National convention brings Democrats out in droves

With the Democratic National Convention in Colorado this year in August, there has been unprecedented turnout of locals for party caucuses, county conventions and now the congressional district assemblies. They all have a role in electing delegates to the national convention, and it seems like everybody wants to be one.

It's even hotter because of the competitiveness of the Obama-Clinton race, so literally they've had hundreds compete for a limited number of national delegate slots. Party sachems have had trouble getting facilities for these local meetings big enough to house all the interested candidates and spectators.

The unknow question is how this record level of participation and enthusiasm carries over to November. Will the disappointment at losing a candidacy for delegate, or the loss by your preferred presidential candidate quash your enthusiasm? Will bitterness set in, causing the newly active not to work or even vote in November?

Will the traffic jams and other inconveniences, as well as local media overkill, while the convention's in Denver so anger Republicans and Independents that Democrats fail to carry the state in November? How will the taxpayers feel when the news breaks out that the convention, with all its crowds and hassle, wound up costing the City and County of Denver, as well as the State of Colorado, several million unreimbursed dollars for security, street cleaning and other services?

These are all unknowns in a swing state like Colorado. A heavily Democratic state like Massachusetts obviously overlooked all the grief of having the convention in Boston in 2004. As the new kid on the block, the reaction of Denverites and Coloradoans remains to be seen.