August 15, 2016 01:40 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Monday (August 15)

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• by: Colorado Pols

No, it’s not November yet. But it can’t come soon enough–and in the meantime, you can 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…

► The disastrous presidential campaign of Republican nominee Donald Trump is fast approaching the point of no return, with new damage that would end most political campaigns being inflicted on a practically hourly basis:

Since formally claiming the Republican nomination last month, Trump has committed a series of potentially self-destructive blunders, dominating the news cycle with a succession of negative headlines.

The real estate mogul encouraged espionage by inviting Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails; sparred for days with a Gold Star family who spoke out against him at the Democratic National Convention; refused — albeit temporarily — to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan and Arizona Sen. John McCain in their reelection bids; suggested the November election will be rigged against him; seemingly incited violence by remarking that “Second Amendment people” may be the only ones able to stop Clinton; and claimed President Barack Obama and Clinton were founders and MVPs of the Islamic State — a comment he insisted was sarcasm, though hours afterward he said it wasn’t “that sarcastic, to be honest with you.”

Trump’s self-inflicted wounds have gashed his polling numbers, as recent surveys show Clinton leading in a series of battleground states, and sparked defections from GOP lawmakers like Maine Sen. Susan Collins and New York Rep. Richard Hanna and dozens of former Republican administration officials.

► Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton continues to show dominance in key state polls after posting a 14-point lead over Trump in Colorado last Friday. And at this weekend’s RedState Gathering in Denver, Trump’s foundering campaign made for a most depressing party.

► Trump says that Clinton lacks the “stamina” to be president–unlike Trump and his big hands!

► Meanwhile, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani says that there weren’t any terror attacks in the eight years before Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton! You know, except that really big one.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Colorado U.S. Senate minor candidate Republican nominee Darryl Glenn continues to struggle mightily answering basic clarifying questions about stuff he says on the trail:

In the gathering in June, Glenn appeared to accuse President Barack Obama of directing the FBI to not fully investigate the shooter.

“I think we need to have hearings on this. I think people need to be held accountable,” Glenn said in a recording originally sent to the Huffington Post. “I want to know whether or not our FBI personnel were personally directed to look the other way. Don’t you want to know that? The president should be held to account for that if he gave direction that limited the FBI.”

At the Red State gathering on Friday, where Glenn was a speaker, Glenn was asked about his comments before aides urgently ushered him away…

► Also this weekend, Colorado’s embattled GOP Rep. Mike Coffman was smacked with two very bad stories second-guessing his political re-invention since redistricting in 2011.

► Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams is (sort of) looking for petition forgeries! After enormous embarrassment last spring after failing to catch forged petitions submitted by Jon Keyser’s U.S. Senate campaign, the Secretary of State has forwarded some allegedly forged signatures for a ballot measure to the Denver DA for investigation. Baby steps we guess.

► The signature margin is very close for two ballot measures that would tighten regulation of oil and gas drilling in Colorado. The energy industry is poised to throw millions of dollars at them if they beat the odds.

► Federal land authorities announce new proposed protections for the Gunnison sage grouse, whose protection from energy development in its habitat has been a hot topic for many years.

► How should Denverites regulate public pot use, assuming they allow it at all?

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Eagle’s fire chief developed a sticky-fingers problem at his previous job in Sterling, resulting in felony charges for himself and his wife.

ICYMI

► Outrage continues in Boulder as the community responds to a sexual assault sentence for a former CU student widely considered inadequate.

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