Enjoying the warm weather in Colorado? Well, enough of that. 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).
► The Presidential campaign of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is gasping for air after a tough weekend of caucus and primary losses, and more trouble is looming on the horizon. Rubio finished a distant fourth in a poll of Michigan Republicans ahead of Tuesday’s Primary, and he is being hammered by political ads running in his home state ahead of the March 15 Florida Primary.
As the Washington Post reports, it sounds as though Rubio’s campaign obituary is already being drafted:
Sensing an opportunity for an upset victory, Marco Rubio spent most of Friday in Kansas, where he picked up a series of high-profile endorsements that he hoped could help thrust him into contention.
Instead, he finished a disappointing third in the Saturday caucus in Kansas, repeating the same pattern as in some Super Tuesday states earlier last week: a big last-minute push, notable endorsements and a thud of a finish.
Those doing the endorsing, along with many other supporters, bemoaned the results, as well as the campaign that produced them…
…Party leaders, donors and other supporters of Rubio portray a political operation that continues to come up short in its message, in its attention to the fundamentals of campaigning and in its use of a promising politician. The failures have all but doomed Rubio’s chances of securing the GOP nomination, leaving him far behind Trump and Cruz in both delegates and states won.
Colorado’s highest-profile Republican elected officials — Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) and Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) — have been outspoken supporters of Rubio. Gardner has been particularly enthusiastic about Rubio, traveling the country as a Rubio surrogate and spinmeister.
► Ohio and Florida. These two states may be the only battlegrounds left that will have any significant impact on the outcome of the Republican Presidential nomination, as our friends at “The Fix” explain.
► The editorial “board” of the Denver Post weighs in on the so-called “Hospital Provider Fee” budget policy effort being promoted by Gov. John Hickenlooper. Now that Attorney General Cynthia Coffman has provided a legal thumbs-up, the Post thinks it’s high time for Republican legislators to get on board:
We’d made no secret that we support reclassifying the hospital provider fee in order to free up revenue that will prevent potential funding cuts to higher education, capital maintenance and transportation, as well as restore more of the K-12 funding lost during the Great Recession.
If Republicans think it is more important that this money go out to taxpayers in what would be modest refunds, so be it. That’s a forthright stance that indeed some have taken. But to argue that there remain outstanding constitutional issues involving the budget shift is no longer tenable in the wake of Coffman’s opinion. [Pols emphasis]
The word of the day session is “YES.”
Get even more smarter after the jump…
► Former State Senator Jim Isgar, an important figure in Colorado water policy discussions for decades, has died. Isgar had been battling a rare form of leukemia for several years. He was 64 years old.
► Jason Salzman tries to explain how and why Colorado Republican lawmakers are opposing the so-called “Hospital Provider Fee” policy change that would free money for state infrastructure spending.
Elsewhere, state Rep. Brian DelGrosso (R-Loveland) is pretty sure that Colorado has plenty of money to pay for necessary infrastructure and services; that’s the basis of his argument for opposing the Hospital Provider Fee maneuver, anyway.
► The U.S. Supreme Court may soon decide on the fate of a lawsuit filed by two states — Oklahoma and Nebraska — over Colorado’s decision to legalize marijuana.
► The Colorado Springs Gazette has a new Editor-in-Chief (again).
► Why would anyone seriously argue that oil and gas companies should not be held liable for problems created by oil and gas drilling?
► Assistant House Majority Leader Dominick Moreno (D-Commerce City) won’t likely face internal opposition as he seeks to replace Jesse Ulibari in the State Senate…but there is plenty of jockeying taking place among Democrats running for Moreno’s House Seat.
► Democratic Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders took part in a lively debate in Flint, Michigan on Sunday.
► Former First Lady Nancy Reagan died on Sunday at the age of 94.
► Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Denver) spoke out on the floor of the U.S. Senate in regards to continued resistance from Senate Republicans to even consider a hearing for a new Supreme Court nominee.
► Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning. The Denver Broncos quarterback has officially announced his retirement, which means we’re still facing a good week of endless stories about the Manning legacy, etc.
Get More Smarter by liking Colorado Pols on Facebook!
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What do you mean in saying a tough weekend for Marco Rubio? He won Puerto Rico which now takes its place in the pantheon of Rubio wins: Puerto Rico and Minnesota!
Onward to Florida where a new poll shows him at 28%……which is an improvement over the poll a couple of weeks ago showing him at 11% and JEB! at 10%. I'm guessing that "Tiny Shiny Boots" has picked up JEB!'s 10% along with a few stragglers to get to 28%. Maybe the momentum from Puerto Rico will push him up to 29% and give him a lock on second place.
Remember, second is the new … irrelevant (because we're now looking at some big winner take all states.
Real Americans know that Rubio's only wins have been in the amnesty strongholds …
https://newrepublic.com/article/131200/puerto-rican-amnesty-end-marco-rubio
… Puerto Ricans and Canadians!
;~)
In a unanimous decision the Supreme Court ruled against Alabama's attempt to block lesbian adoption:
http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2016-03-07/high-court-voids-alabama-ruling-against-lesbian-adoption
Dang. Guess even the conservatives aren't conservative enough!
That's takes me on a trip down memory lane…
What made this such a significant case was that it honored a judgement from a sister state. Comity is one of the rights same-gender couples have been fighting the hardest for (although in this case it worked against one of the partners in the former marriage).
Apparently Bloomberg suffers under the delusion that he might do so much better than Perot did if he went forward with a third party candidacy that it could throw the election to the Republican congress. To avoid that he has generously bowed out.
Note to Bloomberg. There were actually more people than you could fit in a phone booth who liked Perot. Not enough to get congress involved, of course. You'd be over-performing if you managed to score a tenth of what Nader got. But thanks just the same for not being a completely self centered rich asshole. We're already covered for that. Or was it just the polling showing about as much support as my cat could have fielded.
File this under "More weird GOP Presidential news".
Mitt Romney is apparently keeping his options open hoping that he will be drafted for the Presidency at the GOP convention. At least, he has actually filed paperwork with the FEC for a Romney for President campaign.
Trade one billionaire bloviator vulgarian for a billionaire who at least is a squeaky-clean Mormon?
Apparently, there are some GOPers who will tap that.
Kos and Inquisitr have the story. Bradley Crate, a friend of Romney's who actually filed the paperwork, tweets that he has done the same thing for the last 9 years and that it means nothing. Hmmmmmm.
Trump is significanty ahead in Florida polls and a little ahead in Ohio polls. Cruz is losing badly in both. If neither Rubio nor Kasich can even take their own delegate rich home states and Cruz can’t take them either it’s hard to see how there will be any legit opportunity for a brokered convention, for Romney or anyone else to ride to the rescue. Trump could just walk in with all the delegates he needs.
Pretty soon all those pols saying, when asked, that they'll support the nominee and it won't be Trump are going to be out of excuses.
There are also reports of a Draft Paul Ryan movement. Wonder if Mittens and his '12 VEEP candidate will face off for the anti-Trump wing of the GOP heading to Cleveland this summer……
Talk about a circular firing squad.