VOTE: 2020 Obama Dinner Awardees!
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Choose who will be honored at the 2020 Obama Dinner on Saturday, April 18 by clicking here and casting your vote! These are amazing Democrats from all across Colorado -- all nominated by folks like yourself during the open nomination period!
Please note that you can only vote once, and that if an individual won last year, they are not eligible to win that same award in 2020.
Check below to see who's been nominated for which award:
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This week, more steps were taken in the Impeachment Inquiry against President Trump, with experts and testimony building the case that President Trump pressured a foreign power to dig up dirt on his political rival (a private American citizen) in order to impact our election in 2020. Let's do a quick round up of what's happened.
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House Intelligence Democrats Release Report.
From the Associated Press:
President Donald Trump seriously misused the power of his office for personal political gain by seeking foreign intervention in the American election process and obstructed Congress by stonewalling efforts to investigate, a House report released Tuesday concluded in findings that form the basis for possible impeachment.
The 300-page report from Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee does not render a judgment on whether Trump’s actions stemming from a July 25 phone call with Ukraine rise to the level of “high crimes and misdemeanors” warranting impeachment. That is for Congress to decide. But it details “significant misconduct” by the president that the House Judiciary Committee will begin to assess Wednesday.
“The evidence that we have found is really quite overwhelming that the president used the power of his office to secure political favors and abuse the trust American people put in him and jeopardize our security,” Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told The Associated Press.
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House Judiciary Begins Impeachment Hearings.
From Vox:
But the most clarifying element wasn’t one of the many quotes from the Founding Fathers, but a simple analogy offered by Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan. Karlan, called to testify by House Democrats, started by discussing Trump’s infamous phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where he asked the Ukrainian president for the “favor” of investigating the Bidens and 2016 immediately after a discussion of military aid. She then asked the committee to think about how this would look if Trump were on the phone with a governor rather than a foreign state, an exercise that really helps illuminate why Trump’s behavior is so troubling:
"Imagine living in a part of Louisiana or Texas that’s prone to devastating hurricanes and flooding. What would you think if you lived there and your governor asked for a meeting with the president to discuss getting disaster aid that Congress has provided for? What would you think if that president said, “I would like you to do us a favor? I’ll meet with you, and send the disaster relief, once you brand my opponent a criminal."
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On Wednesday, during the Judiciary Committee's hearing, Colorado's two members from its Congressional Delegation took turns asking questions of the four witnesses called up. While Congressman Ken Buck (aka Chair of the Colorado Republican Party) took the, er, interesting route to defend Trump by suggesting that Abraham Lincoln abused his power, Congressman Joe Neguse asked some excellent questions that cut to the heart of Trump's obstruction of Congress:
Neguse: Professor Turley, you've studied previous impeachments. Nixon allowed senior WH officials to testify, right?
GOP Witness TURLEY: Yes
Neguse: And Trump hasn't?
Turley: Yes
Neguse: And Clinton provided written answers?
Turley: Yes
Neguse: And Trump has refused?
Turley: Yes
Watch the exchange here.
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Pelosi calls for Articles of Impeachment to be written.
From CNBC:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday told the House committees investigating President Donald Trump to proceed with articles of impeachment. “The president’s actions have seriously violated the Constitution,” the California Democrat told reporters on Capitol Hill. He “leaves us no choice but to act,” she said.
House Democrats are in the midst of an inquiry into whether Trump abused his power by withholding military aid to Ukraine in exchange for that country announcing investigations for his own political benefit and at the expense of U.S. national security interests.
Pelosi’s comments confirm what was widely expected: that the Democrat-controlled House will vote on whether to impeach the president. “Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders, and our heart full of love for America, today I am asking our chairmen to proceed with the articles of impeachment,” she said.
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So what did we learn?
- Legal experts affirmed on Wednesday that Trump’s effort to extort a foreign country to investigate a private American citizen, in order to help Trump win his election, is an abuse of power and a violation of his oath of office. Three witnesses categorically agreed that the president’s abuse of power was clear and worthy of impeachment. They raised concerns that the president was acting like a king by putting himself above the law and abusing his power.
