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July 29, 2005 08:00 AM UTC

Get Ready to Hear "I Told You So..."

  • 25 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

The Rocky Mountain News reported today on something that had been a not-so-secret rumor in the last two weeks: The Colorado Democratic Party doesn’t have much money.

The Colorado Democratic Party had less than $16,000 in the bank at the end of June, thanks to sluggish donations and strict campaign finance laws. Some Democrats claim the party couldn’t meet its payroll, but chairman Pat Waak this week said that’s not true.

“Nobody’s gone without a paycheck and nobody will go without a paycheck,” she said. She conceded it’s tough to finance the operation because of other demands on donors and campaign finance restrictions imposed by Amendment 27, an initiative falling out of favor with some Democrats. The party needs at least $30,000 a month to cover the payroll for its four paid staffers, rent, utilities and such, Waak said.

When Waak was elected Chair over incumbent Chris Gates, she promised to be more inclusive than she, and her supporters, claimed that Gates had been. At best Waak has just replaced on clique with another clique, and at worst she has alienated donors enough that they aren’t supporting the Party like they used to. When Waak was elected, we wrote that the only way to judge a Party Chair was by wins and losses. Running a State Party is about much more than just trying to be more inclusive, and without money, you can’t do much of anything. Waak has had five months to prove that she wasn’t just “not Chris Gates” and was indeed a strong leader on her own merit. So far, not so good, though she certainly has her excuses…

Contacted about the party’s finances, Gates would only say that there was plenty of money in the bank when he left. State records show the party had $88,142 on hand when it filed its March 30 report.

Waak said the money was used to pay overdue bills she inherited, but she declined to elaborate.

The party had $15,490 on hand as of June 30. Last year at that time, Democrats had $63,679. The previous year the party had almost $50,000, according to state records.

Waak said June turned out to be a “poor” fund-raising month, in part because some Democrats didn’t honor donor pledges. But, she said, she’s “optimistic” after spending much of July talking to potential contributors.

Waak wasn’t shy about criticizing what at times has been a sacred cow among Democrats: Amendment 27.

Waak didn’t shy away from going to the well of lame excuses. Waak said the money was used to pay overdue bills she inherited, but she declined to elaborate. Give us a break. “I had a lot of bills to pay, but, uh, I can’t actually name one.” That’s stupid.

Then, Waak lays on the Amendment 27 excuse, though that certainly wasn’t a problem the last two years. Is Waak going to take some responsibility for this, or does she really think Democrats are going to take these excuses seriously?

There are only two big reasons the Dems are low on money:

1) They’re spending too much money on salaries. The Democratic Party hasn’t spent this much money on salaries in an off-election year in a long time. That’s just bad planning and organizing.

2) Waak just isn’t raising the money. Holding hands and singing songs about what Democrats are all about is nice, but money matters. If you can’t raise it, you had damn well better find someone who can.

Waak had better be ready for the chorus of “I told you so’s” that she’s about to hear, because there’s a lot more to running a State Party than just pretending to be all-inclusive.

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25 thoughts on “Get Ready to Hear “I Told You So…””

  2. Where are all of the Miles supporters who were hell bent on getting rid of Chris Gates?  This after the strongest performance of Democrats statewide in years under his leadership… 

    Cough up the dough folks!  You got the party leadership you wanted, so now start funding it!

    What a bunch of losers…

  4. Sorry, don’t mean to rub salt in wounds guys n gals; but that is both hillarious and tragically sad. 

    While it’s not like an official business, technically they are bankrupt.  Wonder if they pay the state party bosses well like the union leadership gets for leading the sheeple. 

    Someone needs to get a clue and get to work!

  5. What have you got to say now, Gates haters?

    Oh, the profanity I want to spew right now. You people are your contemptible little sandboxes are going to undo everything we built in 2004. And Gates gets to laugh at all of you now — feel better?

    So much for “being the change” — now it’s “brother, can you spare a dime?” Way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, you insufferable morons.

  6. YOY,

    Martinez “echoed the sentiment”, however the Republicans have three times the amount of money as the Dems. I don’t think that means the Republican donors were run off.

  7. My god she is such an embarassment to our party.  I cringe every time I see her quoted in the paper.  This is seriously pathetic.  At least Chris Gates was competent. 

    If there is anyway for the party to put a gagorder on her and refuse to let her talk to the press I would be all for it.  This is getting dangerously bad now.  Hopefully, she will resign soon.

  9. It’s funny all the Gates people throwing stones at our chairwoman, we won get over it, help row not poke hole in the boat. i know for a fact that Chris shortly after the election was encouraging people to boycott State Party, who is the child??? This is exactly why we won the leadership of the party because a bunch of elite children in denver thought is was all theirs and we were just the monkeys who stuffed the envelopes and walked the blocks. Joke is on you, we hold the power but if you are intent on destroying the party leave now and quit acting like you care about our party. Waak give no quarter and we will win despite the naysayers in Denver.

