DemNotesBlog for Colorado Democrats by State Party First Vice Chair Dan Slater

Last night here in New Orleans was a great night to be a Colorado Democrat. The Denver 2008 Host Committee sponsored a great reception here at the Sheraton in New Orleans for DNC Members.

Attendance was phenomenal at the standing-room only event. DNC Members from across the country attended — and were talking about it all day today. Denver was well-represented; both current Mayor John Hickenlooper and former Mayor Wellington Webb joined together to present a great face to the group about why Denver should be the site for the 2008 Democratic National Convenion.

Mike Littwin of the News has been here for the entire week of DNC meetings. Here was his take this morning:

Denver threw its party here at the spring meeting of the Democratic National Committee. It was held to try to convince delegates that Denver would be the perfect place to hold the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Denver did everything right. There was a great band. There was free food. There was free drink. There was a lot of free food. And a lot of free drink.

There were giant photos displayed right out of a Colorado travel brochure. Imagine a concert at Red Rocks, Mayor John Hickenlooper told a cheering crowd, which seemed quite enthusiastic. Of course, it might have been the champagne. It might have been the goodies bag. It might have been the door prize: two free United Airlines tickets, which presumably could be used to fly two people to a Denver convention.

Most people I talked to here have said Denver was a serious contender. Most put the city in the top three, although it was difficult to pin anyone down as to who the other two might be. Maybe Anaheim. Maybe Vegas.

Clearly, though, it’s the right time for Denver, which also made a pitch in 2000.

Delegates also enjoyed the nice gift bags from the Denver 2008 folks. Included in the bags were a wooden box of chocolates with the Denver 08 logo, a book by John Fielder, a box of teas from Celestial Seasonings, a Denver lapel pin, a coupon for a free burrito at Chipotle, and several other items. I’ve included a photo of the gift bag and items to the left (at least if you’re viewing this on the Web, and not via e-mail).

As we prepare to leave New Orleans, I think Denver has gone a long way to ensuring that we’re the top of the list for the National Convention. Folks are now beginning to understand: this could really happen!