- It was especially insightful to hear historical context on the framers of our Constitution. According to witnesses, Trump’s abuse of power is exactly what our Founding Fathers sought to protect our democracy from when they provided Congress with the power to impeach.
- Trump’s abuse of power is clear, and the facts are not complicated. He pressured Ukraine to help his reelection campaign by investigating a private American citizen. He publicly encouraged China to do the same.
- It is profoundly wrong for the president of the United States to solicit foreign governments — including our major adversaries, whose primary objective is to outmaneuver America — to support his own political interests.
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Countdown to 2020: 9 of our Favorite Bills from Colorado's Congressional Democrats
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Since Democrats won a historic landslide in 2018 and won back the House Majority, they've been passing bill after bill that focus on policies that the American people want. In fact, House Democrats have passed nearly 400 bills. Trump and Republicans are ignoring them.
As we count down the end of 2019 to 2020, we want to reflect on some of our favorite moments this year, as Colorado Democrats in Washington got a ton of work done for their constituents as well! Here's 9 of our favorite bills our Congressional Democrats worked on in 2019!
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Led by Senator Bennet and Congressman Neguse.
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1) The CORE Act
The Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act would protect 400,000 acres of public lands, including 73,000 acres of new wilderness areas, such as the White River National Forest. It would also preserve Camp Hale, the storied training home of the 10th Mountain Division in World War II. It passed the House, but faces an uphill battle in the Senate as Cory Gardner does not support it.
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Bill lead Congressman Crow, and Chris "Captain America" Evans!
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2) The End Dark Money Act
The first bill Congressman Crow introduced was the End Dark Money Act, an effort to prevent high-dollar donors from remaining anonymous when they give to certain nonprofit organizations. The measure was rolled into H.R. 1, a larger election reform package that was passed by the House earlier this year, but stands virtually no chance of advancing in the GOP-controlled Senate.
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Lead Congresswoman DeGette serving as Speaker Pro Tem.
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3) The Insulin Price Reduction Act
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette of Denver introduced a bill sponsors say could cut the price for the drug up to 75%. The Insulin Price Reduction Act would roll back the cost of the drug to 2006 prices, by allowing the country's three insulin-makers concessions on rebates and assured coverage by insurers. The bill asserts that insurers demand high rebates from drug companies, which artificially drives up the costs of the drug. The bipartisan bill would prevent insurers from refusing to pay for insulin if the company has agreed to lower its price.
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Bill lead Congressman Perlmutter writing thank you notes!
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4) The SAFE Banking Act
The Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act, known as the SAFE Banking Act, passed the House by a vote of 321 to 103. Nearly half of the Republican caucus joined their Democratic colleagues in voting for the bill. Only one Democrat, Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama, voted no. Banks providing services to state-approved cannabis businesses could face criminal and civil liability under some banking statutes, so cannabis companies resort to operating on cash.
"It's an invitation to theft, it's an invitation to money laundering already, it's an invitation to tax evasion, and it stifles the opportunities of this business," Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, a sponsor of the bill, said on the House floor Wednesday before the vote.
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Lead Congressman Crow speaking at a press conference at the GEO ICE facility in Aurora
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5) Freedom from Price Gouging Act
Prescription drug prices are now so high that one in four Coloradans didn’t fill a prescription last year because it cost too much. Claudia Curry Hill among them. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1988. Colorado Congressman Jason Crow, a Democrat representing Congressional Dist. 6, said no one should be in that position. He’s taking action with the “Freedom From Price Gouging Act.”
The bill would cap price increases for Medicare patients to the cost of inflation. If a drug company raises prices beyond that, it has to reimburse customers the profit, and could face a penalty equal to 125% of the increase. Medicaid already does it and Crow said it’s working.
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Bill lead Congressman Neguse being sworn into office.
