June 15, 2016 02:51 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Wednesday (June 15)

• 2 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

Don’t forget the sunscreen — it’s going to be pretty damn warm for the next couple of days. 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…

► Two weeks from today, the Colorado Primary Election will finally be behind us. If you haven’t yet received a mail ballot, check your registration or address status ASAP. Go to JustVoteColorado.org for more information.

► Aurora Democrat Eric Nelson — or some guy who says his name is Eric Nelson — continues to receive calls to drop out of the Democratic Primary in HD-42 after it was revealed by several news outlets that Nelson is an evil genius con artist whose resume is largely fictional. Ernest Luning of the Colorado Statesman broke the original story first, and followed up yesterday with an extensive update detailing Nelson’s bizarre attempts to falsify college diplomas in a failed effort to cast doubt on Luning’s reporting.

Marshall Zelinger of Denver7 also has more on this story, while the Aurora Sentinel is following discussions of the Aurora School Board, of which Nelson is a member.

► You are probably aware that Donald Trump has clinched the Republican nomination for President, but you may not be aware of how little Trump has been able to move forward in the 43 days since taking hold of the nomination. From “The Fix”:

Today, Trump is no closer to uniting the Republican party or pivoting to the general election than he was six weeks ago. And that is, at minimum, a massive waste of a critical time period and, at worst, a mistake that will could severely jeopardize his chances of winning the White House in November.

Trump’s time as the near-certain Republican nominee have been dominated by self-inflicted wounds — the most gaping of which is his suggestion that a federal judge overseeing a case involving Trump University was biased and should recuse himself due to the fact that he is of Mexican heritage. Trump doubled down on that comment, then tripled down on it  — even amid widespread outrage among Republicans already concerned that their nominee was dabbling (at least) in race-baiting.  Eventually,Trump released a statement insisting his comments about Gonzalo Curiel had been “misconstrued.” He did not apologize for making the comment…

…Yes, modern campaigns last forever. But, they are almost always defined by a small group of critical moments that change the trajectory of races.  The last six weeks was a major moment. Trump wasted it.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Former two-time Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez is being criticized by Colorado Republicans for perhaps getting a little too hands-on in several competitive GOP Primary battles. Quite frankly, if Bob Beauprez is working with your opponent…you should count your blessings.

► A new study shows that 12 million Americans could be at increased risk for cancer and other bad stuff due to exposure to local oil and gas drilling operations.

► Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was thought to be unlikely to continue his political career in the U.S. Senate after choosing his ill-fated Presidential bid instead of re-election to the Senate. Don’t look now, but Rubio might be back in the mix for a Senate seat this November.

► Congressman Ken Buck (R-Greeley) is trying to argue a false choice between military security and renewable energy.

► The race for Denver District Attorney is the most expensive non-federal Primary race in Colorado this year, and the temperature is rising for Beth McCann after over-equivocating on an answer regarding her position on the death penalty.

► Republican Senate candidate Jon Keyser is bound to have a week without horrible press eventually…but it might not be before the June 28th Primary.

► 9News takes a look at Republican Senate candidate Robert Blaha’s campaign promises that are a central theme to his candidacy. They don’t quite pass the “Truth Test,” but that was probably already pretty clear.

► The Colorado Springs Independent marvels at the fact that El Paso county has a 2-in-5 chance of seeing a local resident win the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

► Republican Congressional candidate George Snuffalupagus Athanasopoulos has released an online ad to promote his candidacy for Congress in CD-7. The premise starts out well, but the joke isn’t sustainable for 45 more seconds. Athanasopoulos faces Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter in a General Election matchup that he has virtually zero chance of winning.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Some Primary battles can get particularly nasty — and odd — as election day nears. Just ask Larry Liston.

► Still “Feeling the Bern” despite the fact that Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is working with presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton to patch up their differences? The Colorado Independent tries to figure out what happens next with the Bernie revolution.

ICYMI

► The editorial board of the Denver Post thinks that the Secretary of State’s office needs to get tougher on checking petition signatures.

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