|
|
|
Just because the President denies facts doesn't mean that you should too! As we continue to work through these uncharted times, make sure that you're staying up to date on what's happening in Colorado and with our democratic processes by checking out these websites:
|
|
|
|
You Can't Quarantine Democracy: Week 5! |
|
.jpg "Image")
|
Wear your masks! |
|
We may be working remotely, but you can bet that Team CDP is working hard to keep the wheels of democracy moving forward.
You may be wondering, though: What are Team CDP and local parties doing?
The caucuses, and the assemblies and conventions held by county parties, multi-county districts, and the state party are critical to our democratic process. They are planned over a year in advance, and in a presidential year, they are the process in which we elect delegates to go to the national Democratic convention!
So, when there's a nationwide pandemic that requires people to stay inside and practice social distancing...
What are we working on to execute these important processes? |
With your help and support, Team CDP and our dedicated county chairs and party activists have done months worth of work in weeks! Remember -- even in a pandemic, the work to protect the future of our country, our democracy, and our planet never stops! |
|
|
|
DEMOCRACY IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT HISTORY IS MADE BY THOSE WHO SHOW UP |
|
|
Sadly, the 2020 State Assembly and Convention won't look like this :( |
|
Tomorrow, Saturday, April 18, 2020, we will be having the Colorado Democratic Party's State Assembly and Convention! Here's a few key pointers for how it will be held:
STATE ASSEMBLY – These are the delegates elected to help nominate the US Senate Candidates to the June 30, 2020 Primary ballot and to review the proposed 2020 Democratic State Platform.
STATE CONVENTION – These are the delegates elected to vote on who we send to the National Convention, become our next DNC members for Colorado and who becomes our Presidential Electors (for the electoral college until someday we can get National Popular Vote!)
Some people are delegates for BOTH! If you are a delegate, we look forward to “seeing” you there! |
|
|
|
2020 CDP Platform! |
|
|
Want to read the 2020 Colorado Democratic Party platform delegates will vote on next Saturday? Click here to check it out and see what the CDP fights for! |
|
|
|
COVID-19 Updates |
|
|
Governor issues executive order requiring essential workers to wear face masks From 9News
Gov. Jared Polis has issued an executive order requiring essential workers at places like grocery stores to wear face masks while interacting with the public.
These can be either medical masks or ones made out of cloth — something he has already recommended all Coloradans wear when outside their homes.
He announced this requirement during a news conference on Friday afternoon, where he also detailed the efforts the state is taking to protect seniors who are at nursing homes.
There have been dozens of outbreaks at these facilities in Colorado.
“Today we’re updating the public health order to require long-term care facilities to develop a detailed isolation plan and submit it to the Colorado Department of Health by May 1," Polis said.
|
|
Important Links |
|
|
|
DON'T FORGET: |
|
|
We may all be practicing social distancing, but one activity we can all participate in is making sure to complete the 2020 Census you may have received in your mail by now! |
|
What's the Census? The count is mandated by the Constitution and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, a nonpartisan government agency. The 2020 Census counts the population in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. |
|
Why should I participate? This critical process ensures that Colorado receives fair representation in Congress and its fair share of federal funding. There is approximately $880 billion in federal funding allocated across the United States based on Census counts. In Colorado, this equates to approximately $13 billion annually or an estimated $2,300 per person according to a study by George Washington University. Some of the programs funded by Census dollars are Head Start programs; section 8 housing; Tier 1 grants for educational agencies and emergency food and shelter. |
|
Are my answers safe? The Census is safe and important; the answers are protected by law and are not shared with anyone pursuant to federal law, to include any other Federal Agency. |
|
How do I participate? By April 1, 2020, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census. You will have three options for responding:
If you have not already received it, check your mail for official Census Bureau mail with detailed information on how to respond to the 2020 Census. |
|
Click here to sign up for updates from the Federal Census Bureau, and click here to learn more! |
|
Dems Leading the Way |
|
Crow Chats with Kids! |
|
.jpg "Image")
|
Congressman Jason Crow Answers Questions From Kids About Coronavirus During Virtual Town Hall From CBS4
Congressman Jason Crow took some time out of his busy schedule with Congress to talk to some of the kids in Colorado’s 6th Congressional District. He wanted to talk to them about coronavirus and answer some questions about how the pandemic is impacting their lives.
One of the most popular questions during the virtual town hall on Wednesday, “Will we get to go to summer camp?”
“We have to make sure we are only sending people to summer camps after cases are going down. And they are going down over a long period of time,” said Crow, a Democrat. “My hope is that by July or August we’ll be in a position where people will be to do it.”
