Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Path to the National Convention
Selection of Democratic National Convention Delegates from Denver County
Colorado’s Congressional District 1 (covering all of Denver County and parts of Arapahoe County including parts or all of the cities of Englewood, Cherry Hills Village, Sheridan, Aurora and Glendale) will hold its convention on May 10. The business of the convention meeting includes the nomination of a presidential elector (who casts one of the Colorado’s electoral votes for president), and election of delegates to the national convention.
There are two different paths to become elected as a national delegate. You must be elected as a delegate or alternate to the county convention from your precinct caucus and then you must be elected to the congressional district convention from the county convention in order to be considered as a national delegate (called a district level delegate). Alternatively, you must be elected as a delegate or alternate to the county convention from your precinct caucus and then you must be elected to the state convention from the county convention in order to be considered as a national delegate (called an at-large delegate).
For the most part, National Convention delegates are elected positions. You will need to campaign actively for these positions Types of Delegates The national party allocates each state a certain number of delegates to the convention, based on its population and Democratic voting strength. The state of Colorado has been allocated 70 delegates and 9 alternates.
There are 5 types of delegates:
A. District Level delegates: Congressional District 1 will elect: 3 males 3 females and 1 male alternate. To run as a district-level delegate, an individual must be registered as a Democrat to vote within the district and must file a written declaration of candidacy and a signed “pledge” of support for a particular presidential candidate (“or uncommitted”). The name of each person who files to run as a delegate pledged to a presidential candidate will be given to the presidential candidate or their designated representative before the selection. Each candidate has the right to approve or disapprove anyone who signs a pledge for him or her. Delegates should contact the respective campaign to express their desire to support and represent their selected candidate.
B. Pledged “Party Leaders and Elected Officials” (PLEO) Colorado is allocated 7 pledged party leader and elected officials (PLEO) delegates. This category includes big city mayors and statewide elected officials (to be given equal consideration); state legislative leaders; state legislators; other state, county and local elected officials and party leaders.
C. Unpledged Delegates 1. Members of the DNC, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Democratic Governor, and “Distinguished Party Leader” who all reside in the State of Colorado will be confirmed by the DNC. This group has no alternates.
D. At-Large Delegates 1. Colorado has 12 at-large delegates and 2 alternates who will be elected at the state convention on May 17, 2008 in Colorado Springs at the World Arena. Candidates for this delegate position must file a Statement of Candidacy with the state party no later than 5:00 pm MDT on April 17, 2008. The delegates at the State Convention will be responsible for ensuring the equal division between men and women, meeting or exceeding the goals of diversity established by the Outreach Commission. The Outreach Commission goals for establishing diversity are as follows: African-American 7 Hispanics 17 Native American 2 Asian/Pacific Americans 3 LGBT 4 People with Disabilities 4 Youth (18-35) 13
E. Unpledged Add-on Colorado has 1 unpledged add-on who will be elected at the State Convention on May 17, 2008 in Colorado Springs. Individuals for this position will be nominated by the State Party officers (Chair, Vice Chair, 2nd Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer) and by DNC members who submit the nomination in writing to the State Party no later then April 17, 2008, 5:00pm MDT.
Colorado’s Congressional District 1 (covering all of Denver County and parts of Arapahoe County including parts or all of the cities of Englewood, Cherry Hills Village, Sheridan, Aurora and Glendale) will hold its convention on May 10. The business of the convention meeting includes the nomination of a presidential elector (who casts one of the Colorado’s electoral votes for president), and election of delegates to the national convention.
There are two different paths to become elected as a national delegate. You must be elected as a delegate or alternate to the county convention from your precinct caucus and then you must be elected to the congressional district convention from the county convention in order to be considered as a national delegate (called a district level delegate). Alternatively, you must be elected as a delegate or alternate to the county convention from your precinct caucus and then you must be elected to the state convention from the county convention in order to be considered as a national delegate (called an at-large delegate).
For the most part, National Convention delegates are elected positions. You will need to campaign actively for these positions Types of Delegates The national party allocates each state a certain number of delegates to the convention, based on its population and Democratic voting strength. The state of Colorado has been allocated 70 delegates and 9 alternates.
