Speaker Romanoff at our House Meeting

My wife Roxy and I were pleased to host a Democratic House Meeting and continental breakfast in our backyard today. The weather couldn't have been better, with sunny skies, and a perfect 70 degrees. Yes, we are indeed fortunate to live in "Beautiful Colorado"!

Our guest of honor, Colorado House Speaker and HD6 Representative Andrew Romanoff, was his always witty self. After charming the crowd, he explained all the virtues of the SAFE (Savings Account For Education) initiative petition drive. SAFE will fix the fiscal mess in Colorado's constitution, dedicate a permanent source of funding to public eduction, and preserve the right of citizens' to vote on taxes. If you haven't already, please sign this petition by July 18 so we can get this important measure on the November ballot!

I spoke about why I am dedicated to the election of Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. I focused on how NO ONE can afford to sit on the sidelines in this election. Four years ago, John Kerry was ahead in the polls, much like Barack Obama is today, and we all know what happened. We can NOT afford to let that happen again. That means we ALL need to make this our "project" for the next 4 months. Some of those other projects on our "to do list" can wait. Our country can NOT wait!

Obama Campaign Representative Noah Glasenkamp told a wonderful story about how he became involved with the Campaign, and then all the other attendees got a chance to say a few words about their own personal story, and what brought them here today. Noah elegantly explained the Campaign's grassroots philosophy, and several attendees immediately signed-up to hold similar Obama House Meetings in their homes. If you haven't hosted one of these meetings yet, please go to www.barackobama.com and set one up. It's a lot of fun, and is a key strategy to winning this critical election!

Lois Court, my personal choice for HD6 State Representative, explained that she is the only primary candidate that is not accepting PAC or special interest money. I have known Lois for many years and I am certain that she is the most qualified candidate to become our next State Representative. She has 25 years of experience in Colorado public policy and Democratic politics. She is a real leader—someone you can look at and say, “Here is someone that knows how to work with others to see our Democratic values come to life!” If you live in HD6, please visit her website at www.loiscourt.com to learn more about her. And don't forget to vote in the Democratic Primary on August 12 for the best candidate to become our next House District 6 State Representative: Lois Court.

Alex Stevens of the "coordinated campaign" or "Forward Colorado" then did an excellent job explaining that campaign's role in helping to elect Barack Obama, Mark Udall, and Diana DeGette. He also explained in detail how to canvass. Several attendees immediately volunteered to canvass our neighborhood after the meeting.

All in all, I think we all learned a lot, are even better prepared to help win this election for all our Democratic candidates, and had a lot of fun!

I Actually Got to Meet Senator Obama!

Last Wednesday night, I actually had the privilege to meet Senator Barack Obama! Fellow Delegate Susie McMahon and I carpooled down to the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs to attend a fundraiser for the Senator. We were joined by our friend and fellow Delegate Lynn Young from Colorado Springs and about 250 other guests. We staked out a spot right in front of the small riser near the door from which we knew Senator Obama would enter. While he went straight to the stage to give his speech, afterwards we were able to introduce ourselves, shake hands, and exchange a few words with him. I promised him we would win Colorado for him, and he said, "With your help!"

That reminded me of something he said in his speech that night. He said, "Make this your project for the next 4 months." It made me realize what a relatively small thing he was asking each of us to do. Simply make working to help him get elected our #1 project, just for the next few months. Many of us are working on another "project" right now, or have taken on a 4 month project before. Maybe it was landscaping our yard. Maybe it was finishing our basement. He was simply asking us to maybe set some of those other projects aside, just for a little while, and take on the important task of choosing the next President of the United States! It's a small price to pay to change the direction of our country in a profound way.

Precinct Meeting & Obama Unity Potluck

My Co-Precinct Committee Person, Anne Murdouogh, and I held a "Unite for Change" potluck dinner and campaign planning meeting tonight. Thanks to Anne (pictured far right) and her husband JB for loaning us their beautiful home for the evening! The food was absolutely delicious, and the company couldn't have been better! We had 40 enthusiastic Democrats (along with a few unaffiliateds and maybe even a Republican :-) there to talk about how we are going to win this election for Barack Obama and all our Democratic candidates down the ballot.

