springs.

It was a very festive atmosphere in Pueblo. One person noted that there was a clear difference between the kind of dour, negative-toned crowds that seem to be showing up for McCain and Palin rallies versus the very upbeat, excited crowds that were showing up to Obama and Biden rallies.

And, of course, what was most impressive was the organization of the Campaign for Change at both rallies. Exiting both events, we were approached by several campaign volunteers offering to load us up in a bus to take us to early vote, or to sign up and volunteer. Buses were filling up with folks going to vote — the campaign never seems to miss an opportunity to get people out to vote or volunteer.

This afternoon, it looks like I’ll be heading back up to Colorado Springs to help with several early vote and canvassing efforts. I’ll write about those when I can.

Posted in Presidential Campaign 2008 | 1 Comment »

Governor Tim Kaine campaigns in Colorado

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

From the Colorado for Obama blog:

With less than two weeks left until November 4th, Colorado is shaping up to be one of the most important states in the election. As proof of Colorado’s importance, Tim Kaine, the governor of another important battleground state, Virginia, traveled out west to campaign for Barack.

Speaking to a crowded room in Loveland, the Governor said:

They have me camped out in Virginia all the time because Virginia is like Colorado, we could go either way. Most of my weekends are spent campaigning in Virginia. I said I’ll give you one weekend out-of-state between Labor Day and Election Day and they said come to Colorado.

Governor Kaine described three of the most important issues to Americans today: becoming energy independent, fixing our economy by supporting the middle class and small businesses and establishing universal health care. He outlined Barack’s policies for each of these issues explaining why Barack offers the best solutions for America.

Governor Kaine explained that Barack will give tax cuts to 95% of Americans and will eliminate capitol gains taxes for small businesses.

He said:

I want big businesses and wealthy individuals to do well but they just don’t need our help, they’re going to do well. The people who need our help right now are the small businesses and the middle class. We need to help the middle class and the small businesses that are the backbone of the economy. Small businesses are responsible for the overwhelming majority of job growth in this country, an overwhelming majority of Americans work for small businesses. We ought to be targeting our strategies to them.

Senator Obama and Senator McCain define success differently and their definition of success tells you how they’ll govern. I want somebody who is going to govern by putting the middle class and small businesses first. And that person is Barack Obama.

Posted in Presidential Campaign 2008 | Comments Off

Historic Times for Colorado

Monday, October 20th, 2008

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

Two weeks.

Two weeks from tomorrow, we will find out whether our hard work has paid off.

Two weeks from tomorrow, we will know exactly how much field organization in Colorado has helped.

Two weeks from tomorrow, we will have a better idea where we are on this transformation of Colorado from a red state to a blue state.

A lot can happen in two weeks. I’m sure you’ve all heard about the polls showing a lead this way or that, but remember that it only took less than a week for Barack Obama to build a lead in the polls in Colorado. It could take less than a week for that to reverse itself and for John McCain to build a lead in Colorado.

This is NO TIME for complacency. This is NO TIME to assume we have this one “won”.

We only need to look back to 2002. I recall a lot of happy faces the last couple of weeks of 2002 — folks convinced that Tom Strickland would be our new United States Senator. Polls were showing him 5, 6, 7, 8 points in the lead over Wayne Allard. Senator Allard’s obituary was being written. Everywhere I went, Party leaders where smiling and happy over the state of the race.

Then something happened. Colorado voted. And Tom Strickland lost.

“Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” We cannot forget the history here in Colorado. This is not an easy state for Democrats to win. This is not an easy state for Barack Obama to win. This is not an easy state for Mark Udall to win. This is not an easy state for Betsy Markey, or any of our other Congressional candidates, to win.

So here’s my message: if you’ve signed up to volunteer for the campaigns, make sure you show up and work your ass off. Then, sign up for another shift. If you haven’t signed up to work, for crying out loud, SIGN UP NOW!!!! We have field offices and county party offices all across the state. Find yours and SIGN UP NOW!!!!

And if you haven’t voted yet, get out there and vote today — early voting begins today.

