March 07, 2016 12:11 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Monday (March 7)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Enjoying the warm weather in Colorado? Well, enough of that. 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…

► The Presidential campaign of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is gasping for air after a tough weekend of caucus and primary losses, and more trouble is looming on the horizon. Rubio finished a distant fourth in a poll of Michigan Republicans ahead of Tuesday’s Primary, and he is being hammered by political ads running in his home state ahead of the March 15 Florida Primary.

As the Washington Post reports, it sounds as though Rubio’s campaign obituary is already being drafted:

Sensing an opportunity for an upset victory, Marco Rubio spent most of Friday in Kansas, where he picked up a series of high-profile endorsements that he hoped could help thrust him into contention.

Instead, he finished a dis­appointing third in the Saturday caucus in Kansas, repeating the same pattern as in some Super Tuesday states earlier last week: a big last-minute push, notable endorsements and a thud of a finish.

Those doing the endorsing, along with many other supporters, bemoaned the results, as well as the campaign that produced them…

…Party leaders, donors and other supporters of Rubio portray a political operation that continues to come up short in its message, in its attention to the fundamentals of campaigning and in its use of a promising politician. The failures have all but doomed ­Rubio’s chances of securing the GOP nomination, leaving him far behind Trump and Cruz in both delegates and states won.

Colorado’s highest-profile Republican elected officials — Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) and Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) — have been outspoken supporters of Rubio. Gardner has been particularly enthusiastic about Rubio, traveling the country as a Rubio surrogate and spinmeister.

► Ohio and Florida. These two states may be the only battlegrounds left that will have any significant impact on the outcome of the Republican Presidential nomination, as our friends at “The Fix” explain.

► The editorial “board” of the Denver Post weighs in on the so-called “Hospital Provider Fee” budget policy effort being promoted by Gov. John Hickenlooper. Now that Attorney General Cynthia Coffman has provided a legal thumbs-up, the Post thinks it’s high time for Republican legislators to get on board:

We’d made no secret that we support reclassifying the hospital provider fee in order to free up revenue that will prevent potential funding cuts to higher education, capital maintenance and transportation, as well as restore more of the K-12 funding lost during the Great Recession.

If Republicans think it is more important that this money go out to taxpayers in what would be modest refunds, so be it. That’s a forthright stance that indeed some have taken. But to argue that there remain outstanding constitutional issues involving the budget shift is no longer tenable in the wake of Coffman’s opinion. [Pols emphasis]

The word of the day session is “YES.”

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Former State Senator Jim Isgar, an important figure in Colorado water policy discussions for decades, has died. Isgar had been battling a rare form of leukemia for several years. He was 64 years old.

► Jason Salzman tries to explain how and why Colorado Republican lawmakers are opposing the so-called “Hospital Provider Fee” policy change that would free money for state infrastructure spending.

Elsewhere, state Rep. Brian DelGrosso (R-Loveland) is pretty sure that Colorado has plenty of money to pay for necessary infrastructure and services; that’s the basis of his argument for opposing the Hospital Provider Fee maneuver, anyway.

► The U.S. Supreme Court may soon decide on the fate of a lawsuit filed by two states — Oklahoma and Nebraska — over Colorado’s decision to legalize marijuana.

► The Colorado Springs Gazette has a new Editor-in-Chief (again).

► Why would anyone seriously argue that oil and gas companies should not be held liable for problems created by oil and gas drilling?

► Assistant House Majority Leader Dominick Moreno (D-Commerce City) won’t likely face internal opposition as he seeks to replace Jesse Ulibari in the State Senate…but there is plenty of jockeying taking place among Democrats running for Moreno’s House Seat.

► Democratic Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders took part in a lively debate in Flint, Michigan on Sunday.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Former First Lady Nancy Reagan died on Sunday at the age of 94.

► Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Denver) spoke out on the floor of the U.S. Senate in regards to continued resistance from Senate Republicans to even consider a hearing for a new Supreme Court nominee.

ICYMI

► Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning. The Denver Broncos quarterback has officially announced his retirement, which means we’re still facing a good week of endless stories about the Manning legacy, etc.

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