August 14, 2018 10:47 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Tuesday (August 14)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Russia, Russia, Russia! It’s time to Get More Smarter. 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… 

► President Trump is the least racist person you have ever met. He just happens to say a lot of racist things. As the Washington Post reports:

President Trump on Tuesday referred to Omarosa Manigault Newman as “that dog” as the former senior White House adviser continued a publicity tour to promote her new book depicting Trump as a racist.

In a morning tweet, Trump praised his chief of staff, John F. Kelly, for firing Manigault Newman last year. The former reality television star was the highest-ranking black employee in the White House.

“When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out,” Trump said. “Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!”

In response, Republicans like Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake issued STERN TWEETS!

Elected Republicans may not be interested in going out on even the sturdiest of limbs here, but as CNN’s Chris Cillizza writes, Trump is clearly very irritated by Omarosa:

Eight tweets in 24 hours — all about Omarosa. Eight tweets in which Trump refers to Omarosa, an African-American woman and former White House employee, as, among other things, a “dog,” “wacky,” “deranged,” a “crazed, crying lowlife,” “vicious” and “not smart.”

Now ask yourself this: Would you ever be as focused — bordering on obsessed — with someone who you didn’t care about and who you genuinely believed was just saying all sorts of false things? Would you call that person all sorts of names — including a number with quite clear racial under- (and over-) tones, if that person didn’t matter?

The answer of course is “no.” The fact that Trump appears to be absolutely fixated on Omarosa — and the book she wrote about her time in the White House — speaks to the fact that Trump is concerned about what the allegations she makes about him might have.

► Energy Secretary Rick Perry is visiting the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden today alongside Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma). This is the same Rick Perry who said earlier this year that moving from fossil fuels to renewable forms of energy is “immoral.”

Following their NREL tour, Gardner will likely get right back to work trying to avert electoral disaster in November.

► Today is Primary Election Day in another handful of states (Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin). Politico previews a particularly busy day in Wisconsin:

Wisconsin Democrats on Tuesday will choose from a field that once swelled to over a dozen candidates — an array of businessmen, state legislators, the mayor of Wisconsin’s most liberal city and the chief of the state firefighters union — to realize their long-elusive goal of defeating Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

But the clear frontrunner is state education superintendent Tony Evers, a 66-year-old white man who stands out in a year when Democrats have put forward high numbers of women, young people and first-time candidates for office. What Evers lacks in sizzle, Democrats are hoping he compensates for with a record of clashes with Walker over education that could energize his party and deny the Republican governor a third term.

After years of doing battle with unions and pushing conservative legislation, Walker may be the one Republican who gets Wisconsin Democrats as agitated as President Donald Trump does. And that, say some Democratic officials in the state, might be enough in a year like this.

The New York Times has more on what to watch for in today’s Primary races.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► National Public Radio examines ballot measures in Colorado dealing with oil and gas extraction.

► Republican gubernatorial candidate Walker Stapleton just can’t shake stories about his great-grandfather Ben Stapleton, the former Denver Mayor who was closely connected with the Ku Klux Klan. Of course, it’s hard to get these stories to go away when you inexplicably refuse to condemn your family ties to the Klan.

► The Vail Daily profiles Democratic Congressional candidate Joe Neguse, who is almost certain to become the first African-American elected to federal office in Colorado.

► 9News breaks down the latest television advertisement connected to the Republican Governor’s Association attacking Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jared Polis by trying to convince voters that he wants to turn Colorado into California, or something.

► The Pueblo Chieftain has more details on a scheduled October 8 gubernatorial debate (sounds great!)

► The publication formerly known as the Colorado Statesman reports on bipartisan support for redistricting changes:

The wide support for the anti-gerrymandering amendments Y and Z on November’s ballot officially got wider Monday.

The party chairs for Colorado’s Democrats and Republicans endorsed amendments Y and Z.

Amendment Y would set up an independent commission to draw political boundaries for congressional districts. Amendment Z proposes the same for legislative districts. Both would give unaffiliated voters equal representation in the process, while filtering out commission members with a direct conflicts of interest.

The legislature unanimously put the measures on the ballot in May.

Kumbaya.

► The City of Fort Collins is planning for future development that may mean taller buildings and more buses. But not necessarily buses driving up taller buildings.

► El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder is defending his office in federal court over claims of discrimination.

► President Trump’s top economic adviser predicts that Republicans will maintain control of the House of Representatives in 2018 because the economy is so totally awesome.

► The defense for former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort rested its case on Tuesday without calling any witnesses in Manafort’s trial on bank and tax fraud charges.

► NBC News reports on efforts by West Virginia lawmakers to impeach the entire State Supreme Court:

West Virginia lawmakers completed the extraordinary move of impeaching all four state Supreme Court justices Monday night for spending issues, including a suspended justice facing a 23-count federal indictment.

The state House of Delegates voted to impeach Justice Allen Loughry on eight articles, setting the stage for a trial in the state Senate.

Beth Walker became the final justice to be impeached when an article was approved stating all four justices abused their authority. It said they failed to control office expenses, including more than $1 million in renovations to their individual offices, and not maintaining policies over matters such as working lunches and the use of state vehicles and office computers at home.

Republican Gov. Jim Justice would be able to appoint replacements for any impeached Supreme Court Justice, which has Democrats concerned about a run-around on seats that are supposed to be decided by nonpartisan elections.