—————————-

If you don’t think that the work you do out in the field means anything, take notice of this quiet piece of history that was released over the weekend: The number of active registered Democrats in Colorado is now greater than the number of active registered Republicans. And we now have over a million registered Democrats in Colorado — just 14,000 fewer registered Democrats than Republicans. (The difference between the number of registered voters and the number of “Active” registered voters is that “Active” only include those that have voted in a recent election.)

This news is taking a lot of people, including me, by surprise. I had known we were doing well with the voter registration program we were implementing across Colorado. I just did not realize that we were doing this well. To give you an idea how well Democrats are doing, here are the stats. Since November 2006 — two years ago — Democrats have gained about 142,000 voters. Unaffiliated registration has also jumped by 54,000. But Republicans? Republicans have actually LOST 10,000 registrants since 2006.

Again, though, we cannot afford to leave this job unfinished. We must do whatever we can to get every one of these new voters to the polls between now and November 4; otherwise, all of this will have been in vain.

Don’t let up now. This is the time to spend every last piece of energy fighting for every single vote. We owe that to America.

(h/t to ColoradoPols)

Posted in Presidential Campaign 2008, State Legislative Races, US Senate Race 2008 | Comments Off

Democrats Fighting for Rural Colorado's Votes

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

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

One of the great things about being a targeted state is that many of our smaller communities get to interact with national figures more than they probably would otherwise. In 2004, one of the most memorable parts of the campaign was the whistle-stop tour John Kerry and John Edwards made through southeast Colorado, with a huge rally in La Junta.

This week, Colorado’s rural communities will hear from Democrats in every corner of the state via the “Rural Policy Tour”. The tour will feature key Colorado leaders, such as Governor Ritter and Senator Salazar, but will also feature a key out-of-state rural leader, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Senator Klobuchar is a rising star in the Democratic Party nationally, and we are lucky to have her join us across the small towns of Colorado. Joining Sens. Klobuchar and Salazar and Gov. Ritter will be former Governor Roy Romer, Congressman John Salazar, and Colorado Agriculture Commissioner John Stulp. Here are the details:

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Community Gathering in Sterling with Gov. Romer
Logan County Courthouse
Main St. and S. 3rd St.
Sterling, CO
9:00 AM
For more information, please call (970) 472-4263

Small Business Walk in Sterling with Gov. Romer
Main Street
Sterling, CO
9:30 AM
For more information, please call (970) 472-4263

Community Gathering and Lunch in Fort Morgan with Gov. Ritter, Gov. Romer, and Sen. Salazar
Country Steak Out
19592 E 8th Ave
Fort Morgan, CO
11:45 AM
For more information, please call (970) 472-4263

Community Gathering in Windsor Gov. Ritter, Gov. Romer, and Sen. Salazar
Fireside Restaurant
1149 Main St.
Windsor, CO
2:45 PM
For more information, please call (970) 472-4263

Campaign for Change Office Opening with Sen. Salazar and Gov. Romer
1642 8TH Ave
Greeley, CO
5:15 PM
For more information, please call (970) 472-4263

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Breakfast with Gov. Romer, Sen. Salazar, Sen. Klobuchar, and Rep. Salazar
City Diner, 2nd Floor
1002 N. Santa Fe Ave.
Pueblo, CO
8:00 AM
For more information, please call (719) 778-9976

Community Gathering in Canon City with Gov. Ritter, Gov. Romer, Sen. Salazar, and Sen. Klobuchar
Location to be determined
Canon City, CO
10:05 AM
For more information, please call (719) 778-9976

Community Gathering in Salida with Gov. Romer, Sen. Salazar, and Sen. Klobuchar
Boathouse Cantina
228 North F St.
Salida, CO
12:20 PM
For more information, please call (970) 245-4477

Community Gathering in Gunnison with Gov. Romer, Sen. Salazar, and Sen. Klobuchar
Western State College
The Aspinall-Wilson Center
Gunnison, CO
3:05 PM
For more information, please call (970) 245-4477

