March 11, 2008 07:05 PM UTC

To The Bitter End, Personal Experiences at the Denver Democratic Assembly

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• by: Precinct854

Because the national convention is in town this year nearly everyone wants to be a delegate to state just so they can try to be a delegate to the national convention.  No, really.  The question was directly asked of our HD-8 convention.  I raised my hand along with about twelve other people expressing that I was not interested in being a delegate.  Yet I’m still going to the state assembly.

As soon as State Convention delegate selection was over people started losing interest and wandering off.  And then the voting for candidates for HD-8 was over and even more people disappeared.  So we were left without enough people for the state assembly delegates for Udall or Benner.  Though Benner came out ahead in not losing as many delegates to attrition, I think.  And I would prefer Udall to not have a primary against a guy who is not a serious candidate so I raised my hand to volunteer for this even though I did not want to do it.  

But I have a lot more to write about.

My suggestion to cut down the number of people who would be thrilled to be a Convention Delegate would be to make a rule about not being able to leave.  If you are a delegate going to the next level you shouldn’t be able to just kip off to the pub after you’ve got your seat, this is about service!  You should stay and to volunteer for the assembly as well and any other business before the metaphorical gavel comes down.

In staying I also got to see some interesting things and I hope it will be the same at state.  There seemed to be some under the surface conflict between Rosemary Marshall (current legislator from HD-8) and former Mayor Webb.  He was there pushing for Beth McCann personally while Marshall was backing Matt Bergles from the podium.  At least from the floor it seemed like Cindy Lowery was running because she opposes the two establishment candidates having a ‘coronation’.  

Interesting study in contrasts when I was in the Senate District 35 meeting.  Alice Borodkin came up and gave a good speech about experience and knowing how to get things done.  It was a good solid informative speech, in my opinion.  Then Joyce Foster’s group came in with a parade of signs and music and was seemed like more of a rally than a case for her to be a state senator.  That turned me off even though outgoing State Senator Ken Gordon threw his support behind her.  

Earlier in the day at the big meeting in the Wells Fargo Theater there was a huge contrast between the speeches given by Udall and Benner.  Just based on speeches I would have supported Benner, it is just that he has no experience, not even a turn in the state house and his speech would only work on Democrats.  Congressman Udall was funny and interesting, but not terribly exciting.  

During the speech by the Clinton supporter rallying support I had to give a glare and do my best to embarrass one of my fellow Obama supporters for shouting out insults.  What I said to him was pretty mild, just, “Very uncool man, I’m as strong an Obama supporter as you, but that’s wrong.”  I saw him later proudly saying he’s going to state.  I do hope he does not have the chops to end up at the national convention, not that he could embarrass us there given how many people are on that floor.  Funny enough he’s a tall skinny gay guy like me (though younger than me I think) and he even has the same given name as me.

I do wish the Obama supporter had spoken less in platitudes and rallying cries.  I think it sells Obama short to not speak of his record in the Senate which is better than Clinton’s.  But this was just to the party faithful so I don’t think it hurt much.

Interestingly only the two people speaking for Obama and Clinton supported them.  Everyone else walked the line in trying to appear non-partisan, and I think they succeeded.  Ken Salizar’s timing was a bit off a few times or else the crowd’s was.  Sometimes when he paused as if for applause or booing of Republican ideas there was silence for a few beats before we nervously started in.  

The way ballots were handed out was a mess.  Repeatedly we had to line up and have both our credentials checked and then checked again against the list of voters in the right district.  We ran out due to ballots being lost, misplaced, or because enough were not printed up.  I really think that the party ought to consider printing the ballots attached to the credentials or something like that.  Then it would all be handed out once with very little chance of it being lost.  And no waiting in line later trying to make sure only people who should get ballots are handed them.