During the December 15 broadcast of KHOW 630-AM's The Caplis & Silverman Show, co-host Dan Caplis baselessly claimed that U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar “hasn't been one” of the Democrats who “have worked so hard to win” the bid to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. Caplis told listeners that “Salazar thinks you're stupid,” asserting, “The convention is coming here,” and suggesting the senator is trying to “take credit” in the final hour for Denver's winning bid. In fact, Salazar has actively campaigned for Denver to host the convention since at least July.

Denver is competing with New York City to host the convention. After originally planning an announcement for possibly December 18, Democratic officials on December 19 said they expected to announce their choice for the 2008 convention host city in January. The New York Times reported on December 14 that “Democratic officials moved into the final stage of deliberations yesterday about where to place their party's 2008 nominating convention, with New York officials saying they were increasingly confident that the party would turn to their city for its convention for the first time in 16 years.”

As the Rocky Mountain News reported on October 6, “Senate leader Harry Reid, of Nevada, and three other Democratic U.S. senators are backing Denver's bid to host the 2008 party convention, calling the West the new frontier for the Democratic Party.” According to the News, “Reid and Sens. Ken Salazar, of Colorado, Max Baucus, of Montana, and Jeff Bingaman, of New Mexico, endorsed the Mile High City in a letter to Howard Dean, the Democratic National Committee chairman.” Similarly, an August 7 article (accessed through the Nexis database) in Roll Call noted that “Salazar and Reps. [Diana] DeGette, [Mark] Udall and John Salazar all have signed on as co-chairmen of the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee and have assigned staff members to coordinate with the committee to bring the convention to Colorado.” Roll Call further reported:

The Colorado coalition scored a win by convincing the centrist Democratic Leadership Council to hold its annual “national conversation” in Denver in late July -- a meeting that local officials say might persuade that group to join the Denver 2008 bandwagon.

Both Udall and Sen. Salazar attended the conference, with Salazar speaking about Denver's bid for the convention. Salazar's state director, Jim Carpenter, said Salazar got “good buzz” from the group.

[...]

Salazar and DeGette also have been meeting with Democratic National Committee members and making phone calls to try to convince the relatively small group of decision makers that Denver is the place to be. Salazar and Udall also recently wrote letters to DNC Chairman Howard Dean.

“We're trying to create a buzz about the bid,” Carpenter said. “There's been a lot of activity to convince a fairly small group at the DNC that Denver's the right place to come for the convention.”

A December 10 Denver Post article stated that “Sen. Ken Salazar's office recruited Western Democratic senators to endorse Denver's effort” to secure the convention. And on December 4, Salazar and eight other Western U.S. senators, along with Sen.-elect Jon Tester of Montana, sent a letter to Dean pitching Denver as “an ideal site to showcase the Democratic Party's resurgence in the West and the Party's hopes for the future.”

In addition to his baseless claim that Salazar was a “phony” who did nothing to “win” the convention bid for Denver, Caplis accused Salazar of using a December 14 telephone conversation with Dean as a “last-minute maneuver” to “be able to claim credit” for saving Denver's bid.

During the broadcast, Caplis read from a December 15 News article about a phone conversation Salazar had with Dean regarding Denver's bid for the convention. The article -- titled “Denver's chances for DNC shrinking” -- reported that Dean's primary concern is Denver's ability to raise the estimated $80 million needed to host the convention. The News added that Salazar is now “putting the odds of Denver winning the convention at '50-50' -- a less optimistic assessment than previously.”

Reacting to the article, Caplis claimed that “Salazar thinks you're stupid. The convention is coming here.” Later, Caplis asserted, “So many people, so many Democrats, have worked so hard to win the convention for Denver, and he [Salazar] hasn't been one of 'em. But now it's all rigged in the end so he can take credit for it. That's just typical.”

The New York Times has also reported that Dean is concerned with Denver's ability to raise enough money to host the event and to accommodate the large number of convention-goers. According to the Times, "[S]ome Democrats in Washington with knowledge of the two bids said that Denver had offered fewer clear assurances than New York that it could raise the necessary money, a crucial factor for the party chairman, Howard Dean. These Democrats said that Mr. Dean was very high on the idea of Denver and its promise as fertile political ground, but that he might conclude that New York had the better bid on paper."

Moreover, the concerns over Denver's ability to raise the money have prompted other Colorado politicians to discuss the city's bid with Dean. According to a December 16 News article, Gov.-elect Bill Ritter and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper recently joined Salazar on a conference call to Dean to push for Denver's selection. As the News reported, “With former Vermont Gov. Dean expected to pick Denver or New York City early next week to host the national convention, the call was one last lobbying push to ease reported concerns about Denver's ability to raise enough money and hotel rooms, and to deliver on the mammoth logistical and security demands required by the $80 million political bash for 35,000 visitors.”

