Hopefully, you're either attending or hosting a house party for the National Organizing Kickoff for the 2006 elections.

Across America -- and across Colorado -- Democrats are meeting to set the stage for a nationwide victory never before seen in this Party's history.

And you need to be a part of that history.

It's not too late to sign up to host your own party. Simply go to:

http://www.democrats.org/a/party/a_50_state_strategy/national_organizing_kickoff/

to sign up.

If you want to find out where the party nearest you is, go here:

http://www.democrats.org/page/event/search_simple

Here's what our State Chair, Pat Waak, had to say on Wednesday:

Last night, Virginia was in the spotlight, and voters there sent a message loud and clear. They rejected the culture of corruption and failed policies of the Bush Administration and chose to elect a common sense Democrat. Next, year it's our turn.

Colorado will be the Virginia next year and it's time to start organizing now. Next Tuesday, November 15, Democrats from around the state will be hosting organizing parties. These parties will begin the countdown to 2006.

Take charge and get your community organized!

Here are the details from the State Party:

"Opportunity Knocks"

Breakfast with Al Franken

When:
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Registration 7:00 am
Breakfast 7:30 am

Where:
Marriott Denver Tech Center
Evergreen Ballroom
4900 South Syracuse
Denver, Colorado

Donation:
Contribution $100.00
with autographed book $150.00

RSVP by November 14th
303-623-4763 or bfreeman@coloradodems.org

To register, please download this form:
http://www.coloradodems.org/docs/AlFrankenRegform.pdf

and return it with your check or credit card information to:
Colorado Democratic Party
777 Santa Fe Drive
Denver, CO 80204
ATTN: Al Franken Breakfast

Online registration will be available early next week.

Download a flyer for this event here:
http://www.coloradodems.org/docs/AlFrankenFlyer.pdf

This sounds like an event you WON'T want to miss!

Facing a budget crunch that would have put criminals back on the streets, raised tuition at state universities, cut funding for health care for the poor, and closed down state parks, the voters of Colorado voted this week to give up $3.7 billion in tax refunds over the next five years. In stark contrast, Republicans in Washington moved forward today with a package of harmful budget cuts designed to slash programs vital to hard-working families while preserving tax breaks for oil companies and special interests.

Also, Governor Dean had his own statement about the comparison between Colorado's courage and the national GOP cowardice:

The Republican leadership in Washington has created a false choice between rebuilding the Gulf Coast region and funding the very programs that serve many of those displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Republicans in Congress could learn a lot from the American people. The voters in Colorado showed the same solidarity so many other Americans showed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by making personal sacrifices to help each other out. Instead of asking their special interest cronies to make sacrifices, Congressional Republicans want to gut important programs.

Sadly, the Republican leadership continues to prove that you can't trust them with taxpayers' money. America can do better.

Finally, in a somewhat-related note, Governor Dean and the DNC have announced the dates for the 2008 Democratic National Convention: August 25, 2008 through August 28, 2008, right after the Summer Olympics.

From the Hotline:

Cities that have expressed interesting in hosting the convention include Anaheim, CA, and Denver, CO, as well as several others. Dean and the DNC decided on the date after consultation with ex-WH nominees, ex-convention officials, DNC members and other party leaders.

Republicans familiar with RNC planning say it's too early to tell what Dean's announcement means for GOPers. Such an early announcement caught some Republican officials by surprise.

Why will the Convention be later than normal? Here's part of the explanation from the DNC:

The convention will occur following the Olympics, at a time when the public is most interested and ready to focus on the general election. American families have completed their summer vacations and most children have returned to school, and Democratic candidates will be able to make their case to an attentive public.

The so-called “post-convention bounce” traditionally enjoyed by candidates after the intense media coverage of the campaign will occur just 68 days before Election Day giving our candidates the opportunity to hit the ground running.

