Thirty-five Years Ago this week in The Colorado Statesman … As the nation celebrated the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George Bush, the veep’s son and daughter-in-law, Coloradans Neil and Sharon Bush, were part of the official fanfare in Washington, D.C. Neil, who moved to Denver the previous summer when he go a job with Amoco Co., was impressed with the Coast Guard escort and chauffeur that whisked the couple between inaugural activities, while Sharon had plenty to say about rubbing shoulders with Johnny Carson and Frank Sinatra. Along with the other Bush children, Neil and Sharon stayed at the Jefferson Hotel, just blocks from the White House, and attended a Georgetown luncheon with 10 Bushes and the Reagans. Neil met Carson’s bandleader, Doc Severinsen, and actor Chad Everett, counting himself duly impressed. “We really got to meet the big boys,” he told The Statesman. It was a treat watching the inaugural parade from the reviewing stand in front of the White House, particularly when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir stopped and sang to the dignitaries. “Emotions were running high,” Neil said. “Mom shed her fair share of tears. It was extremely moving. They looked each of us in the eyes.” But the highlight was when they were leaving for inaugural balls and word got out that the Iranian hostages had just stepped off an airplane to freedom. …

… Former Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, who fell just short of winning a second term a few months earlier, was the keynote speaker at the 2nd annual dinner of the Denver Democrats. When he was elected in 1978, Clinton, 34, became the youngest governor in the country in some four decades, and he had much to say about national affairs at the dinner, held at the Executive Tower Inn. Clinton said the Democratic Party had a future following the Reagan blowout but also had some recouping to do. “We have been totally outstripped by the Republican political machine. We can depend on some of Reagan’s policies to give us back some people, but we have our work cut out for ourselves.” People have been worried sick that government has failed, he said, adding, “President Carter made a terrible mistake by campaigning as a traditional Democrat.” Clinton continued, “When the opposition is talking about killing inflation, cutting taxes, increasing defense spending, balancing the budget and pushing around the enemies, it’s not a good response to tell people, ‘We gave you Social Security, and we won’t take it away from you.’ We became too closely identified with what was closing in on the American people.” He told the Denver Democrats to demand that national Democrats listen to the Colorado variety. “You’re the way of the future,” Clinton said. “We can take this country back again. But we can’t talk about the New Deal, or we’re going to get blown away.” …

… The hot race for leadership at the upcoming Colorado Democratic Party’s reorganization was between Floyd Ciruli and Mike Stratton for the vice chair position. (Denver Dem chair Ann Bormolini was unopposed for state chair.) Stratton was getting some attention for an unconventional campaign tactic — placing ads in the “Personals” section of the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post classified ads. “Democrats … Experienced native Durangoan seeks your support for vice-chairmanship of the State Democratic Party. Responsibility and hard work. Mike Stratton,” the ad read, followed by a phone number. He said he was hoping to recruit workers for his campaign and told The Statesman it had worked, with more than a dozen calls, and several had signed on to help him with the party election. …

… Eric Sondermann, the 26-year-old senior aide to Gov. Dick Lamm, issued a hearty denial to a report in the Rocky Mountain News that the Democrat had joined Ronald Reagan’s federal advisory committee on youth. The group, organized to weigh in on matters of importance to young people, including the draft, minimum wage, energy and federal student loans, met at state GOP headquarters, and somehow listed Sondermann as a member, but it was a mix-up. The organizer of the confab had requested time with Lamm but, because the governor was busy, his young aide met with the Reagan youth for about 15 minutes, answered some questions, “was just a general PR whiz for Lamm,” The Statesman reported. Then, somehow, his name made the list and that made the paper. “I wish them luck,” Sondermann said. “But I’m not part of the group. I don’t deserve the credit. Or the blame.” Rest assured, the Statesman scribe noted, Sondermann has definitely not followed Bob Kirscht over to the GOP.

— ernest@coloradostatesman.com