Circuslike atmosphere pervades Springs assemblies
Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and see the amazing Billboard Man, a walking endorsement for every Republican candidate lucky enough to receive his backing.
Notice how he strategically covers up every inch of fabric on the front of his suit jacket with buttons and stickers bearing the names of his favorites: Williams. McInnis. Maketa. Buck.
Over here, we ask you to turn your attention to Vintage Button Man, his chest covered with pins from campaigns past: “I Like Ike.” “For President, Richard Nixon.”
Next, we take you to the hall of hawkers, where people accost the unwary with pitches, pamphlets and pleas, and give you enough bumper stickers, pins and patches to become a walking billboard of your own.
A circuslike atmosphere is the norm at the county political assemblies, which were held Saturday in Colorado Springs — the GOP at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, the Democrats at Palmer High School.
But beneath the festive facade is serious business.
The assemblies are where delegates elected at party caucuses last month come together to decide who will get on the primary ballot in August, who will be delegates at the state conventions and what positions might end up on the party platform.
“It’s really not a circus atmosphere; people, in their hearts, know the seriousness of what’s happening today,” said Jerry Utesch, a delegate at the GOP assembly. “It’s the first step of the political process, and it’s done by the law.”
Still, the assemblies are a scene of controlled chaos, with organizers trying to herd more than a thousand delegates through registration lines and into the places they need to be.
At the GOP assembly, a huge meeting room dubbed “command central,” was packed nearly elbow to elbow with delegates, candidates, party movers and shakers and tables full of campaign materials.
Delegates funneled through one doorway into an auditorium, where party officials and candidates or their representatives gave speeches.
They fired up the faithful with digs against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Colorado Democrats Michael Bennet, who is running to retain his seat in the U.S. Senate, and his opponent, Andrew Romanoff.
At the Democrats’ assembly, the crowd jumped to its feet to welcome Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, the party’s sole contender for governor.
But much of the hoopla centered on the Bennet-Romanoff battle, the one contested race on the delegates’ agenda, which Romanoff won with 53 percent of the vote.
“Anybody like a Romanoff button? A Romanoff button, anyone?” barked one supporter, going up and down the aisles.
Delegates for both parties started filing in to their respective assemblies early in the morning and came prepared for the long day.
They brought books and newspapers to fill in the slow times and loaded up on coffee, water and snacks. And no one seemed to mind that they had given up a sunny Saturday for politics.
“I think it’s important to take part in the process,” said Tom Harman, a Democratic delegate.