There are 5 types of delegates:
A. District Level delegates: Congressional District 1 will elect: 3 males 3 females and 1 male alternate. To run as a district-level delegate, an individual must be registered as a Democrat to vote within the district and must file a written declaration of candidacy and a signed “pledge” of support for a particular presidential candidate (“or uncommitted”). The name of each person who files to run as a delegate pledged to a presidential candidate will be given to the presidential candidate or their designated representative before the selection. Each candidate has the right to approve or disapprove anyone who signs a pledge for him or her. Delegates should contact the respective campaign to express their desire to support and represent their selected candidate.
B. Pledged “Party Leaders and Elected Officials” (PLEO) Colorado is allocated 7 pledged party leader and elected officials (PLEO) delegates. This category includes big city mayors and statewide elected officials (to be given equal consideration); state legislative leaders; state legislators; other state, county and local elected officials and party leaders.
C. Unpledged Delegates 1. Members of the DNC, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Democratic Governor, and “Distinguished Party Leader” who all reside in the State of Colorado will be confirmed by the DNC. This group has no alternates.
D. At-Large Delegates 1. Colorado has 12 at-large delegates and 2 alternates who will be elected at the state convention on May 17, 2008 in Colorado Springs at the World Arena. Candidates for this delegate position must file a Statement of Candidacy with the state party no later than 5:00 pm MDT on April 17, 2008. The delegates at the State Convention will be responsible for ensuring the equal division between men and women, meeting or exceeding the goals of diversity established by the Outreach Commission. The Outreach Commission goals for establishing diversity are as follows: African-American 7 Hispanics 17 Native American 2 Asian/Pacific Americans 3 LGBT 4 People with Disabilities 4 Youth (18-35) 13
E. Unpledged Add-on Colorado has 1 unpledged add-on who will be elected at the State Convention on May 17, 2008 in Colorado Springs. Individuals for this position will be nominated by the State Party officers (Chair, Vice Chair, 2nd Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer) and by DNC members who submit the nomination in writing to the State Party no later then April 17, 2008, 5:00pm MDT.
I’m now an official candidate!
My paperwork is filed, and I’m now an official candidate for a position as an Obama Delegate to the Democratic National Convention!
For those of you that don’t know me, I live in House Speaker Andrew Romanoff’s District 6 in Southeast Denver, where I’ve been the Precinct Committee Person for precinct #639 for the last half-dozen years.
I have also been active in several campaigns of our local Democratic candidates. I also held responsible volunteer positions in Senator John Kerry’s Presidential Campaign in 2004, and am currently a Precinct Captain for Senator Barack Obama. I also expect to spend some time as a full-time volunteer in this year’s Presidential Campaign, just as I did four years ago.
While I have been a loyal and active Democrat, and done my share of phone banking and going door-to-door on behalf of Democratic candidates, I am not running on that record alone. I believe any candidate for National Delegate must earn your vote by doing more, and being more, than just a good and faithful servant of the Party. It should be more than simply a “reward” for one’s past contributions to the Party. We deserve more than that in a Delegate that will represent us in selecting the Democratic candidate for President of the United States.
Just as Barack Obama talks about “Change We Can Believe In”, we need Delegates that we can believe in. This may well be the first convention in modern history in which each and every Delegate’s vote may make the difference in who becomes our candidate. So this will be a different kind of political convention than any of us have experienced before. We really need to elect Delegates that will faithfully represent us, and that will work tirelessly to help gather the votes necessary to ensure Barack Obama is our Party’s candidate. I believe I am one of those people.
I’d like to talk with you about 3 things in particular—Integrity, Accountability, and Leadership.
Integrity – Some people say, even pledged delegates can change their mind and their vote at the convention. I see representing you as a Delegate to be a sacred trust--to cast my vote as you expect--for Barack Obama!
Accountability – I have spent my entire 31-year career in the Federal Government in the “accountability profession”. I spent 14 years with the Government Accountability Office, where the core values are Accountability, Integrity, and Reliability. I spent the last 17 years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General, most recently responsible for the Inspector General’s work in climate change. I was also personally trained by former VP Al Gore to present the slideshow chronicled in his movie, An Inconvenient Truth, and have given presentations throughout the State to help people better understand the facts about global warming and climate change.
So what does “accountability” mean in terms of being a Delegate to the National Convention? Representing you as a Delegate is not just an “honorary” position. Delegates have responsibilities beyond just casting their vote for a nominee. I will not only cast my vote as you expect, I will work hard, day and night, to do whatever needs to be done to ensure our “Super Delegates” are also accountable and vote as their constituents expect!