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6) The Next Generation Votes Act
A state law that allows 16-year-olds to pre-register to vote could become a model for the nation before the 2020 election. Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse helped pass the law here and has now introduced a federal version of it called “Next Generation Votes.” “Ultimately our democracy is better when more people are participating, when there are more voices in the mix, irrespective of where folks might land on the political ladder, whether they’re republicans or democrats, we just want more people to vote,” said Neguse.
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Bill lead Senator Bennet lambasting Ted Cruz on the Senate floor.
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7) The American Family Act
The American Family Act of 2019 would dramatically expand the child tax credit (CTC), which currently offers up to $2,000 a year for families with significant earnings but little or nothing for many poor people. It would pay:
- $3,000 per year, or $250 per month, per child ages 6 to 16
- $3,600 per year, or $300 per month, per child ages 0 to 5
The benefits would be distributed monthly, in advance, so families could pace out their spending and smooth their incomes. Because the CTC, like the earned income tax credit, is currently paid out through tax refunds, it sometimes leads to a perverse situation in which families use it to pay down debt they never would’ve had to incur if they’d gotten the money earlier
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Bill lead Congressman DeGette introducing the bill.
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8) The Colorado Wilderness Act of 2019
For twenty years, Congresswoman Diana DeGette has tried to pass a Colorado wilderness bill. Now she's trying again: On July 24, DeGette introduced the Colorado Wilderness Act of 2018, which would provide federal protection for wild spaces in Colorado. If it ever passes. While increasing demand for recreation and the importance of preserving open space remain key reasons for pushing the bill, the timing of its introduction this round was inspired by the president and his cabinet. “Public lands are under attack by the Trump administration. That’s why the sense of urgency of reintroducing this bill is even greater,” DeGette said in a conference call.
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Bill lead Congressman Perlmutter.
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9) Transparency in All Health Care Pricing Act of 2019
Prices are available for almost everything except when it comes to our own health care. Patients are required to know the risks before consenting to any given medical procedure but are often forced to make significant decisions about their health care without any idea of the cost. That’s not right.
H.R. 1409 would require all price disclosures to be available at the point of purchase, in print and online, and include all wholesale, retail, subsidized, discounted or other prices accepted. Consumers deserve to have access to all the necessary information required to make an informed decision about their own health.
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Join the High Fivers Club!
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"What's 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!
If you haven't given to the CDP yet, here's a few simple reasons why we're asking you today:
- The CDP is the central base that supports volunteer recruitment, training candidates, and helping county parties win elections. While the Democratic National Committee provides some limited funds, the reality is it is up to us to raise our own money so we can support Democratic candidates running for office in Colorado.
- The CDP is neutral in primaries -- but once the Democratic nominee has emerged, we connect our vast network of volunteers to them so they can knock on more doors than the Republicans.
- Elections and candidates come and go, but the CDP remains. We provide continuity so candidates don't have to reinvent the wheel every election cycle.
Will you join the High Fivers Club? Click the logo below to join!
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2020 Democratic Candidates for President
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(read from left, listed by alphabetical order) Senator Michael Bennet (CO), former Vice President Joe Biden, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (New York City, NY), Senator Cory Booker (NJ), Mayor Pete Buttigieg (South Bend, IN), former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, former Congressman John Delaney (MD), Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI), Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN), former Governor Deval Patrick (MA), Senator Bernie Sanders (VT), former Congressman Joe Sestak (PA), Tom Steyer, Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA), Marianne Williamson, Andrew Yang.
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2020 Democratic Candidates for US Senate
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(read from left, listed by alphabetical order) Diana Bray, Lorena Garcia, John Hickenlooper, Andrew Romanoff, Stephany Rose Spaulding, Michelle Ferrigno Warren, Trish Zornio.
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Updates from Colorado Democrats in Washington and at Home!
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- Congressman Jason Crow announced a new program to invite constituents of the Sixth Congressional District to drop off holiday cards for active-duty servicemembers at Crow's district office in Aurora until Friday, December 13.