Community Gathering in Montrose with Gov. Romer, Sen. Salazar, and Sen. Klobuchar
Location to be determined
Montrose, CO
5:45 PM
For more information, please call (970) 245-4477

Friday, October 10, 2008

Coffee in Olathe with Gov. Romer and Sen. Salazar
4th and Main (White Café)
318 Main
Olathe, CO
7:30 AM
For more information, please call (970) 245-4477

Community Gathering in Hotchkiss with Gov. Romer, Sen. Salazar, and Commissioner Stulp
Heritage Hall (Inside the fairgrounds)
403 E Bridge St
Hotchkiss, CO
9:30 AM
For more information, please call (970) 245-4477

Community Gathering in Grand Junction with Gov. Romer, Sen. Salazar, and Commissioner Stulp
Lincoln Park Pavilion
North Ave and 12th Street
Grand Junction, CO
12:00 PM
For more information, please call (970) 245-4477

Campaign for Change Office Visit in Glenwood Springs with Gov. Romer, Sen. Salazar, and Commissioner Stulp
216 6th Street
Glenwood Springs, CO
2:50 PM
For more information, please call (970) 245-4477

Dinner in Edwards with Gov. Romer, Sen. Salazar, and Commissioner Stulp
Woody’s
27 Main St
Edwards, CO
5:30 PM
For more information, please call (970) 245-4477

Campaign for Change Office Visit in Dillon with Gov. Romer, Sen. Salazar, and Commissioner Stulp
115 Village
Dillon, CO
7:30 PM
For more information, please call (970) 245-4477

Posted in Presidential Campaign 2008 | Comments Off

El Paso is Hot!!

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pat Waak

Posted in CDP, Counties, Democratic Issues, Presidential Campaign 2008 | 1 Comment »

Statement on 9/11

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

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

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

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

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

Posted in Democratic Issues, Presidential Campaign 2008 | Comments Off

All Hands On Deck!

Friday, September 5th, 2008

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

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

All Hands On Deck!

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

28 days to change the world.

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

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

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

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

It’s time.

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

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

Posted in Congressional Races, Presidential Campaign 2008, State Legislative Races, US Senate Race 2008 | 2 Comments »

The Big Night

Friday, August 29th, 2008

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

Wow. What an amazing night.

If you weren’t at Mile High last night, I sure hope you had an opportunity to see it on television.

I’ll write more later about this amazing convention experience in Denver. I’ll also write more later about my thoughts on the selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running-mate (hint: probably the worst judgment in the history of American Presidential politics).

But the experience last night at Mile High was breath-taking. What a night!

As I mentioned in the post yesterday, yesterday was both star-studded and Colorado-centered. And it was Barack Obama showing us why America needs to elect he and Joe Biden.

I was mesmorized by Senator Obama’s speech last night. He did a wonderful job of deftly combining the message of “Change” as an ideal with the realities of what change would mean — specifically — under an Obama-Biden administration. He laid out the differences between himself and John McCain, and he did it amazingly well. Somebody on television last night called it a “symphony” — a perfect description. It combined soaring rhetoric with policy specifics and contrasts with the Republicans.

There is no doubt we cannot afford four more years like the last eight — “eight is enough” was the right motto that sold well with the crowd in Mile High. There is no doubt we cannot afford four more years of poor economic planning, a flawed foreign policy, and a failure to move American toward energy independence. There is no doubt we cannot afford John McCain. But Barack Obama went beyond that last night to talk not only about how we cannot afford McCain, but also how he will make America a different — and much better place.

By challenging us to become energy independent in 10 years, he showed the “big idea” thinking that has made America great. By assuring us that our foreign policy will be one to regain the world’s respect, he showed us the America that the world remembers and wants to see again. By talking about the need to improve our schools and invest in our economy for the middle class, he showed us his life experience makes him better able to put himself in somebody else’s shoes.

It was unbelievable, and I am so glad I was able to be a part of that night. After the speech, Colorado’s delegation finally said good-bye to the National Convention and headed back to the campaign trail. “Two months to finish the job,” was the mantra.

