New Democrat Update - December 1995
Al From Speaks at Leadership Forum
Al From, President & CEO of the national DLC, spoke at a special breakfast meeting of the Colorado DLC Leadership Forum on the new political environment and how Democrats must respond. The quality and quantity of the turnout for "the intellectual godfather of Clinton's candidacy" was super! Among other visits, Al met with the editorial board of the Rocky Mountain News.
Special thanks to Al From. We hope he enjoyed the visit as much as we enjoyed his presentation!
National Conference
More than 1500 Democrats from the 48 continental states descended on Washington, DC, November 13 and 14 for the largest and most successful DLC event ever - the 1995 DLC Annual Conference. The biggest testament to the success of this year's conference came when DLC Chair Sen. Joe Lieberman asked everyone who lived outside Washington's infamous Beltway to stand; more than two-thirds of the 1500 people rose to their feet. The 110 state legislators and 25 US congressional candidates gave credence to the conference theme: Building a New Generation of Democratic Leaders.
Conference keynote speaker President Bill Clinton gave a rousing speech to the standing-room-only crowd, in which he criticized the GOP's efforts to force through a budget bill and vowed to fight for a fair budget driven by progressive values. Our own Governor Roy Romer kicked off the second day with an important talk on what it will take for Democrats to succeed in this new age.
Over a dozen Coloradans attended this important national Democratic meeting.
Race: Bridging the Gap
The Colorado DLC and National Rainbow Coalition of Colorado co-conducted the first in a series of Rocky Mountain symposiums, entitled "Race: Bridging the Gap." This important event - the first ever cosponsored by the DLC and Rainbow Coalition anywhere in the country - was on November 18 at Shorter Community AME Church. Gibson and Chet Whye of the National Rainbow Coalition appeared on KOA's Dani Newsum talk show later that weekend to discuss the symposium.
The DLC and Rainbow Coalition will soon be conducting a news conference, calling for community groups across the state to have a serious dialogue about race during the weekend of the Martin Luther King holiday. More details will be available soon.