The “federal general election grant” for the general election period will only have to fund the campaign for 68 days. (In 2004, federal matching funds for the Kerry-Edwards campaign had to be spread over three months, preventing the campaign from launching an aggressive paid media campaign immediately after the convention – even as the campaign’s primary election bank account contained a surplus.)

Seems like the stage is set for a perfect convention in Denver on a sunny August week in the mountains...

Generally, it is pretty rare for a national meeting of this stature to be held so close to Colorado. In addition to the DNC meeting, the Association of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC) and the Young Democrats of America (YDA) will be holding their fall meetings in Phoenix, as well.

The Dates are December 1-3, at the Phoenix Wyndham. I've already spoken to a number of Coloradans who are interested in attending. If you're interested, here are a few points:

1. The Wyndham has now sold out. The DNC has recommended two alternate hotels, both of which are right across the street from the Wyndham: The Hyatt Regency Phoenix (602-252-1234) and the Hotel San Carlos (602-253-4121). There are also several other hotels in the area -- it is pretty centrally located.

2. If you do plan on attending, let the State Party know. Call us at 303-623-4762, so we can keep track of the Coloradans who are going to be in Phoenix. If possible, also let us know where you will be staying and how we can reach you if we need your help on anything.

3. Remember, if you do attend, that Denver is exploring the possibility of bidding on the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We hope all who attend from Colorado will be ambassadors of our state and talk about the many advantages of hosting a convention in Denver. (Plus, it is possible we may need your volunteer assistance with this; that's why we want to know how to contact you when you are in Phoenix.)

Most of the ASDC meetings, with the exception of the morning meeting on Thursday, will be closed to the public. Most of the DNC and YDA meetings are open to the public. The YDA meetings require registration; go to http://www.yda.org for details.

Highlights of the Agenda:

Fri 12/2:
10:30 DNC Western Regional Caucus meeting.
6:30 YDA Rural Caucus session; I will be introducing a YD candidate for Congress in Nebraska.

Sat 12/3:
9:00 am - DNC General Session; this is the main part of the DNC meeting. The DNC expects this to be the "kick-off" to the 2006 cycle.
Noon - YDA Luncheon with Keynote speaker.
6:30 - YDA General Session - the "core" of the YDA meeting.

Hope to see you all there!

"I think we now have become a blue state, frankly,’’ Stengel said during the phone meeting arranged by the Washington, D.C.-based Americans for Tax Reform.

Rep. Stengel, you just wait. We're not there yet, but maybe after next November, when we take the Governor's mansion, the 7th, and the 4th, you might be on the target...

A year ago tonight, we were hearing rumblings of a miracle. In the midst of Republican victories nearly everywhere else in America, Colorado lifted itself from the shackles of fiscal irresponsibility and chose a new direction – a Democratic direction. A year ago tonight, Democrats did the unthinkable: we took control of the State House, the State Senate, the Third Congressional District, and a U.S. Senate seat.

After that amazing night, Republican cynics in Colorado insisted that Democrats would follow the lead set by the Republicans and take this state in a radical and frivolous direction. But thanks to the leadership of courageous Democrats in the House and Senate, these cynics were only half right: Colorado would indeed see a radical new direction – one not seen in years. This radical new direction? Fiscal responsibility and a focus on issues that mattered to average Coloradans, like job creation and economic prosperity for our people.

In the middle of all of this, Colorado’s Democrats did what the Republicans could not do: we negotiated a deal with the Republican Governor to lift Colorado out of a fiscal morass never before seen in this state.

Then it was your turn. Our Democratic legislators needed your help – the help of all of Colorado’s 64 county Democratic parties – to make this deal a reality. We all knew it was not perfect. And, just as expected, the extreme right – led by Marc Holtzman and “Both Ways” Bob Beauprez – lied and distorted the realities of this coalition for Colorado.