That has to be all of our mantra. This will be a tough election in Colorado, and we will need every hand on deck if we’re going to send our nine electoral votes to Obama-Biden. It’s time to get to work!

——————

Beyond the amazing speech, it was a still night to remember. Celebrity sightings abounded. Both Jessica Alba and Morgan Fairchild walked right in front of me. Brandy sat about 6 rows in front of Al Gore, and saw Oprah Winfrey, as well. All sorts of news personalities were around – I had a picture of myself snapped with Andrea Mitchell of NBC on the way out. Spike Lee was across the way filming. We heard some great musicians – from will.i.am to Sheryl Crow to Stevie Wonder to Jennifer Hudson, the music was outstanding and inspiring.

But the night was not about Hollywood; it was about America’s future. Congressman Mark Udall shined in his prime-time moment in the sun, challenging Democrats to be the change they want to see in the world. We heard from most of our Congressional delegation, and they all did a great job telling us about issues important to the Party. And Governor Ritter helped kick things off at the beginning, talking about the new Democratic leadership in the West.

There was dancing, there were tears, there was celebration. From the 500 level down to the front row of the Colorado delegation, it was a night that nobody there will forget for long.

As I said, I’ll write more later today, but I am headed to a 1 pm press conference here downtown.

Posted in National Convention 2008, Presidential Campaign 2008 | Comments Off

The Super Bowl at Invesco

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

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

As I mentioned last night, tonight is kind of like having the Super Bowl at Mile High. Actually, it’s bigger than the Super Bowl. But with free tickets.

This morning has kind of like piling a National Convention on top of a National Convention. There is a whole new influx of people into Denver above and beyond the tens of thousands already in town and energized. Indeed, just in the lobby of this hotel, I’ve run into all sorts of people from around Colorado who have come into town for the evening. I almost literally ran into Senator Abel Tapia of Pueblo getting off of the elevator, and we have hosted several folks from around the state in our room today as they prepare to head over to Invesco.

There is definitely a buzz — and a whole lot more “celebrity” sightings this morning than the other mornings. We ran into Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, of New York, just outside the hotel, and had a quick pep talk from him. Then, while riding the elevator with a fellow wearing a name tag with the last name “Pelosi,” the crowded elevator stopped on a floor where the smiling (and particularly radiant in person) face of Katie Couric greeted us. Seeing the crowd already on the elevator, she politely demurred to the next elevator.

That was my biggest celebrity sighting, but our friends Alain Chamot (Vice Chair of the Fremont Dems) and August Mergelman ran into a pretty big celebrity of their own just outside the Colorado Party office on the second floor of the hotel: Joe Biden. Alain reached out and shaked his hand, and he said he was impressed by how personable Biden was to him. It certainly sounded like a whirlwind brief experience, and very surreal.

If you can’t make it to Invesco today, be sure to watch as much as you can; today might as well be called “Colorado Day” for all of the Coloradans who will be speaking to us. Here’s the schedule right now of Colorado speakers:
3:00 – 5:00:
– Just before the Call to Order by Speaker Pelosi, Colorado state director Ray Rivera will be speaking about the voter registration program.
– Following the National Anthem, Host Committee President Elbra Wedgeworth speaks to the Convention
– After Wedgeworth, come some resolutions, followed by Governor Bill Ritter
– Then, Congressman Ed Perlmutter
– Then, Congressman John Salazar
– Finally, Congresswoman Diana DeGette

5:00 – 6:00:
– A fun hour including Gov. Bill Richardson, will.i.am (from the Black Eyed Peas), and Sheryl Crow
– The hour ends with Ray Rivera apparently speaking a second time for the day

6:00 – 7:00:
– Congressman Mark Udall is the second scheduled speaker of the hour
– The hour ends with Stevie Wonder, followed by Al Gore

From 7:00 to 8:00, I don’t see a whole lot of Colorado-based speakers, and then — of course — Senator Obama speaks in the 8:00 hour.

You won’t want to miss this!!!

Posted in National Convention 2008, Presidential Campaign 2008 | Comments Off

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