Well, I just returned from the Democratic Party State Convention in Colorado Springs. What an awesome and chaotic time! I met all the great candidates and office holders of Colorado. It was the largest State Convention in Colorado history! My thoughts and experiences below the fold...
I arrived Friday night for the the County Assembly. CD4 was scheduled for 8 pm. I arrived at 7:00 and was checked in by 7:30. Most voters arrived at 3:00 and spent 3 to 4 hours in line! The schedule was thrown out the window. The CD4 assembly didn't begin until 10:15. I got to actually vote at 1:25 AM! Thankfully, the Obama campaign brought us all coffee to keep us awake. Of course, it would have been nice to be a Clinton delegate, as they had rented out multiple party rooms and had spreads of Swedish meatballs and wine!
I finally returned to my hotel room for some sleep. I had no idea what lay in store for Saturday.
Saturday, entrance to the World Arena in Colorado Springs flew by quickly and efficiently. That would be the last time the words "quickly" and "efficiently" would apply for the rest of the day! We were treated to speeches by our fine governor, Bill Ritter, wherein he outlined his accomplishments and future plans to make Colorado a global leader in the emerging renewable energy economy. He was followed by Sen. Ken Salazar, who highlighted his work in agricultural issues (I'll keep my opinions of his voting record to myself). Our Senate hopeful Mark Udall spoke about his opposition to the Iraq war. Our wonderful Congressional candidate Betsy Markey spoke as well. Betsy Markey is CD4's best hope of victory in a long time. In a very personal question and answer session, far from the stage and microphones, she outlined her opposition to the Patriot Act and warrantless wiretapping, and reaffirmed her commitment to universal healthcare and green energy.
Now, I was an alternate delegate for the State Convention. We were all eventually seated, but what a chaotic process! We were seated about 6 at a time, and we were constantly being directed to new and unusual locations in the hallway of the arena. I learned that promises of "just another 15 minutes" out of the mouth of selfless and completely overworked volunteers is about as substantial as the Friedman unit. After about 8 hours of stalling and senseless directions, we spent the final 10 minutes of the convention voting!
My final thoughts on the convention are that the divisions in the party are real, yet completely overblown. Not a single Colorado Democrat I met supported John McCain's vision of less jobs and more war. Also, next time around... I AM VOLUNTEERING TO HELP THOSE POOR PEOPLE OUT!!!!!! The local and state volunteers for our party are the backbone of our organization and should be supported as much as possible!
If any Colorado Democrats are reading this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring and putting up with the insanity of our election process. Give thanks that we do not settle our disagreements with machetes or military coups...
I'll see you in Denver in August, you all ROCK.