Many children are missing their classmates and play time together since everyone is doing remote learning in Colorado.
|
|
|
|
Neguse Fights for Families Struggling in COVID-19 Crisis |
|
|
Click the above tweet or here to check out Congressman Neguse's interview with Fox31! |
|
|
|
ICYMI: CO Supreme Court: Legislative Session Can Pick Up Where It Left Off |
|
|
Colorado Supreme Court Decides Legislative Session Can Extend End Date From CPR News
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in a split decision that the state’s legislative session does not need to end as originally scheduled on May 6. The decision is a victory for Democrats, who control both chambers of the legislature. They argued that under a declared state of emergency the legislature could take a break without losing any working days. This ruling means the clock would start ticking again when lawmakers return to the Capitol.
The state legislature suspended its work March 14 amid the growing novel coronavirus pandemic in an attempt to slow down the spread of COVID-19.
“I thank the court in reaching the common-sense conclusion that during this public health crisis, the legislature can pause and return back when it’s safe to do so,” said Democratic Sen. Majority Leader Steve Fenberg. “This ruling means that when we return to the Capitol, we’ll have time to pass legislation to get Colorado’s families, businesses, and economy back on their feet.”
The state constitution requires the legislature to conclude its work after 120 days. Over the years, the requirement has been interpreted to mean 120 consecutive days, essentially a four-month-long session. But amid the current crisis, the political parties disagree on whether that endpoint still applies when the session has to temporarily stop during an emergency. Lawmakers passed a joint rule more than a decade ago when the session appeared to be under threat from a different outbreak.
The joint rule said, "...in response to the H1N1 viral pandemic, the General Assembly construes this provision to be 'one hundred twenty separate working calendar days (when) the Governor has declared a state of disaster emergency due to a public health emergency.' "
|
|
Trump, Gardner, & GOP Watch |
|
Trump Delays Stimulus Checks for... His Signature?! |
|
|
Coronavirus stimulus checks: Trump signature scramble could delay first batch From Yahoo Money
While over 80 million Americans are expected to receive a stimulus deposit by the end of this week, some Americans could see a delay for their paper checks after the Treasury Department ordered that President Donald Trump’s name to be included on the printed checks.
Chad Hooper, national president of the IRS-founded Professional Managers Association (PMA), told Yahoo Money that "reprogramming historically has led to delays. Our team at IRS always works very diligently to mitigate and minimize those delays.”
Mark Everson, a former IRS Commissioner and now the vice chairman of alliantgroup, said that this addition would qualify as a programming change that requires testing.
“Anytime you have more changes from what you’ve done before, you’ve got to test it,” Everson told Yahoo Money. “So by definition, it involves time. The difficulty of that task is compounded by the fact that they’re not fully staffed [because] they’re not in the office doing a lot of this work. They’re stretched in the technology area and they’re under a tight timeline.”
|
|
|
|
Gardner Hit With Ethics Complaints |
|
|
From the Denver Post
On a late February night in Palm Beach, a mansion owned by billionaire art collectors was teeming with activity. Pianist Chloe Flower played Chopin, a four-course meal was served and, most importantly for the hosts, $1,000 bottles of some of the world’s best champagne were poured.
Seated somewhere near the middle of this “by-invitation bacchanal,” in the words of one attendee, was U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, according to news reports, an Instagram video and a promotional photo of the party.
The party was put on by Krug Champagne, a French company owned by a multinational conglomerate of luxury brands called LVMH. For the past 20 years, LVMH has lobbied the U.S. Senate on a range of issues related to its brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Hennessy and Krug Champagne, disclosure reports show.
State Rep. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat and outspoken critic of Gardner, says Gardner’s appearance at the champagne party is an ethics violation. Sullivan claimed in a complaint to the Senate Ethics Committee this week that Gardner violated a ban on gifts of more than $50, as well as a ban on gifts from companies that hire lobbyists.
|
|
Join the Elbow Bumpers Club! |
|
.gif "ELBOW BUMP!")
|
What's the Elbow Bumpers Club (formerly known as the High Fivers Club), you ask? It started with a simple idea: There are nearly 1.2 million registered Democrats in Colorado -- what if every single one of them gave just $5 a month to the Colorado Democratic Party (CDP)?
Answer: The CDP would be the best-funded state party in the country -- with zero dollars from corporate PACs and plenty for flipping red seats to blue!
Here's the reality -- the Colorado Dems are working in overdrive to keep the wheels of democracy moving forward, and now is a time when we could really use your help! If you haven't joined the High Fivers Club (temporarily known as the Elbow Bumpers Club now) -- please consider a few reasons to give!
Click the gif below to join the Elbow Bumpers Club! |
|
The Funnies! |
|
Editor's Note: Since we haven't been able to be on the road, we thought we would end today's edition of the Dispatch by showing a few solid political cartoons! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Share the Dispatch |
|
If you know someone interested in receiving our weekly newsletter, they can sign up here! |
|
|
Contributions or gifts to the Democratic Party of Colorado are not tax deductible |
|
|
|
