February 26, 2016 11:44 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (Feb. 26)

• 4 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

Enjoy a pretty Super Friday. 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…

► New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has endorsed Donald Trump for President. All aboard the bandwagon!

► Colorado voters finally get a chance to caucus next Tuesday, although there is decidedly less excitement among Republicans because there will be no “preference poll” for GOP Presidential hopefuls. John Frank of the Denver Post explains:

The state Republican Party’s controversial decision  to cancel its presidential straw poll in Colorado is upending the political calculus for the 2016 caucus.

With no vote to name a favorite, the candidates mostly skipped the state, relegating it to a flyover for  other Super Tuesday contests…

…Colorado GOP officials are expecting 20,000 to 60,000 people to attend this year, far fewer than the 70,000 at the 2008 caucus and the 1 million registered party members in the state.

► The five remaining Republican Presidential candidates debated in Houston last night with Super Tuesday looming around the corner. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and GOP frontrunner Donald Trump were generally viewed as “winners” in the debate, which did not go as well for Ted Cruz. Ohio Gov. John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson were all but ignored for most of the night, although Carson did get a chance to make a fruit salad reference.

As the Washington Post explains, Thursday’s debate was not exactly a brain teaser.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► State Sen. Jesse Ulibarri (D-Commerce City) announced today that he will not seek re-election in 2016. Ulibarri has accepted a full-time job with national progressive organization Wellstone Action. Ulibarri will finish his term in the State Senate (SD-21), and is endorsing Commerce City Democratic Rep. Dominick Moreno to succeed him in office. This seat was not expected to be in play with Ulibarri running for re-election, and that shouldn’t change with Moreno taking the baton in a Presidential Election year.

► If you’re worried about “electromagnetic pulse” attacks and martial law, Republican Senate candidate Peggy Littleton wants you to know that she has your back.

► The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia could have significant implications for a Douglas County vouchers case, as the Denver Post reports:

If Scalia’s seat remains vacant on the ideologically split court for the foreseeable future — an increasingly likely scenario after congressional Republicans vowed this week to not consider a Supreme Court nominee from President Obama — a 4-4 tie would mean the lower court’s ruling stands.

In the case of the Douglas County voucher program, which aims to use taxpayer money to send children to private schools, the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision last summer to reject the program as unconstitutional would prevail.

► Republican “watchdog” Matt Arnold, who has been causing all sort of problems for Republicans in recent months with his campaign finance challenges, appears to have angered a Denver judge in a separate case. From the Durango Herald:

An administrative law judge on Thursday repeatedly scolded the director of a campaign-finance watchdog group for alleging perjury in a case stemming from Matt Sheldon’s successful bid last year for the Durango School District 9-R board.

Matt Arnold – who filed the case as director of Campaign Integrity Watchdog, though he is not an attorney – has taken issue with whether Sheldon legally accepted contributions…

► The Colorado Independent has more on Matt Arnold’s “watchdog” work and his success in causing havoc among Colorado Republicans.

► Legislation sponsored by Congressman Ken Buck made it through the House of Representatives this week. “The Fraudulent Joinder Prevention Act” is intended to help protect small businesses from “frivolous lawsuits.” We will not stand for Fraudulent Joinders!

► So-called “Death with Dignity” legislation in the Colorado legislature has, um, died.

► The state Senate has passed legislation that would increase the penalty for tampering with a dead body.

► Two bills dealing with transgender rights are being discussed in the state legislature.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► If we are trying to require drug tests for food stamp recipients, argues Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, then shouldn’t we have the same requirements of other recipients of federal largesse…such as farmers?

► “My Party has gone batshit crazy,” says South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. We can’t argue with that.

ICYMI

► If you’ve been wondering about where former professional basketball player Dennis Rodman comes down on the GOP Presidential race…well, wonder no more.

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