Buoyed, ironically, by the public’s distrust of politicians fed by the Republican Culture of Corruption, they almost got away with it. But you, the heart and soul of the Colorado Democratic Party, never gave up. Everybody had a part in this victory. Whether you joined Senator Ken Gordon in his biblical walk across this beautiful state, helped bring House Speaker Andrew Romanoff or Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald to your community to lobby for votes, or whether you made phone calls or knocked on doors or simply put out a yard sign, this victory is yours.

Finally, you have sent a message to the nation. It wasn’t simply chance that brought the Wall Street Journal to write an editorial yesterday asking Coloradans to defeat Referendum C. Right-wingers have been fighting heavily to put TABOR on the ballots of dozens of states in the next year. You’ve told the rest of the nation that, while TABOR may be attractive on paper, its execution is imperfect at best. The message to the states considering TABOR: be careful what you wish for.

In the past couple of months, I’ve been all over this state, and I saw the amazing job that Democrats were doing to win this election. Give yourselves a pat on the back and take a day off.

But after that, we’ve got to prepare for the toughest battle we’ve ever seen: 2006.

Referendum C, which would allow the state to keep an estimated $3.7 billion it otherwise would have to refund to taxpayers, won a narrow victory Tuesday evening.

A lot of things led to this victory for Democrats, and we'll probably spend the next few days analyzing how things turned out the way they did.

We can already tell a few things. First of all, the vote in Douglas County was quite close - Douglas County Dems joined with business leaders in the county to really turn the tide in our favor. Kudos to the Douglas County Dems for their work there.

But there were these stories all over the state. Arapahoe Dems really nailed this election, as did Larimer Dems.

We're still waiting to see what is going on with Ref. D. Hopefully, we'll be able to pull that out as well.

In any event, this election puts Dems in a great position for the 2006 cycle. Dems proved to Coloradans that we could craft an acceptable compromise to deal with Colorado's budget crisis.

The big winners here were House and Senate Dems, led by Speaker Romanoff and Sen. President Fitz-Gerald. The losers have to be Marc Holtzman and Bob Beauprez, who both pinned their electoral hopes on a big win by the "No" side.

UPDATE: 9 News has just declared Yes on C a winner.

UPDATE 2: The Post has declared C a winner.

This afternoon, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, in response to reports that Scooter Libby withheld key intelligence information from the U.S. Senate, as well as in response to stonewalling on the Senate's investigation into pre-war intelligence, called an unprecedented closed session of the U.S. Senate.

Faced with the possibility of having to hold the White House accountable for its actions, the Republicans in Washington are seething. Here's the account from the Hotline:

"Our troops have sacrified too much," said Reid. "I demand on behalf of the American people that we understand why these investigations aren't happening."

Reid then invoked Senate Rule 21, which permits the minority leader to call for a closed session. It was seconded by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). The timing was precise and deliberate. If Sen. Bill Frist, the majority leader, had been on the floor, he could have objected, but since he was not in the chambers, the presiding officer of the Senate had to agree to Reid's invocation.

Moments later, C-SPAN II cameras went black, replaced by a slate of text that said "The Senate is meeting in closed session." Capitol Hill police officers moved to secure the room. All electronic devices were removed. Staffers cannot entered.

The move shocked and angered Republicans.

A visible agitated Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist called the move a "stunt. A political stunt. A scare tactic." He said it was a "slap in the face" to him and to Republicans.

"It means, for now on, for the next year and a half, I can't trust Sen. Reid," he said.

Republicans are now talking about the shattering of "tradition" by this move. What about the attempts to shatter tradition by eliminating the filibuster? Or by the White House nominating a Supreme Court justice without consulting with the Senate?

Humorously, Trent Lott is raising a stink about how Reid’s actions have shattered trust by ignoring tradition. This coming after the President didn’t talk to Senate Democrats about the Alito pick. Who is ignoring tradition in a more important way here?

Meanwhile, Americans are becoming energized by the new Democratic Party -- the one with a spine:

But desperate times call for desperate measures. Beyond hope this is for the growing majority of Americans who know they were lied to about Iraq, as much as anything that's happened since before I heard John Kerry say he'd vote to invade all over again. Now it is time: to rebuild a trust that cost the Democrats the White House in its shattering.

