Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

Democrats discuss strategy for grabbing Colorado's electoral pot

By David Montero, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 19, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

Text size  

More Delegates and Volunteers

More stories »

Senior state Democrats met privately Monday at the Governor's Mansion to discuss election strategy for Colorado and delivering its nine electoral votes to Barack Obama.

For more than an hour, they dissected the Hispanic vote, young voters, older voters and ways to woo the all-important unaffiliated voters.

Gov. Bill Ritter acknowledged that the run-up to the Democratic National Convention next week has drawn a lot of attention, but said there is still a major campaign to be waged leading up to the November election.

"Having a convention here next week has really caused a lot of our attention to be on the convention," Ritter said. "So, it's important pivoting off of the convention we're focused on how we do our best for both Sen. Barack Obama and also for Congressman Mark Udall."

Udall is running for the U.S. Senate against Republican rival Bob Schaffer.

Ritter was joined in the meeting by Sen. Ken Salazar, former Denver mayors Wellington Webb and Federico Pena, and former Lt. Gov. Gail Schoettler.

Republicans were quick to pounce on the meeting, with Colorado Republican Party Chair Dick Wadhams prowling on the sidewalk outside the mansion waiting for the chance to speak.

"I don't blame them for meeting in the panic room today," he said.

Wadhams also had a brief debate outside with U.S. Rep. Ed Perl mutter, who was arriving late to the mansion. Perlmutter is an Obama superdelegate. The two talked over each other, raised their voices at each other and eventually shook hands after a few minutes.

Wadhams made the point that a recent Rocky Mountain News/ CBS4 News poll showed Sen. John McCain up 44 percent to 41 percent - though the gap is within the margin of error, making it a dead heat. Udall was up six points in the same poll.

The quintet of Democratic officials wouldn't argue the point - noting Colorado was a true battleground state. Salazar, in fact, said he thought the election would come down to Colorado.

One area where Salazar thought McCain might have made a misstep was on water compacts that ensure Colorado gets its share of limited water in the West.

Salazar said McCain's interest was in delivering water to high- growth areas like Las Vegas and Southern California - at the expense of Colorado.

"Sen. Obama will follow the doctrine which is sacrosanct here in Colorado," Salazar said. "And that is to make sure we are protecting the compacts of Colorado for generations to come."

Last week, McCain said, "I don't think there's any doubt the major, major issue is water and can be as important as oil. So the compact that is in effect, obviously, needs to be renegotiated over time amongst the interested parties."

The looming convention couldn't be avoided and the Democrats were asked what Denver and Colorado would get out of hosting it - even if some citizens are inconvenienced while it is here.

Webb said it was a chance to see history. "This is going to be a highlight that everyone here is going to remember and it is taking place in the West," Webb said. "The landscape has changed. These Western states that used to be abdicated to Republicans are no longer safe harbors to them."

Comments

  • August 19, 2008

    6:56 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    jacka writes:

    Give Colorado the choice to opt-out of forced union membership and forced union dues.

    YES on Amendment 47.

  • August 19, 2008

    8:18 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Mayor_Quimby writes:

    Obama will pander to anyone and everyone in order to win these votes. The Saddleback Forum showed that. While McCain could answer each of the questions easily and truthfully, Obama stumbled because he had to make sure his answer didnt upset his base (the far-left wackos) in addition to being able to garner new votes towards the center. This is why his answers were always vague and garbled. He knows 90% of the crap that comes out of his mouth is BS to pander to the people with low IQ's and has to keep that up for them to come to the polls.

  • August 19, 2008

    11:24 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Cwillyrun1 writes:

    Governor, it does seem that Obama has to think too much when he answers many questions, and his answers leave me shaking my head as if he's trying to spoon feed BS to the American public. What do we expect though from someone who doesn't have much of a history for doing anything as a politician?

  • August 19, 2008

    12:09 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    HopiMedicineMan writes:

    Republicans miss too many opportunities to involve minorities. They don't even reach out to Irish- or Italian-Catholics. So 60% of Catholics vote for the abortion party. (And Jeffco specifically excludes Hispanics.) High Crime areas need Republican officials who don't pander to the drug power of these neighborhoods as the Democrats have been doing since the 1960s.

    Schaffer is tough. Udall is cute.