Congratulations, Denver. You did it.
Against odds stacked a mile high, thousands of volunteers — led by a seemingly unstoppable mayor — lifted this spunky city up onto their shoulders and successfully hosted one of this nation’s biggest events.
Bring on the Republicans in 2012.
Bring on the Super Bowl.
Bring back the Pope.
This dusty old cowtown sure knows how to put on a party. Denver showed the world that it can host just about anything.
Last week was historic. There’s no other way to describe it.
And we had a front-row seat.
We watched as the first African- American in this nation’s history accepted his party’s nomination for president before 75,000 people at Mile High.
That alone will rank as one of the most important moments in this city’s 150-year history.
But when you begin to compile everything that has taken place since last Sunday, all of the moments and speeches and sightings, it’s darn near breath-taking.
In just a four-day span:
Hillary Clinton, clad in an orange pantsuit (clearly angling for that critical Denver Bronco vote in 2012), took the stage at Pepsi Center and delivered what many believe to be the best speech of her political career.
Then, the next day, on a floor normally reserved for Carmelo Anthony jumpers and Joe Sakic slapshots, Clinton became one of only a tiny handful of women to ever receive delegate votes on a convention floor.
It’s something I’ll tell my daughters about. Historic.
Former President Bill Clinton also rolled into town to play party patriarch and supportive husband. A presidential visit at any other time in this city’s history would stop traffic.
But we had Jimmy Carter here, too. And the traffic, mostly, kept flowing.
Liberal lion Ted Kennedy, against his doctors’ wishes, made the trip to Denver and appeared on the convention stage for an emotional address. He vowed to return to the Senate floor in January, but there was some sense among party stalwarts that it might be the last time they see him in that comfortable convention setting.
Historic.
Denver isn’t a political town in the tradition of, say, Boston. But you couldn’t swing a copy of Congressional Quarterly this week without hitting a politico.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flitted about town in hyper-speed. She was in almost as many places as Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano hit the streets to educate the East Coast press about Western issues, while Brian Schweitzer, Montana’s aw-shucks governor, stole the show.
A star is born.
Historic.
Rage Against the Machine raged, and there was nary a problem.
Ben Affleck played poker at Coors Field. Daryl Hannah frolicked barefoot in the park.
Muhammad Ali was still the greatest. Richard Dreyfuss went shopping. And Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Alba were stunning.
Talk about a Rocky Mountain high. (Normally, we’re all abuzz over big events like the Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game.)
It’s easy to grow cynical as a journalist, and to dismiss the extraordinary as simply ordinary.
But this was special.
I ran into a rather relieved-looking Hickenlooper at Pepsi Center this week as he was being needled by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom about his “89 percent approval rating.”
It may not reach 89 percent, but he deserves a huge hand for his work the past 18 months, as do all of the DNC volunteers and staff.
Well done, folks.
Dan Haley can be reached at dhaley@denverpost.com.