Also, from DailyKos:

Cue in lots of hystrionics from Frist and company. Republicans whined that this was a violation of Senate tradition. This coming from the gang that wants to eliminate the judicial filibuster. Frist whined that he wasn't consulted. As though Democrats have had a seat at the table in this Congress. They want to play hardball? Fine. Reid sent notice that he can play that game as well.

Frist whined, "Senator Daschle never did anything like this." Damn right. A new sheriff is in town.

Now, this is more than a temporary stunt. The Democratic leadership has promised to call a special session in the Senate every single day until Republicans alllow for a real investigation.

So let's see what we have here --

Democrats showing leadership and fight. Very nice. Democrats creating a media narrative around Republican stonewalling of a real investigation into pre-war intelligence. Also very nice. Republicans getting a taste of things to come if they initiate the nuclear option? Very crafty.

The Senate has just come out of the closed session. Here's Sen. Frist's statement on the agreement:

The Majority Leader and the Democratic Leader will appoint three members from their respective parties to meet and report back to the leadership no later that the close of business on 11/14.

Accountability. That's what the Democrats want.

Otherwise, you need to get your friends and neighbors out to vote TODAY. If you live in a mail ballot county, please remember that the ballots must be IN THE HANDS of the County Clerk by 7:00 tonight -- postmarks are irrelevant.

Here are some things around the state that I've learned about:

In Pueblo:

We will meet at Dem. Headquarters at 8:00 a.m. and begin calling and giving rides to the polls.

Dem Headquarters is located on Santa Fe Avenue across from the Pueblo Greater Chamber of Commerce Building. You can park in the paring lot next to the Chamber which is public parking.

Please let me know if you will be able to volunteer. Contact me at 250-8051. I need to know how many volunteers to expect.

Thank you to all that are giving us a day to help GOTV.

From Larimer County:

I was informed by the Clerk’s office that turn-out is at 30% (between mail ballots and early voting). For some perspective, the last two Coordinated Elections turn-out:

2001 – 42.8% turn-out

2003 – 42.5% turn-out

Obviously, we have a real shot at going over the top. So, if you can spare some time to help call voters, and remind them to vote, please send an email to john@donkeynet.net.

In Arapahoe County:

Can you help?

We still have voters who did not receive ballots – they need to GO IN to vote a replacement. Help us reach them! We have been making calls since Saturday – our work is not done.

Can you make phone calls to voters who have not turned in their ballot? We need callers who can work from home.

Can you pick up ballots and deliver them?

E-mail us at info@arapahoedems.org or call us at 303-338-1202 and leave a message.

And, of course, Denver:

From Ken Gordon, here are some sign-waving locations:

I will be at First and University from 6:30 A.M. until 8:30 A.M. I will finish the day where I always have for my own campaigns, at Colorado Blvd. and Evans. That will be from 4:30 until 7:00 PM. Colorado and Evans has always been lucky for me, so I am going to share the luck with C and D. I know this is a late email so if you get it after the sign waving opportunity is over I apologize.

Other sign waving venues in Denver, during the same times as stated above, include Colfax & Speer, Federal & Speer, Parker & Quincy, Arapahoe & Yosemite, 17th & Colorado and Wadsworth & Alameda.

And more opportunities in Denver:

There will be a march down the 16th St. Mall at noon starting at 16th & Arapahoe and phone banking at the C and D headquarters and the Barney Bus from 10:00 AM until 6:30 PM. C and D headquarters is located at 1873 S. Bellaire Ave., Suite 620 and the Barney Bus is located at 5660 Logan St.

And there are some parties tonight. However, you are not allowed to attend unless you get one person to the polls today.

In Larimer County:

Come enjoy some Democratic camaraderie, watch election returns and get ready to celebrate!!

