Denver 2008 "Is Going to be the Beginning of a New America"

Dan Slater — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:18:50 EDT

What a great day at the Colorado Convention Center yesterday!

It never ceases to amaze me how Colorado’s Democrats show up and remain motivated month after month and year after year. Yesterday was no different — hundreds of people packed the atrium of the Wells Fargo Theater to welcome DNC Chair Howard Dean to Colorado. Governor Dean returned the favor by announcing the leadership team for the Democratic National Convention Committee — a team that is well-seasoned in running smooth national party conventions. Here’s the team announced by Gov. Dean yesterday:

Leah Daughtry, CEO
Peggy Cusack, Chief of Staff
Susana Carbajal, General Counsel
Jenni Engebretsen, Deputy CEO for Public Affairs
Sky Gallegos, Deputy CEO for Intergovernmental Relations
Cameron Moody, Deputy CEO for Operations
Jim McMullen, Deputy CEO for Administration and Finance

I was asked by one person why the team Gov. Dean announced wasn’t a “local” group (although Sky Gallegos is Coloradan). That’s when I realized that there are probably still a lot of folks out there confused about the structure of this Convention effort. Right now, there are two separate organizations who are charged with running the Convention planning effort. The first is the Denver 2008 Host Committee, which most of you have heard about. Denver 2008 is locally-run, and is the group that formed the convention bid and are now working to raise the money and volunteers to support that bid. Right now, anybody locally who is working on the Convention is probably working with this group. However, there is a separate organization, known as the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC), which is the arm of the DNC charged with running the Convention for the DNC. The DNCC is the group that gets the FEC grant to run the Convention, and in the end, the DNCC will be spending most of the money raised by the Denver 2008 Host Committee.

In the end, the DNCC is primarily concerned with making sure that what goes on at the Convention is a good portrayal of Democrats in general and our nominee in specific. The Host Committee, on the other hand, is primarily concerned with making sure that Denver looks good (by making the Convention look good). That’s quite an over-simplification, but it probably gets the point across. The DNC wants people running the DNCC to be folks who know what putting together a successful Convention is about, and who have done this in the past — and who answer to the DNC. That’s why the team running the DNCC looks a little different than those running the Host Committee.

Whew!

Anyway, apart from the “inside baseball” issues of who’s doing what, Gov. Dean was in Denver to help celebrate the selection of the Mile High City as the place where the next President of the United States will be selected. And, boy, did Colorado’s Democrats respond. There was a clearly-felt electricity in the air as Gov. Dean, Mayor Hickenlooper, and Elbra Wedgeworth stepped on the stage. No longer were we dealing with press announcements and local fundraisers — the moment Gov. Dean stepped to the microphone, there was a different feeling, that we really were going to be a part of history in Denver in 2008. Here’s how the AP described it:

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Thursday that holding the Democratic National Convention in Denver will show the nation that the West has a road map for Democrats to win the White House next year.
‘’This is going to be the beginning of a new America,'’ Dean told an overflow rally of supporters at the Denver Convention Center.
Dean said Democratic gains in the West show that voters want politicians to focus on collaboration and values. He said those values include fairness, honesty and a system of government for all Americans, not just a chosen few.

And Stuart Steers of the Rocky Mountain News had another good take on Gov. Dean’s visit:

This came on a day when hundreds of people gave Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean the rock star treatment, wildly applauding Dean during a celebration of Denver’s selection to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Dean made it clear that he chose Denver to highlight the Democrats’ push into the Rocky Mountain states. Democratic candidates have made strong gains in the interior West in the past two elections, and Colorado and several neighboring states will be targeted by the Democrats’ presidential nominee.
“We believe that the road to the White House leads through the West,” Dean told the crowd at the Colorado Convention Center.
In an interview with the Rocky, Dean said the success that Colorado Democrats have had in winning new support in rural areas has become a national model for the party.
“What Colorado has done well is to move the campaign into areas where Democrats haven’t shown up before,” said Dean.

Finally, here’s some from the Denver Post:

Howard Dean celebrated Denver’s selection as host of the 2008 Democratic National Convention on Thursday by declaring the Democrats as the party of fiscal responsibility and firmly in support of the U.S. troops in Iraq.
“This is a fiscally conservative state, and we are a fiscally conservative party - the other guys ran up a huge budget deficit,” Dean said to cheers from the crowd of about 400 at the Colorado Convention Center.

It was a great day — hopefully, one of the first of many. After the big rally, Gov. Dean met privately with Denver 2008 folks and our DNC Members. Following that, the Governor and his DNCC team toured several areas, including the Convention Center and potential office space for the DNCC. I’ve got some photos up now, of both the main event and the private meeting. To see them, go to:
Link

Governor Dean Is Coming to Denver -- To Celebrate Denver 2008!

Dan Slater — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 18:38:40 EDT

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

Some of you may have heard by now that DNC Chair Howard Dean is coming to Colorado next week to help celebrate the award of the Democratic National Convention in 2008 to Denver. Here’s the best part: you’re invited!

The DNC issued the formal press advisory this afternoon, announcing the details of the event, and how you can get your tickets to attend. Here’s that advisory:

Washington, DC - Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean will join Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and Denver 2008 Host Committee President Elbra Wedgeworth in a community celebration of the Denver 2008 Democratic National Convention on April 12th. The event will be open to the public and tickets can be picked up beginning Monday at the Colorado Democratic Party and Denver 2008 Host Committee offices listed at the end of this advisory.
The 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver will help put the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee on the path to victory for the November 2008 election. An engaging celebration of the Democratic Party, the convention will showcase the Party’s vision for America, along with the values the party shares with all Americans. The community celebration on April 12th will be the kick off for a partnership the 2008 Democratic National Convention will build with the Denver community to hold a successful convention.
What: Community Celebration of Denver 2008 Democratic National Convention
Who: DNC Chairman Howard Dean, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and Denver 2008 Host Committee President Elbra Wedgeworth.
When: April 12, 2007 - 11:00AM
Where: Wells Fargo Theater Atrium at the Colorado Convention Center
700 14th Street, Denver, CO
* For press credentials contact Aaron Resnick at resnicka@dnc.org or (202) 863-8148.
* Tickets for the public can be obtained beginning Monday by visiting:
Colorado Democratic Party
777 Santa Fe Drive
Denver, CO
Phone: (303) 623-4762
or
Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee
410 17th Street, Suite 1215
Denver, CO
Phone: (303) 534-6202

Let’s be sure to give Governor Dean a great Colorado welcome! It is so important that we show him exactly how enthusiastic we are about the DNC coming to Denver next summer — if you’ve talked about wanting to volunteer, or to help out the Convention effort, well, this is the first thing you can do: show up. It is always a great day when Governor Dean comes to Colorado, but this is even bigger — it’s about the Convention. See you there!

Arapahoe County Democratic Party

Denver 2008 "Is Going to be the Beginning of a New America"

Governor Dean Is Coming to Denver -- To Celebrate Denver 2008!