January 17, 2017 11:41 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Tuesday (January 17)

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• by: Colorado Pols

This was not a good weekend to be named “Mike Coffman.” 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…

► Congressman Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) made national news over the weekend thanks to an ill-advised decision to bolt out the back door despite dozens of constituents waiting to talk with him about his support for repealing Obamacare. Coffman’s staff tried to play up the Saturday fiasco as a “political stunt” driven by Obamacare supporters, but this appears not to be an “astroturfed” event but rather an organic display of local anger and concern about how Congress is dealing with health care issues. As the Denver Post reports:

During a celebration Monday for civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., Coffman was heckled by protesters who were upset by his vote Friday that laid the groundwork for a repeal of parts of the Affordable Care Act. At one point, a steady refrain of “No repeal” almost drowned out his words.

The chants followed a flare-up during a weekend meeting Coffman took with constituents, a get-together that ended in disappointment for many as Coffman held small conferences rather than a large town hall…

…David Flaherty, a Republican pollster in Colorado, said it’s possible the politics will boomerang against his party.

“They are really playing with fire,” he said. “I think the Democrats will probably score some points. It’s not easy to replace this thing.”

This is the new reality for Republicans who continue to push forward on gutting the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Polling results are now consistently showing widespread opposition to a blind repeal of Obamacare…while Republicans continue to be elusive about specific plans for ACA replacement options. Hundreds of people showed up for a rally on Sunday in Denver to voice their opposition to repealing the ACA.

► Congressional Republicans have plenty of other problems when it comes to repealing Obamacare. President-elect Donald Trump tossed in his own monkey wrench on Saturday when he Tweeted out cryptic nonsense about a new health care plan being formulated by his administration. Today, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued a sobering report on what is at stake in health care talks:

At least 18 million people would lose health insurance in the first year if Republicans move ahead with plans to repeal major portions of the Affordable Care Act without a replacement plan, estimates a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The number of people without insurance would grow to about 32 million within the first decade if congressional Republicans follow a 2015 plan to repeal the health-care law without an alternative, the new report says.  It also estimates that health insurance premiums for people buying individual non-group coverage would double within a decade, further complicating GOP promises that people will not lose coverage under their plan.

► Senate Democrats are voicing opposition to Donald Trump’s pick for Health and Human Services Secretary. As CNN reports, Tom Price may have broken the law by buying stock in a company that stood to benefit from legislation he sponsored:

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also called for an investigation of Price after CNN reported that Price bought up to $15,000 worth of stock in Zimmer Biomet — a medical device maker — and then introduced a measure that would have directly benefited the company. One week after Price bought the stock, he put in a measure that would have delayed a new regulation that would have harmed the company.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► The Fox News talking head who was Donald Trump’s choice for senior director of strategic communications on the National Security Council has backed out of the job after battling allegations of plagiarism. As the Washington Post reports, Monica Crowley’s story indicates that perhaps the traditional rules of politics haven’t been completely forgotten:

Donald Trump and his team believe that the rules and norms of Washington do not apply to them. They are wrong, and yesterday brought a significant proof point…

…Finally, because a handful of reporters doggedly pursued the story, the pressure became too much. Yesterday afternoon, Crowley sent a statement to the Washington Times to say that “after much reflection” she’s decided to stay in New York. She made no mention of plagiarism.

► Former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo is classier than a pair of silk boxers.

► President-elect Donald Trump may need to have some reassuring talks with Andy Puzder, Trump’s choice for Labor Secretary. As CNN reports:

CNN also notes that Puzzler’s required “ethics and financial paperwork” not yet been posted by the Office of Government Ethics.

► Supporters of a proposal to allow children of undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States held rallies across the country over the weekend.

► There’s good news and bad news for Colorado’s coal industry and for residents and visitors concerned about harmful emissions. Lauren Blair has more for the Craig Daily Press.

► Don’t expect Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) to be leading any opposition voices on the nomination of former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State.

► The Greeley Tribune has details on legislation sponsored by Rep. Ken Buck (R-Greeley) dealing with rural water providers and infrastructure investments.

► A reader of Colorado Pols posts an open letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan.

► President-elect Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan are on a collision course when it comes to Medicare and other entitlement reforms. From Politico:

Reality will set in when House Republicans roll out their 2018 budget this spring. The blueprint would unlock a fast-track procedural tool that leadership wants to use to squeeze a tax bill through Congress on party lines.

But if Ryan sides with Trump and doesn’t include his proposal to turn Medicare into a voucher program in the budget, it may never pass. That’s because most House Republicans won’t vote for budget that doesn’t “balance” in 10 years — and Ryan can’t get there without taking on entitlements, including Medicare.

► State Senator Michael Johnston (D-Denver) is officially entering the 2018 race for Governor. Colorado Pols readers have been aware of this for several months now.

► Uh, oh, James Comey.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► We hope you were finally able to warm up after a very chilly Marade on Monday in Denver.

► President-elect Donald Trump has an ambitious policy plan for his first 100 days in office. Congress doesn’t really care about that.

ICYMI

► We don’t have to guess at what will happen if Congressional Republicans dismantle Obamacare without thinking through a replacement health care plan. Don’t miss this Seattle Times story from late last week about what happened in Washington state when Republicans dismantled health care reform in the 1990s:

As congressional Republicans look to repeal the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), Washington’s experience with health-care reform in the 1990s offers an illustrative example of the possible consequences of repealing only the unpopular parts of a law designed with many interlocking pieces.

What began as the most ambitious health-care overhaul in the nation was hacked away to the point where it became impossible to buy individual health insurance anywhere in the state.

Don’t forget to check out The Get More Smarter Show. You can also Get More Smarter by liking Colorado Pols on Facebook!