Avo's (bar side)
605 S. Mason
Fort Collins

We'll start at 8pm, and stay until whenever.

In Denver:

Join the fun at tonight's Yes on C/D Victory Party. Details:

WHAT: Election Night Celebration

WHEN: Tonight, 1 November, 7:01pm (after the polls close)

WHERE: Pinnacle Club (formerly The Petroleum Club) 555 17th Street, Suite 3700. On 17th Street between Welton and Glenarm. The 37th floor of the Qwest Building.

I will carefully study Judge Samuel Alito's record and background and look forward to reviewing the findings of the upcoming Judiciary Committee hearings.”

“The manner in which the President handled this nomination is disappointing. He did not consult with the Senate about this nominee.”

“It remains to be seen whether Judge Alito will satisfactorily fill the mainstream position being vacated by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.”

“At the beginning of the twenty-first century, we see huge forward strides made by women in our society including their representation in law school and in legal and judicial careers. For me, it is a grave disappointment, that out of the thousands of qualified women in the United States, the President has not chosen one among them to replace Sandra Day O’Connor.”

“Instead, if Judge Alito gets confirmed, the number of women out of the nine justices on the United States Supreme Court will be reduced to one. That fact is troublesome to me and it should be troublesome to the American people as it signals a pronounced retreat on the progress women have made in our society.

Meanwhile, what does our other U.S. Senator think? Hard to tell. You see, when you visit Senator Allard's website, you're met with this headline:

Senator Allard Meets with U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Harriet Miers

Oops.

As most of you know, President Bush announced today that he is nominating Samuel Alito as a Justice on the United States Supreme Court. Judge Alito hasn't earned the nickname "Scalito" for nothing.

Think Progress has a great first take on some of Alito's radical views:

ALITO WOULD OVERTURN ROE V. WADE: In his dissenting opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Alito concurred with the majority in supporting the restrictive abortion-related measures passed by the Pennsylvania legislature in the late 1980’s. Alito went further, however, saying the majority was wrong to strike down a requirement that women notify their spouses before having an abortion. The Supreme Court later rejected Alito’s view, voting to reaffirm Roe v. Wade. [Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 1991]

ALITO WOULD ALLOW RACE-BASED DISCRIMINATION: Alito dissented from a decision in favor of a Marriott Hotel manager who said she had been discriminated against on the basis of race. The majority explained that Alito would have protected racist employers by “immuniz[ing] an employer from the reach of Title VII if the employer’s belief that it had selected the ‘best’ candidate was the result of conscious racial bias.” [Bray v. Marriott Hotels, 1997]

ALITO WOULD ALLOW DISABILITY-BASED DISCRIMINATION: In Nathanson v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, the majority said the standard for proving disability-based discrimination articulated in Alito’s dissent was so restrictive that “few if any…cases would survive summary judgment.” [Nathanson v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1991]

ALITO WOULD STRIKE DOWN THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) “guarantees most workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a loved one.” The 2003 Supreme Court ruling upholding FMLA [Nevada v. Hibbs, 2003] essentially reversed a 2000 decision by Alito which found that Congress exceeded its power in passing the law. [Chittister v. Department of Community and Economic Development, 2000]

ALITO SUPPORTS UNAUTHORIZED STRIP SEARCHES: In Doe v. Groody, Alito agued that police officers had not violated constitutional rights when they strip searched a mother and her ten-year-old daughter while carrying out a search warrant that authorized only the search of a man and his home. [Doe v. Groody, 2004]

ALITO HOSTILE TOWARD IMMIGRANTS: In two cases involving the deportation of immigrants, the majority twice noted Alito’s disregard of settled law. In Dia v. Ashcroft, the majority opinion states that Alito’s dissent “guts the statutory standard” and “ignores our precedent.” In Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, the majority stated Alito’s opinion contradicted “well-recognized rules of statutory construction.” [Dia v. Ashcroft, 2003; Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, 2004]

Once again, President Bush has treated his appointment to the Supreme Court as an absolute right, ignoring the very important need to have the Senate "advise and consent" on that choice.