Leadership – The National Convention is, or should be, more than just a big party. It is where important decisions about the future of our Party and the future of our country will be made. And our party has a responsibility to get out in front on Democratic values and truly “lead” the way for all our Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. I will work hard to help ensure our Party leaders do that in August and beyond!
I also have a Unique Promise I want to make to you!—I will take you with me to all the convention activities (virtually) through my daily blog. I will write about my personal experiences and what is happening at the convention, and you can also ask questions and post your own comments.
So, again, the 3 characteristics that describe who I am, and which I believe are most critical in choosing who will represent you as an Obama Delegate to our National Convention are:
Integrity, to cast my vote as we agreed!
Accountability, and ensuring our Super Delegates are also accountable!
and Leadership, to help ensure our Party really steps up to lead on the issues we all care about!
I ask for your vote, as a Delegate, for the next President of the United States, Barack Obama!
For those of you that don’t know me, I live in House Speaker Andrew Romanoff’s District 6 in Southeast Denver, where I’ve been the Precinct Committee Person for precinct #639 for the last half-dozen years.
I have also been active in several campaigns of our local Democratic candidates. I also held responsible volunteer positions in Senator John Kerry’s Presidential Campaign in 2004, and am currently a Precinct Captain for Senator Barack Obama. I also expect to spend some time as a full-time volunteer in this year’s Presidential Campaign, just as I did four years ago.
While I have been a loyal and active Democrat, and done my share of phone banking and going door-to-door on behalf of Democratic candidates, I am not running on that record alone. I believe any candidate for National Delegate must earn your vote by doing more, and being more, than just a good and faithful servant of the Party. It should be more than simply a “reward” for one’s past contributions to the Party. We deserve more than that in a Delegate that will represent us in selecting the Democratic candidate for President of the United States.
Just as Barack Obama talks about “Change We Can Believe In”, we need Delegates that we can believe in. This may well be the first convention in modern history in which each and every Delegate’s vote may make the difference in who becomes our candidate. So this will be a different kind of political convention than any of us have experienced before. We really need to elect Delegates that will faithfully represent us, and that will work tirelessly to help gather the votes necessary to ensure Barack Obama is our Party’s candidate. I believe I am one of those people.
I’d like to talk with you about 3 things in particular—Integrity, Accountability, and Leadership.
Integrity – Some people say, even pledged delegates can change their mind and their vote at the convention. I see representing you as a Delegate to be a sacred trust--to cast my vote as you expect--for Barack Obama!
Accountability – I have spent my entire 31-year career in the Federal Government in the “accountability profession”. I spent 14 years with the Government Accountability Office, where the core values are Accountability, Integrity, and Reliability. I spent the last 17 years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General, most recently responsible for the Inspector General’s work in climate change. I was also personally trained by former VP Al Gore to present the slideshow chronicled in his movie, An Inconvenient Truth, and have given presentations throughout the State to help people better understand the facts about global warming and climate change.
So what does “accountability” mean in terms of being a Delegate to the National Convention? Representing you as a Delegate is not just an “honorary” position. Delegates have responsibilities beyond just casting their vote for a nominee. I will not only cast my vote as you expect, I will work hard, day and night, to do whatever needs to be done to ensure our “Super Delegates” are also accountable and vote as their constituents expect!
Leadership – The National Convention is, or should be, more than just a big party. It is where important decisions about the future of our Party and the future of our country will be made. And our party has a responsibility to get out in front on Democratic values and truly “lead” the way for all our Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. I will work hard to help ensure our Party leaders do that in August and beyond!
I also have a Unique Promise I want to make to you!—I will take you with me to all the convention activities (virtually) through my daily blog. I will write about my personal experiences and what is happening at the convention, and you can also ask questions and post your own comments.
So, again, the 3 characteristics that describe who I am, and which I believe are most critical in choosing who will represent you as an Obama Delegate to our National Convention are:
Integrity, to cast my vote as we agreed!
Accountability, and ensuring our Super Delegates are also accountable!
and Leadership, to help ensure our Party really steps up to lead on the issues we all care about!
I ask for your vote, as a Delegate, for the next President of the United States, Barack Obama!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
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