Noah Glusenkamp from the Obama Campaign, and Rachael Outman from the coordinated campaign both shared their thoughts about the campaign, emphasizing they wanted to get to know us and learn what had been successful in the past. It was very refreshing! We also had all three Democratic candidates for State Representative for House District 6 speak to the group--Liz Adams, Lois Court, and Josh Hanfling.

Most importantly, we talked about how we needed everyone to pitch in with canvassing, voter registration (we even registered a couple people tonight!), GOTV, and various other tasks between now and November. I think almost everyone signed up to help.

We will be doing a canvass in Precinct 639 Saturday July 12th. Watch here for more details on that later.

Delegates on the Move!

Many members of the Colorado Delegation participated in two fun events last weekend. Last Saturday, we marched in the Gay Pride parade, and last Sunday, we attended a delegate social hosted by Polly Baca. Pictured at the social along with me are delegates Nate Vanderschaft and Jay Berry. Nate is organizing a fleet of electric cars (including his own) to be displayed and used at the convention. Nate and I are wearing the new "Colorado Delegates for Obama" t-shirts that I designed and ordered for the delegation.

Barack's Sister "Maya" is a Gem!

I was fortunate to attend a wonderful event at the home of Artist Dan Friedlander and Diane Rosenthal in Boulder last Tuesday. Senator Obama's sister, Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng was the guest of honor, and I must say she is a beautiful gem of a person, and will be a tremendous asset to the Senator on the campaign trail! She spoke very personally about what how she has looked up to him her entire life, and what kind of man, Father, and husband he is. While she has a doctorate in education, she is as down to earth as one can be. She also has a wonderful sense of humor!

More on Why I Support Barack Obama for President of the United States

My wife, Roxanna, saw Barack Obama speak when she was visiting her Father in Illinois when he was still a state legislator in Illinois. We both began to think about him as a great Presidential candidate when we heard him speak at the National Democratic Convention in 2004. However, I was still somewhat on the fence about who I would support for President, Hillary or Barack, until I heard Sen. Obama speak in person for myself. That was it for me. I became convinced that this was a man who really could produce the kind of change I think we need in America. I immediately set about identifying all the Obama supporters in my precinct, and getting them to the caucus on Feb. 5th where he won almost three to one!

Some people say that words are unimportant. I respectfully disagree. It is thoughts that are the seeds of words. It is words then that are the seeds of action. And I believe that Barack Obama believes what he says, and that he can and will take the actions necessary to deliver the kind of change we need to begin to heal our country and our world. Republicans and Democrats. Blacks and Whites. Men and Women. Christians and Muslims. Rural residents and city dwellers. Rich and poor. Business owners and laborers. The economically-disadvantaged people of the “developing world” and those of us fortunate enough to be in the “developed world”. Barack Obama represents the future of what we can be together.

There remain vestiges of sexism in this country. There remain vestiges of racism in this country. There remains economic inequality in this country. And there are many other examples of inequality remaining in this country and throughout the world. Barack Obama is our best hope for beginning to bring our country and our world together, heal our wounds, and eliminate all forms of inequality. I am dedicated to electing Barack Obama as the next President of the United States because he is the single candidate that can bring Americans together around the values of economic and international security, affordable health care, and education. He embodies the kind of change that all Americans desperately want. He alone can restore the United States’ standing in the world and lead us into a hopeful future at home and abroad.

Convention Schedule

Although specifics are not yet available, here is a general view of the convention schedule:
Sunday, August 24th: a welcome reception for the Delegates will be held Sunday evening
Monday – Thursday:
--7:30 a.m.: a state-specific Delegate meeting will be held every morning at the Grand Hyatt Hotel where the Colorado state delegation is staying
--10 a.m.: caucuses and/or training sessions meet at the Colorado Convention Center
--4 p.m. – 9 p.m.: convention at the Pepsi Center
More details will continue to emerge as the party hammers out the specifics. In addition, http://www.demconvention.com/ is an excellent resource for answering any questions.