January 15, 2016 12:41 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (Jan. 15)

• 0 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

You’ve already worked enough days this year — enjoy your three-day weekend. 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…

► Governor John Hickenlooper pushed the theme of collaboration in his “State of the State” speech on Thursday. Here’s the full text of HIckenlooper’s speech.

►The Republican candidates for President (well, most of them, anyway) held their first debate of 2016 in South Carolina last night. Analysts seem to think that Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio all performed fairly well, while Ben Carson stuck another fork in his own campaign with a particularly lackluster performance. Here’s how “The Fix” reacted to Carson’s evening:

I mean…words fail.  The neurosurgeon has often looked out of his depth in these debates but never more so than tonight. He spoke, well, almost never. And, when he did manage to get the floor, he talked about the threat from an electromagnetic pulse. Um, ok. Carson’s trend line in this race has been steadily downward for the last month. Nothing he did tonight will change that.

Last night’s debate was also the first of the 2016 cycle in which the Republican field was actually pared down a bit. There were just seven candidates on stage: Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Carson, Jeb! Bush, Chris Christie, and John Kasich. 

► While the Republican field for President is really beginning to shrink, the pool of Republicans running for U.S. Senate in Colorado just keeps growing. Robert Blaha formally added his name to the mix on Thursday, which makes eight candidates by our count.

Meanwhile, fellow Republican Ryan Frazier released numbers from an internal poll (conducted via robocall to landlines only) that showed he is the early favorite to capture the GOP nomination in 2016. It’s entirely possible that Frazier’s poll only included responses from Colorado Republicans with the same last name.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Senate President Bill Cadman is all-in with his stance against changing the Hospital Provider Fee. From Colorado Public Radio:

During Hickenlooper’s State of the State address to lawmakers, the governor pushed to reclassify a fee hospitals pay to free up room in the budget. He says the move would allow the state to avoid looming cuts to education and transportation.

But Cadman insists the law is not on Hickenlooper’s side. And he continues to point to a non-binding legislative legal memo that indicates the move is unconstitutional. Cadman also has philosophical concerns over the state spending too much money on entitlement programs like Medicaid.

Politically-speaking, Cadman may be stuck holding the bag here; the Governor’s office believes that a helpful legal opinion from the Attorney General is upcoming.

► The Colorado Independent takes a deep dive in explaining the issue of the Hospital Provider Fee and TABOR constraints.

► Congressman Scott Tipton (R-Cortez) joined with his fellow Republicans in Congress in another fist-shaking vote in response to conservation efforts. From the Durango Herald:

In a show of opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Waters of the U.S. rule, Republicans in the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday in favor of a resolution of disapproval to vacate the law…

…The WOTUS rule, also known as the Clean Water Rule, would redefine federal regulations regarding “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act.

► No Coloradan won the Powerball lottery on Wednesday, but thanks to brisk ticket sales, some $21 million was raised for schools and parks in our state.

► The debate over gun safety has become a significant national issue, and Colorado Democrats plan to hold firm to prior reforms.

► A major nonprofit company that deals with outdoor recreation is rumored to be moving to Colorado. So far, the name of the organization is being kept quiet.

► South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, until recently a candidate for President himself, has endorsed Jeb! Bush for the Republican nomination. You know what they say: Misery loves company.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Why should you support Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for President? Why, because he eats ducks, of course.

► Some of the biggest donors behind the Presidential campaign of Jeb! Bush are anxiously awaiting the order to abandon ship.

ICYMI

► The Denver Broncos host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday for the right to advance to the AFC Championship game. On Thursday, the Steelers announced that star wide receiver Antonio Brown — perhaps the top receiver in the NFL — will not play on Sunday after suffering a concussion last week.

Get More Smarter by liking Colorado Pols on Facebook!