From the December 15 broadcast of KHOW 630-AM's The Caplis & Silverman Show:

CAPLIS: But, Craig, let me go on record with something here, OK? The Democratic Party, Howard Dean, will announce Monday or Tuesday whether Denver or New York is going to be awarded the Democrat national convention. And --

CRAIG SILVERMAN (co-host): Democratic.

CAPLIS: -- and I've got to tell you this. Got to tell you this. I read this Rocky story yesterday -- published today, appeared yesterday on the website -- “Denver's chances for DNC shrinking.” Now, here's the only reason that I'm taking your time with this on a Friday afternoon: This fits under the category I submit and predict to you of “Ken Salazar thinks you're stupid.” He really does. I've been trying to convince you of this for years. He really thinks you're stupid. And I don't care whether you're a CEO, whether you're the nice person who cleans the bathroom, he thinks you're stupid. And here's another example. OK, so Rocky runs this story now:

“Denver's chances of winning the 2008 Democratic National Convention looked less promising Thursday with U.S. Senator Ken Salazar saying he was concerned that Denver might lose to New York City after a conversation with DNC chairman Howard Dean. Salazar and Dean spoke for more than 30 minutes Thursday morning, and it ended with the senator putting the odds of Denver winning at 50-50 -- a less optimistic assessment than previously, said Salazar spokesman Cody Wertz. 'He's concerned about whether or not the convention will come here,' Wertz said. 'It's not our decision. It's Howard Dean's decision.' Senator Salazar, along with several other in Denver and the state, are working hard on the issue.”

Then they talk about how the issue's money. Can they raise enough money? Then the story ends with:

“In an interview with 9News, Salazar said he believed that Dean wanted to hold the convention in Denver but he had asked a legitimate question as to whether Denver could pull off the big event without a hitch. Quote: 'It's our belief that we can, and our job here in Colorado is to convince him that we can do this.' ”

Salazar thinks you're stupid. The convention is coming here. It's coming here. And this is a last-minute maneuver by Salazar. Typical. A last-minute maneuver for him to be able to claim credit for it -- “Oh, Howard Dean called. It looks bad. But Ken Salazar to the rescue” -- when for years now, a lot of people have worked very, very hard to get this convention for Denver. You know what? As a Republican, I hope it doesn't come to Denver. It's going to help the Democrats so much to have the convention in Denver. That's why we know it's coming to Denver. Because, above all, Democrats want the White House back. And with all the success Dems have had in Colorado, and with the West being the key to getting the White House back, they are coming to Denver. But Salazar thinks you're stupid. And thinks now that he can convince you that “Ken Salazar rode in at the last minute and rescued the convention for Denver.” It's typical Salazar.

SILVERMAN: Was he wearing a cowboy hat --

CAPLIS: Yeah --

SILVERMAN: -- when he rode in?

CAPLIS: Which he will never wear outside of Colorado. “Oh, I'm Ken Salazar. I wear my cowboy hat. I'm a real cowboy. A real Coloradan.” Yeah, please. I've had the biggest steak in Denver out there for the first person who can show me a picture of Ken Salazar wearing that cowboy hat outside of Colorado.

SILVERMAN: Ooh --

CAPLIS: It's been two years now --

SILVERMAN: Ah.

CAPLIS: -- nobody's been able to come up with one.

SILVERMAN: Oh. Now there's -- What did you say? The biggest steak in Denver?

CAPLIS: Yeah.

SILVERMAN: Oh, that --

CAPLIS: Not necessarily the highest quality steak, but the biggest steak.

SILVERMAN: Does New Mexico count?

CAPLIS: What do you mean?

SILVERMAN: Outside of Colorado?

CAPLIS: The biggest steak?

SILVERMAN: No, if he wore it, his cowboy hat anywhere outside of Colorado.

CAPLIS: Well, the point of it was --

SILVERMAN: Does it have to be --

CAPLIS: -- anywhere east of Colorado.

SILVERMAN: Easy.

CAPLIS: He's not going to do that. He's not going to do that.

SILVERMAN: Oh, I --

CAPLIS: He's a phony. And, you know, that's what we have here, is ho, ho, ho -- Ken Salazar to the rescue. You know what? So many people, so many Democrats, have worked so hard to win the convention for Denver, and he hasn't been one of 'em. But now it's all rigged in the end so he can take credit for it. That's just typical.