Many thanks to all who made the Roosevelt Dinner and silent auction a great success. It was well-attended, and a good time was had by all. Thanks to all on the events committee, and to Julie Elmquist and Paulette Dolan for their hard work and organizational skills, most of all. We are deeply grateful to Joe Neguse for his inspirational words. Thanks to all who attended and who donated. Your support is vital to our existence and our mission.
Our mission is to find and elect strong candidates who represent our Democratic values. We are so grateful for the candidates who have stepped forward to take on the challenge of running for office. To take up the flag and be standard bearers for the party and the good of the county, city and state. We need more. We need more candidates to step forward to run for house, and senate districts and for commissioners, county offices, city council and school boards. Might an inner voice be calling you to step up? Contact Jeri Shepherd, or Bev Wallace, or fill out the form on the Weld County Dem’s website and someone will contact you. Even if you can’t run for office, please be a supporter of someone who will. Your time and funding are what can make the difference in any campaign.
The turnout and enthusiasm at the Roosevelt dinner gives me hope that we can win back the support of Democrats from so many who chose not to vote or not support Dem candidates in our last election. One thing we must realize is that our message of what we stand for must be clear, concise and strategic, and not just Trump and Republicans are bad.
We need to reconnect to what is left of our struggling middle and working class and stop being so identified and associated with high-tower academics who have little in common with common Americans. And as much as we like to try to be, we can’t be all things to all groups, all people. That spreads us too thin and dilutes our core value messaging. We need to be ready to stand up to “alternative facts” with truth and steadfast resolve; propose real world solutions and defend the things that are important to us all. We must be known as the party of the rule of law and defend democracy and all our constitutional rights. Controlling the narrative, and setting the conversation terms is imperative, (I rather like what Gavin Newsom is doing, but think he should also focus on Dem policies, plans and wins).
We need to work on building a coalition bigger than the GOP base, finding common ground. Person to person, face to face, is how we reach our constituents. That is why we have rallies and protests, deep canvassing, and the State Party has been conducting town halls all over the state called the Big Bill Fallout Tour. The next one is September 2nd in Boulder County.
Dems must be the face of the future, not the past, and stay relentlessly positive, presenting an inclusive Star Trek-like future, not a Project 2025, dystopian one like A Handmaid’s Tale. Dems must offer hope that beats fear, (Obama did and won). People want to join a movement they can believe in and be proud of. Building a grassroots infrastructure and not just a campaign machine is key. We, our message, values and integrity can’t disappear after the election is over. The Democratic Party must invest in young leaders and get the party out of this gerontocracy cycle. They must normalize truth and accountability. With Republicans owning the lion’s share of media outlets, disinformation will be difficult to counter, but building a strong coalition, and energizing young people will make battling billionaires doable.
I would like to take credit for these ideas, but they come from an article by Kathleen E Kearney who asked ChatGPT how to defeat a bully like Trump and this is what it outlined. Perhaps all our candidates and the party should be asking ChatGPT, how to win in Colorado and Weld as well. In the meantime, I would suggest that we all stand up, speak up, and take action. Happy Fall everyone, 2026 is coming sooner than you think.
Bev Wallace, Vice Chair WCDP