Senator Harry Reid was right to object to these heavy-handed tactics:

I am disappointed in this choice for several reasons. First, unlike previous nominations, this one was not the product of consultation with Senate Democrats. Last Friday, Senator Leahy and I wrote to President Bush urging him to work with us to find a consensus nominee. The President has rejected that approach.

...

I look forward to meeting Judge Alito and learning why those who want to pack the Court with judicial activists are so much more enthusiastic about him than they were about Harriet Miers.

While it was clear that Harriet Miers was not qualified for the Supreme Court, it was also clear that the right-wing radicals who objected to her nomination -- the same ones clamoring for "up or down votes" for the President's nominees -- clearly only want up-or-down votes for nominees they've rubber-stamped in advance.

Sadly, it seems like Judge Alito has received that rubber stamp from the most radical in our society. We cannot affort to turn the clock back; we cannot afford somebody who is to the right of Scalia on the Supreme Court.

First, I've got to comment on the food! I have been to an awful lot of county party fundraisers in my time, and with all due respect to the others, I don't think I've been to one with such an amazing spread of food as this one. I think Evie Hudak commented that she thought she had stumbled in on a Republican meeting when she walked in. From an omelette station to hand-carved prime rib to lox and bagels and pastries, this was truly a meal to be experienced.

But the meal was only a backdrop. The room, filled to capacity, brimmed with excitement about the Democratic successes in Summit County. Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, who represents Summit County, talked about how proud she was to represent the area. Rep. Tom Plant was also there, and introduced the area's state representative, the down-to-earth and honest Gary Lindstrom (who promptly told tales about Tom Plant...).

The Summit Dems seem like a really close family, and they took this opportunity to honor their own. They gave out awards for everything from letter-writing to gardening, and it was a truly enjoyable morning (even if there was a heavy snow falling outside).

The keynote speaker was Speaker Andrew Romanoff, who gave a very humorous talk about "What Colorado will be like 30 years from now."

Even my wife, who is not a huge fan of political events, seemed to truly enjoy herself. We even got to meet Andrew Romanoff's mother, who (while apparently not as good at knitting sweaters as Tom Plant's mother) was a delightful person as well.

Summit County Dems raised a good chunk of money; they are going to be in a good position to help win votes as we move into the 2006 cycle.

For pictures from the event, go here.

I was impressed with the crowd - well over 40 people attending this potluck event in Northeast Colorado.

Attendees were treated to a presentation from a Morgan Community College professor and the President of the college on the impacts of failure to pass C&D on higher education. Morgan Community College is growing in enrollment, but there are genuine fears that the college will either have to shut down or constrict greatly if C&D don't pass.

(As an aside, the MCC professor giving the presentation admitted that he was a Republican, but also admitted that "there are a lot of Republicans that I'm not going to be able to vote for next year due to their stances on C&D.")

Also there was Rep. Angie Paccione, who is running for the 4th CD. While incumbent Marilyn Musgrave is supposedly from Fort Morgan, the people that I talked to didn't seem impressed with that fact -- they never see her in Fort Morgan. Even in Morgan County, they're ready for a new Congresswoman.

Paccione mentioned a very interesting fact that I had not heard: polling is showing that Marilyn Musgrave's "re-elect" number is an embarassingly low 36%! That bodes well for Paccione's bid in the 4th.

All in all, Morgan County's Dems seem truly fired up to continue the Democratic transformation of Colorado!

For pictures from the Morgan County Dinner, go here.

This weekend, I'm planning on attending events in Morgan and Summit counties; I'll report on them when I can.

I'll pass on the time, cost, and location (somewhere in the Metro Denver area) once those things are finalized. But be sure to mark that morning on your calendars -- you don't want to miss this amazing opportunity to meet and hear from one of America's leading political humorists.