2008 Colorado Democratic Party convention live blog

4:17 p.m. According to PoliticsWest, the jacket Udall is wearing in his new campaign ad was the same jacket he wore to climb...Mt. McKinley, of course.

4:02 p.m. The Rocky Mountain News is reporting two men have been arrested for trespass after they tried to enter the convention without proper credentials.

3:46 p.m. Convention spokesperson Matt Sugar said voting results from the convention and Friday's assemblies probably won't be available today because of delays during yesterday's assemblies.

The World Arena jumbotron says results will be posted on the state Dems' Web site "hopefully Monday."

The last assembly on Friday, the CD-4 assembly, didn't conclude until after midnight, Sugar said, and party workers were up until about 3:30 a.m. Saturday cleaning up and moving equipment to the World Arena from the assemblies, held at a nearby hotel.

Butler-Veytia, creating buzz about her candidacy3:40 p.m. Belinda Butler-Veytia, an engineer from Pueblo who's running as a CD-2 delegate candidate for Hillary Clinton, was stumping for votes in a glittery bee costume.

Butler-Veytia said she has worn the costume several times since buying the materials for it in April.

"It's a good thing yellow is in this year," she said.

3:12 p.m. While giving lengthy instructions on the voting procedure, state Democratic Party political director Billy Compton was stopped by a heckler.

"I don’t care -- The rest of these people need to know what they’re doing," Compton said to the protester, whose words were inaudible from the press box.

When the protester continued shouting, Compton snapped, "I don’t care! Shut up!" to applause from the convention floor.

2:52 p.m. DNC delegate candidate Jonathan Singer drew applause and cheers when he called for reducing the power of superdelegates in the Democratic presidential nominating process.

"This is the Democratic party -- it's not the Animal Farm where some animals are more equal than others," Singer said, referencing the George Orwell novel.

12:25 p.m. Former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe is speaking on behalf of Hillary Clinton. McAuliffe is Clinton's campaign chair.

When McAuliffe read off numbers showing Clinton with a small lead in total votes from the 2008 Democratic primaries, boos ensued from Obama supporters, who chanted "O-ba-ma!" as McAuliffe smiled and shook his head before finally banging the gavel.

12:23 p.m. CD-2 Democratic candidate Jared Polis: "This election is about equal rights for all families -- including same-sex couples." Polis, who is gay, has applauded a California Supreme Court ruling on Thursday striking down state laws banning gay marriage.

12:17 p.m. Udall was officially nominated for the U.S. Senate on a convention voice vote.

12:09 p.m. Udall's statement that the Iraq War "is costing us billions of dollars every week -- billions we could be investing here at home" sparked isolated shouts of "Stop funding the war!"

Several volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center handed out flyers to incoming delegates this morning protesting "aye" votes by Udall, John Salazar, and Ken Salazar in Congress on Iraq War funding bills.

12:07 p.m. Udall's biggest applause line of the speech so far: "I opposed the Iraq War from the start."

12:05 p.m. Udall on energy: "We can't afford another year of an energy policy written by the oil industry. ...Instead of handing out massive subsidies to oil companies that are already making record profits, let's invest in the green jobs of the future right here in Colorado."

12:02 p.m. Udall: "If you send me to the United States Senate, I promise that my only job will be standing strong for Colorado."

11:49 a.m. Udall slowly makes his way through the crowd to "Blue Sky" by Colorado rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters. Hillary Clinton used the song often last year while campaigning for president. According to Wikipedia, the song was written at the request of crewmembers of the space shuttle Discovery for their first mission after the Columbia disaster in 2003.

11:46 a.m. Udall's wife Maggie Fox tears up while introducing him. "I can't think of anyone on the planet I'd rather be with at any moment, at any time," she said.

11:27 a.m. U.S. Rep. Mark Udall (D-Eldorado Springs) was formally nominated for U.S. Senate by, among others, former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, his wife (and ex-state Rep.) Wilma Webb, and state Rep. Joe Rice (D-Littleton). Ken Salazar called Udall "a true son of the West" who "had the courage to vote 'no' on the war in Iraq."

Udall's campaign workers are wearing blue vests that say "UDALL" on the back. Asked how many "Wal-Mart greeter" jokes she's received about the vests, Udall spokesperson Taylor West said, "a few."

11:13 a.m. The theme music to the bureaucratic Permanent Organization Report: "Everybody Wants To Rule The World," by Tears for Fears.

For the credentials committee introduction, the jumbotron played the famous movie clip from "Treasure of the Sierra Madre," in which a bandit leader quips, "We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!"

11:10 a.m. U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Aurora): "Who's ready to finish in '08 what we started in '06?" When he asked who's ready to take back the White House, the crowd erupted in competing chants of "O-ba-ma!" and "Hil-la-ry!" It took Perlmutter a few seconds to quiet people down.

11:00 a.m. Echoing earlier comments by just about every other speaker so far, John Salazar says: "This election is about your grandchildren and children."

10:59 a.m. U.S. Rep. John Salazar (D-Manassa) tells an oft-repeated story about how when he started in politics, he met with "four Democrats" in "an abandoned farmhouse" in Mesa County. He then compared that turnout with today's convention crowd, estimated by state Democratic Party Chair Pat Waak to exceed 11 thousand.

10:47 a.m. Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien: "There's a lot of truth to the saying that when women vote, Democrats win." She then notes that in 1893, Colorado was the second state in the country to grant women the right to vote. She thanks the men of Colorado for voting to give women the right to vote.

10:45 a.m. DeGette: "I've been involved in the Democratic party for over 25 years -- I was five when I started" (laugh). "But the energy is unbelievable."

10:38 a.m. U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Denver): "Are you ready to turn Colorado completely blue?"

10:36 a.m. U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Denver) lists the Democratic congressional candidates that need to be elected.

10:29 a.m. Ritter: "We need to change course and figure a way out of Iraq." He also said the United States needs a new energy policy.

10:24 a.m. Ritter focuses on health care and education in his speech, and he touts the Colorado Promise scholarship referendum proposal.

10:18 a.m. Gov. Bill Ritter comes out to the Superman theme song.

One wag: "He's more like Jimmy Olsen."

10:13 a.m. State Rep. Michael Merrifield (D-Manitou Springs) sings the National Anthem, waving his arms to "conduct" the audience.

Number of Mt. McKinley jokes made by convention speakers so far: 3