September 08, 2015 11:01 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Tuesday (Sept. 8)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Welcome back, to those of you who aren’t still sitting on I-70 somewhere. It’s time to Get More Smarter with Colorado Pols! If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example).

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► Colorado Senate Republicans are apparently disgusted by the idea of Labor Day.

► Congress gets back to work today (theoretically, anyway) after the August recess, and priorities #1-3 involve trying to avert the second government shutdown in three years. As Politico reports:

The mad dash – just 10 legislative work days to solve the shutdown crisis, in between major votes on the Iran nuclear deal and the first-ever papal address to a joint session of Congress – presents a major test for Republican leaders in both chambers who vowed to end crisis-driven legislating.

The smart money is on Congress doing what it typically does when it’s up against a deadline: Find a short-term fix and delay the fight for later. But the dynamics are so fluid and passions high that no one truly knows how it will wind up on Sept. 30, the final day of the fiscal year and last day to extend funding or have the government close its doors. Yet to be answered is how far Ted Cruz and other Republicans — powered by conservative outrage over Planned Parenthood — are willing to push Congress to the brink of a shutdown in order to defund the women’s health organization.

Cruz, one of a handful of senators vying for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, gave a preview of his strategy with a letter he began circulating last week. In a letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Cruz called on Senate leaders to stop any bill – including one that funds the government — that sets aside any federal dollars for Planned Parenthood.

Ted Cruz also says that he is “unequivocally” a supporter of Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who is jail because she refuses to do her job. Maybe Cruz has a new campaign slogan he could use in his bid for the Republican Presidential nomination. Ted Cruz: Pretending to Govern.

► Senator Michael Bennet (D-Denver) is among 41 Democrats who will support President Obama’s foreign policy deal with Iran, giving the President enough votes to sustain any veto attempts from Republicans.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► The end of an orange era? Even allies of House Speaker John Boehner believe that the Ohio Republican will be giving up the gavel sometime soon. From Politico:

Figures in his close-knit circle of allies are starting to privately wonder whether he can survive an all-but-certain floor vote this fall to remain speaker of the House. And, for the first time, many top aides and lawmakers in the House do not believe he will run for another term as House leader in 2017.

Perhaps the long wait for Republican Eric Cantor will finally be rewarded…oh, wait, nevermind.

► Oh, the irony. The Associated Press reports on the latest news regarding the Veteran’s Administration and its ongoing construction problems:

New criticism of the VA’s troubled hospital construction program turned up pressure in Congress on Friday for the agency to turn over future big projects to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., said a report by the Corps of Engineers confirms that the Veterans Affairs Department is incapable of handling big projects.

“It’s been public knowledge since April 2003 that all of their major construction projects were just out of control,” Coffman said. “The Army Corps of Engineers does this for a living, and they ought to be doing this stuff.”

GOP Sen. Cory Gardner, also from Colorado, said the reports are more evidence of widespread mismanagement at the VA.

“The lack of accountability is unacceptable,” he said. [Pols emphasis]

Why, yes, there is a disturbing lack of accountability with the VA. Perhaps we should ask Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) to look into the problem — after all, he is the Chair of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee for the House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs.

► State Sen. Morgan Carroll (D-Aurora) is criticizing the decision by Rep. Coffman to sell his political soul to the National Republican Congressional Committee (RNCC). Carroll is running to unseat Coffman in CD-6.

► Colorado Springs Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn held a townhall meeting. No, seriously, he was there and everything.

► A recent decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) might allow Denver-area television broadcasts to be seen in Southwestern Colorado. This is a big deal for politicos who have to worry about television advertising; as it stands currently, you need to purchase time in the Albuquerque market if you want to reach voters in the Durango area.

► Republican Presidential candidate Ben Carson is apparently counting on support in Colorado to help him win his Party’s nomination.

► The Denver Post fact-checks the most significant arguments associated with the Jefferson County School Board recall election. We agree for the most part, except for the mealy-mouthed nonsense about the salary for Superintendent Dan McMinimee. You can call it a salary, a bonus, an incentive, or a chicken — it’s still financial compensation.

► TABOR Daddy Doug Bruce was back in court last week. 

► Just when you thought you had heard enough about the Gold King Mine spill, Congress is preparing for a round of hearings to shake their fists at the EPA.

► The U.S. Department of the Interior has agreed to allow the ridiculously-named “Colowyo” mine to remain in operation.

► Marianne Goodland of the Colorado Independent takes a deeper dive into the decision to scrap a public marijuana use ballot initiative in Denver.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis wants out of jail. Let’s not forget that Davis volunteered for jail time rather than be forced to do her job and provide marriage licenses for same-sex couples.

► Congress is back to work today, but they still have a few off days to consider as they debate  whether or not to shut down the government:

Rosh Hashanah is Sept. 14-15. Yom Kippur is Sept. 23. Pope Francis speaks to a joint session of Congress on Sept. 24, a day that will be full of fanfare and seems likely to become politicized.

► There is a new biography of famous rich person Donald Trump coming out later this month. As the New York Times reports, Trump’s Vietnam draft deferments will be a major topic of discussion.

ICYMI

► Tom Brady is a big fan of Donald Trump. Of course he is.

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