  11. The cash stores of the respective parties are no longer a valid indicator of strength thanks to Amendment 27.

    All the money has gone underground, for example The Benson & Owens team have started their own Headswaters Group and the same “media types” are running it. They have millions banked already and are up against the Polis & Bridges team and their media clones.

    Same old politics, different accountants.

  12. All in all, it’s put up or shut up time for Colorado Democrats – if you’re a Democrat, time to cough up $20, $50, or $100 to the state party.  I can’t do it this month, but I know where my next political contribution is headed…

  13. I can’t help but feel that Change agent is whining just a little too much for someone calling others childish. I’ve been in Dem politics since the 60s and supported Gates and Salazar. We all stuff envelopes, knock on doors, and work hard. I am neither a child nor an elitist. I, also, don’t have a lot of spare money, so I put it where I expect it to be used most thoughtfully…

  14. The CO Dem State Party is NOT bankrupt.  Bartels did not mention that the House and Senate have been raising $ at a fairly impressive clip (somewhere near 100,000 over the last quarter). 

    The sky ain’t falling.  It’s just a little cloudy.

  15. You know you have to love those Be The Change Folks.
    They will talk about change but the change stays in their pockets. They must know something we do not know. The money will be wasted and squandered with no benefit to the Party. I would rather light a cigar with a $20 than give it to Pat Waak

  16. Mike Miles and Pat Waak are living, breathing examples of the debris caused by the collision of principles and practice.  If they’re too principled to finance the party, then they’re not competent enough to lead it.  But some of us knew that. . .

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  19. “Waak give no quarter and we will win despite the naysayers in Denver.”

    No kidding.  Look at the bank account – she ain’t got no quarter to give…

    Sorry, Phoenix,usually I agree with you and your well reasoned arguments. But Vlad’s right – no way will I waste my money on the Waak Party. I’d rather support candidates or efforts that have a chance to make a difference in 2006. I don’t have any confidence a Waak led Party will do that – we need to work around that mess.

  20. I find it interesting that the Be the Change organization can sponsor day long events and charge $30 bucks a head.  While the seminars bring interesting speakers, their educational value is like reading a politics 101 book.
    I don’t believe the organizers are making any money, probably losing some.

    Mike Miles did an excellent job at bringing new faces into the mix…and on the whole, these are very intelligent, thoughtful voters. I don’t see many of them on the campaign trail.  And, if you ask them to commit to volunteering some time, the answer is generally no. 

    I need an education out from someone out there because I don’t get it.  Why don’t the Be the Change people pitch in and contribute to the party and help out Waak?  Why couldn’t they help Miles out with more cash??? If they participated in mainstream political activism, they would get a better perspective how to win elections.

    I work very hard to Make the Change happen.  I believe Democrats win because we are more committed to put in the long hours and we can beat the bigger money with our greater effort in the grass roots.  Don’t get me wrong, the money is important.  But, I am clueless as to how Be the Change is different. 

    EDUCATE ME

  21. The “Be The Change” events are a joke.  For some reason they are obsessed with holding events in Douglas & Jefferson county fairgrounds.  Last I heard, Wes Clark caught wind of the politics of this group and cancelled on them.  So they can’t help the state party because:

    1)  They don’t have any money either.
    2)  They have large egos and want attention.  We’re not in this together – it’s Mike Miles & Co against the world.  They’re going to show us!

    I’ve never met a more impressive loser than Mike Miles.  What a shame.

  22. I love a hostile crowd, so I’ll jump in.

    BTC can charge $30 a head because they don’t – for the most part – have to pay their workshop leaders.  The RFK, Jr. event was different, but they have insisted on maintaining reasonable prices for the “common Democrat”, so his fee was paid at least in part by several “sponsor” level donors.  Repeat: BTC is not about raising lots of cash; it is designed to be an access point for people to get involved in Democratic Party activism.

    To every single person on this board throwing around lame accusations of non-support from the BTC crowd, you are all terribly mistaken.  Most of the Changers supported Kerry or Clark in the primaries, but every one of them I know of volunteered their time and money supporting both Salazar and Kerry during the general.  We still give our time and money to the local parties, and we’re the ones holding seminars on off-years, keeping people involved.  Like DFA, Be The Change is interested in supporting Democrats and involving activists to encourage candidates and informed citizen voters.

    If all they manage to do is keep their own activists active, they are doing Good Things for the party; I hope they also eventually overcome the other mistaken bull that seems to linger at least around here and become a common forum for discussing issues important to the people of Colorado.

  23. Got a problem with going over to Douglas or out to Jefferson, Okey?  The BTC base originated in El Paso, not Boulder; they hold events down there in part because no-one else in the Democratic Party does – at least not on a regular basis – and because it is where their strongest support lies.

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