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- On Friday, November 29, Senator Michael Bennet held a townhall that was attended by 300+ constituents, where he answered questions on everything from impeachment and healthcare to combating climate change and campaign finance reform.
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- The Denver Post editorial board wrote an opinion calling for Colorado to consider gun safety measures, and particularly praised State Representative Tom Sullivan for his efforts to make our communities safer.
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Rural Spotlight from Shelia: Archuleta County
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Archuleta County is located in southwestern Colorado. To the east of Archuleta County is Conejos, to north is Mineral County, Hinsdale County and the tip of Rio Grande County, to the west is La Plata County. Pagosa Springs is the County Seat of Archuleta. Archuleta County covers 1,356 square miles of the San Juan Mountains. Created in 1885, Archuleta County was named after J.M. Archuleta, the head of a prominent Spanish family in New Mexico and also in honor of Antonio D. Archuleta, a state senator from Conejos County.
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Around 1000 AD, Chimney Rock, located in Archuleta County, was the home to Ancestral Pueblo people believed to have provided supplies of meat, timber, corn and other resources to the Chaco Canyon Pueblo people. 200 years later the Utes, Apaches and Spaniards moved into the area. The Southern Utes were among the earliest people to frequent the natural hot springs near Pagosa Springs calling them “Pagosah” . Independent Mexico held the area from 1821 until 1848. The United States took possession after the Mexican-American War of 1859.
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Early in the 1900s the railroad came to Pagosa Springs, which aided in the growing logging and ranching businesses. Today, tourism and land development are the main economic push in Archuleta County. Springs Resort and Spa, Healing Waters Resort & Spa and the Overlook Hot Springs offer relaxing times for visitors. Chimney Rock National Monument offers monthly programs during the Full Moon and other interpretive programs. Wolf Creek Ski resort offers fun and plenty of snow to enjoy a day skiing or snowboarding.
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Archuleta Democratic Party is guided by their chair, Rebecca Herman and John Porco. It may be a pretty red county but Archuleta Democrats work hard to support local and state wide candidates. There are approximately 2,258 registered Democrats (a growth of 19% from 2018), 4,494 Republicans (growth of 10% from 2018) and 3,888 Unaffiliated voters (a growth of 24% from 2018) In 2018, 62.40% turned out to have their ballots counted and in 2019, 39.89% of the registered voters had their ballots counted.
For more information about the Archuleta Democratic Party please check out their website www.archuletadems.org or their Facebook page: Archuleta County Democratic Party.
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Keep Colorado Wild
Shelia
Shelia Canfield Jones
Vice Chair, Rural Outreach
Colorado Democratic Party
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Volunteer of the Week: Janine G.
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Meet Janine, one of our rock star volunteers out of Montrose County!
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What drives you to volunteer for Democratic causes?
I have always researched the issues and voted, but 2016 was the year I became an activist. The possible election of Trump gave me the determination to do what I could for my country. I signed up for canvassing, figuring that canvassing was the job no one wanted. Turns out, I am energized by canvassing. I have come to believe that that face to face talk across doorsteps is a critical path to change. Civic education and civic discourse are sadly missing in our society and much needed if we are to heal.
As well as canvassing, I help to provide speakers on civic issues at the local library and I try to always show up for Democratic events and encourage others to do the same. It’s important that we show ourselves as upright, decent, kind folks (who love a party) at the same time we proudly stand as Democrats.
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Sign up for "Work for the Wave" Webinars!
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Our party wouldn't be as organized and successful as it is without the talented and dedicated volunteers we have at the local levels. Want to brush up on your skills so you can help make sure Colorado goes blue in 2020? Sign up for an upcoming webinar:
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Team CDP took time to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families! We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday as well!
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If you know someone interested in receiving our weekly newsletter, they can sign up here!
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Contributions or gifts to the Democratic Party of Colorado are not tax deductible
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