Colorado Democrats hold virtual Political Palooza

BY FREDA MIKLIN - GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER

The Colorado Democratic Party’s annual event is usually called the Obama Dinner and it draws one or two national leaders of the party. This year’s event was held virtually, thus attended by practically every leading Democrat in Washington, D.C., from the comfort of their living rooms. Gloria Neal, who serves as the City and County of Denver’s director of public affairs emceed the two and one-half-hour broadcast. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden greeted the local party faithful, as did leading contenders for the vice-presidential nomination U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris and former Georgia state legislator Stacey Abrams. Said Biden, “It’s time for us to face the open wound of systemic racism. The very soul of America is at stake. We must restore real leadership to the White House and the U. S. Senate. The stakes in this election have never been higher for our country. We need to come together as one America to win the battle for the soul of this nation. We have never failed when we stood together.” Harris said, “Justice is on the ballot in 2020. 42,000,000 people lost their jobs during the pandemic. Criminal justice is also on the ballot. Sen. Booker and I have offered the Justice and Policing Act in the Senate.” From Abrams, “We must flip the U.S. Senate and keep the House This state had the second highest voter turnout in 2018. Colorado is a model for the nation to follow. I challenge each of you to fill the void in our democracy by raising our voices to come together to strengthen our nation for generations to come.” Former presidential candidates U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, Eric Swalwell, and Bernie Sanders also appeared virtually. Klobuchar, a leader in the effort to expand mail-in voting said, “Colorado has proven how voting by mail can work. We need to bring that knowledge to the rest of our country.” Regarding President Trump, she said, “With every random tweet and outburst, President Trump has further divided us. People are looking to us to deliver what we promised.” From Senator Warren, “Racial disparities persist in health care and throughout our economy, but the deep injustices we face are not without hope. They were created by racist and bigoted public policies. I want to be thoughtful about the responsibility that I and other white Americans have in this. We need to ask ourselves what we are doing to dismantle racism. It is not enough to just stand by while racial injustice tears us apart. We must take action to defeat racism and save our democracy by protecting our elections. I am fighting to make it easier for Americans to vote by making it easier to register by doing it online and cease voter purges, especially during this pandemic.” Colorado’s U.S. Sen. Michael Bennett commended Gov. Polis and the Colorado legislature for passing the bipartisan Enhanced Law Enforcement Integrity act. He talked about “protests for racial justice sweeping the country,” noting that when he was superintendent of Denver Public Schools, he “saw this inequality every day.” Also delivering messages of encouragement were Colorado U. S. Reps. Diana DeGette, Jason Crow, Joe Neguse, and Ed Perlmutter. The party’s 2020 Rising Star Award was given to Tay Anderson, the youngest person to every get elected to the board of Denver Public Schools.

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris is a leading contender for the vice-presidential nomination.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, who has been elected president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Conference of Black Mayors, and the Democratic Mayors. Said Webb, “I’m the only person who has achieved that trifecta.” He added, “Life is not a practice game. I’ve always believed in leaving it better than you found it so that others can build on it from there.” K.C. Becker, Speaker of the Colorado House, noted that the Colorado House is one of the only ones in the country to have a majority comprised of women. Of the just-ended 2020 legislative session, she said, “We focused on justice and security, protected whistleblowers, passed paid sick leave of six days minimum each year. We eliminated the death penalty in Colorado, increased penalties for polluters, passed bipartisan legislation to protect firefighters from pollutants. We made lots of progress in a shortened session.” Secretary of State Jena Griswold said Colorado is leading the country in voting rights and elections. She announced that she is adding 194 drop box locations for ballot drop-offs this year. “In Wisconsin, 180 voting locations were reduced to 5. We have to make sure that every American can have their voice heard. In Colorado, no one has to choose between their health and having their voice heard in our elections,” said Griswold. After Swalwell accidentally referred to John Hickenlooper as the Democratic candidate to beat incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, state party chair Morgan Carroll reminded Democrats that there is a primary contest between Hickenlooper and former state house Speaker Andrew Romanoff to be the Democratic standard-bearer in the upcoming election for the United States Senate. Fmiklin.villager@gmail.com

U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter is running for his 8th term in the House.

Wellington Webb served as Denver’s mayor from 1991 to 2003

Former U.S. Vice- President Joe Biden is the 2020 Democratic nominee for Presidentof the United States.