July 08, 2016 11:22 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (July 8)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Read this, then go outside and get some fresh air. 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). If you are more of a visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show.

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► Five Dallas police officers were killed and seven others injured by a sniper targeting police during a protest against police violence. From CNN:

The ambush began with gunshots that killed five officers and sent screaming crowds scrambling for cover. It ended when a Dallas police bomb squad robot killed a gunman after negotiations failed.

Now investigators are trying to piece together answers to key questions: Who was responsible for the shootings, which began Thursday night during a protest against police violence and left parts of downtown Dallas under siege for hours? And are any other suspects on the loose?

The deadly gunfire erupted in Dallas as videos showing two African-American men shot by police in Louisiana and Minnesota spurred protests and debate over police use of force across the country.

The Dallas sniper attacks are yet another horrific example of violent gun crime in America, and the deadliest single day for U.S. law enforcement since September 11, 2001. In the wake of the shootings, the spokesperson for the Colorado Senate Republicans inexplicably and disgustingly took to social media to blame President Obama for the attacks. As we wrote earlier today:

In short, to call this response to the Dallas shootings from the Colorado Senate Republicans outrageous is a considerable understatement. It may not quite rate as badly as former Rep. Joe Walsh’s declaration of war, but it’s so far from appropriate the morning after this tragedy that it shocks the conscience in nonpartisan terms.

Sean Paige, the mouthpiece for the Senate Republicans, is a former editor at the Colorado Springs Gazette and staffer at the Koch brothers-funded “Americans for Prosperity.”

► Jason Salzman catches a curious edit to an archived story in the Denver Post, in which a quote from Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) about his marriage to Attorney General Cynthia Coffman has been mysteriously removed. The former Post reporter who wrote the original story, Lynn Bartels, confirms the missing quote’s existence.

► If you thought that Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) was above the kind of silly political bickering that has gridlocked Congress, then you haven’t been paying attention. As the Denver Post reports:

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner has joined in efforts to strip Hillary Clinton of her security clearances, part of a coordinated GOP effort to continue to take advantage of her e-mail scandal.

On Thursday, Gardner and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, both Republicans, announced they had introduced a bill to revoke security clearances from Clinton and her key aides when she was secretary of state. Several of those aides are in her campaign’s inner circle. The bill they introduced, the Taking Responsibility Using Secured Technologies (TRUST) Act of 2016, would put Congress on record saying that Clinton should have no access to classified information “until she earns the legal right to such access.”

“If the FBI won’t recommend action based on its findings, Congress will,” Gardner said in a prepared statement. “At the very least, Secretary Clinton should not have access to classified information, and our bill makes sure of it.”

In other words, if law enforcement officials can’t make a case against Clinton, Republican Senators will dress one up instead! As Politico notes, this bit of political theater is unlikely to go anywhere…but it beats actually working on policy issues.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump held a closed-door meeting with House Republicans in Washington D.C. on Thursday, and it didn’t go so well. From the Washington Post:

During his closed-door meeting with House Republicans yesterday, Michigan Rep. Tim Walberg asked Trump what his understanding is of Article I (which enumerates the powers of Congress).

“I think his response was, ‘I want to protect Article I, Article II, Article XII,’ going down the list. There is no Article XII,” Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) told reporters afterwards. “It was the normal stream of consciousness that’s long on hyperbole and short on facts.” [Sanford, who said in May he’ll vote for Trump, added: “He may be loose on some facts, reckless on some, but there’s not malicious intent there.”]

Other sources in the room confirmed the episode.

Trump then called himself “a constitutionalist” and warned that “we’re getting away from it,” according to detailed notes from a participant in the meeting, which were provided to my colleague Josh Rogin.

The Constitution, as every school child is taught, has only seven articles.

Ladies and gentlemen, your (presumptive) Republican nominee for President in 2016.

Ugh.

► Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper admittedly discussed a potential Vice Presidential role alongside Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Local media reports are straining to say that Hick is “being vetted,” while there is little actual evidence (or rumor) to suspect this is the case.

The story of Hickenlooper’s brief conversation with Clinton was first reported by the Greeley Tribune on Wednesday.

► The race for a Congressional seat in CD-6, currently held by Rep. Mike Coffman, appears to be locked in as a “top 10” race heading into the General Election.

► State Republican Party Chair Steve House is having a hard time explaining his support for GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump as Republicans increasingly question the racist rants of His Hairness.

► Denver gazillionaire Phil Anschutz is disputing fairly straightforward evidence that he has donated large sums of money to hate groups opposed to equal rights for LGBT citizens.

► The Colorado Independent examines efforts to link prominent Colorado Republicans with presumptive Presidential nominee Donald Trump.

► The Congressional Black Caucus continues to press for gun control votes in the House, while Speaker Paul Ryan continues to dance around the issue under loud protests from Tea Party Republicans.

► There is some good news to report today where the economy is concerned. From the New York Times:

Quashing worries that job growth was flagging, the government on Friday reported that employers increased payrolls by 287,000 in June. It was an arresting surge in hiring just weeks before the Republican and Democratic conventions where the presidential nominees will present their competing economic visions.

The official unemployment rate did rise to 4.9 percent, from 4.7 percent, but that was largely because more Americans re-entered the work force. And average hourly earnings ticked up again, continuing a pattern of rising wages that brought the yearly gain to 2.6 percent.

“Wow, this one takes my breath away,” said Diane Swonk, an independent economist in Chicago.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► The Colorado AFL-CIO announced its second round of endorsements in advance of the General Election (here’s Round 1). The umbrella organization for many Colorado labor unions is backing Rhonda Fields (SD-29), Jeff Bridges (HD-3), Leslie Herod (HD-8), and Edie Hooton (HD-10). All four candidates are Democrats who were successful in winning their respective Primary races last month.

► The deadline to submit signed petitions for November ballot measures is just one month away. 

ICYMI

► The next time someone tells you that there is no basis to claims that Donald Trump is a big orange racist, point them to this link.

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