Get More Smarter on Wednesday (August 29)

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by: Colorado Pols

There is a ridiculous amount of political news to discuss today. Ridiculous! 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…

► The body of former Arizona Sen. John McCain will lie in state at the Arizona Capitol building today before being flown to Washington D.C. for a similar honor in the U.S. Capitol building.

► Voters in Arizona and Florida made their selections in Tuesday’s Primary Election. The Washington Post breaks down the winners and losers, but the biggest story is probably in Florida, where Democrat Andrew Gillum pulled off a big upset and could now become Florida’s first black Governor. Also worth noting: Arizona will elect a woman to the U.S. Senate for the first time in 2018.

► Aaron Blake of the Washington Post writes that failed Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kelly Ward is one of the worst candidates in recent memory. Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate Walker Stapleton can make a strong argument himself.

► White House Counsel Don McGahn will leave his post his fall, as the Washington Post reports:

“White House Counsel Don McGahn will be leaving his position in the fall, shortly after the confirmation (hopefully) of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “I have worked with Don for a long time and truly appreciate his service!”

The exit of McGahn — a low-key, 50-year-old lawyer who has been a presence at Trump’s side since the early days of the 2016 presidential campaign — comes at a fragile moment inside the White House amid escalating tensions between the president and the Department of Justice in recent weeks…

…Many Republicans on Capitol Hill, who see McGahn as a stable force and accessible official, were stunned and dismayed by Trump’s announcement.

“Stunned” might be the wrong word to use here. After all, McGahn has apparently talked extensively with special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential collusion between Trump and the Russians. Nevertheless, McGahn’s departure is a very big deal.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► President Trump is warning Evangelical Republican voters to expect violence if Democrats are successful in November’s mid-term elections. As CNN reports:

“This November 6 election is very much a referendum on not only me, it’s a referendum on your religion, it’s a referendum on free speech and the First Amendment. It’s a referendum on so much,” Trump told the assemblage of pastors and other Christian leaders gathered in the State Dining Room on Monday, according to a recording from people in the room.

“It’s not a question of like or dislike, it’s a question that they will overturn everything that we’ve done and they will do it quickly and violently. And violently. There is violence. When you look at Antifa — these are violent people,” Trump said, describing what would happen should his voters fail to cast ballots. “You have tremendous power. You were saying, in this room, you have people who preach to almost 200 million people. Depending on which Sunday we’re talking about.”

~~Unbelievable.~~ Believable.

► Allies of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are voicing concerns that the incumbent Republican could lose his re-election bid this fall.

► More than 640,000 Coloradans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home this Labor Day Weekend, according to AAA Colorado.

► 9News considers the impact that Colorado’s next Governor will have on the state’s economy.

► A measure to tighten restrictions on payday loans has qualified for the ballot in November.

► Things just keep getting worse for Republican gubernatorial candidate Walker Stapleton, and that’s saying something.

► Conservation Colorado gets a new leader.

► Democrat Jason Crow released his first General Election television ad in his bid for Congress in CO-6. Incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) has plenty of reason to be concerned.

► Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) is little more than a Trump puppet at this point.

► Go away, Joe Arpaio.

Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

► New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon wants the thermostat to be set to 76 degrees in the television studio where she will debate incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo. That’s pretty warm.

► The newly-minted Republican gubernatorial nominee in Florida made an incredibly-racist comment on Tuesday. From CNN:

Fresh off his victory in the Florida Republican gubernatorial primary, Rep. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that voters would “monkey this up” if they elected his African-American opponent, Andrew Gillum, to be governor, immediately drawing accusations of racism.

The remark provides a controversial beginning to what will be a closely watched general election for the Florida governorship, which pits DeSantis, who has closely aligned himself with President Donald Trump, against Gillum, a progressive backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

ICYMI

► “The new blue wrecking crew.”

6 thoughts on “Get More Smarter on Wednesday (August 29)”

Zappatero says:

August 29, 2018 at 12:31 pm

Where Republicans would fight like hell, Democrats take the path of least resistance.

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1. Voyageur says:
  
  August 29, 2018 at 1:29 pm
  
  Zappy, if you can't grow a brain, at least borrow one for a few minutes!
  
  Your strategery is to keep every Democratic senator tied up in Washington as long as possible, dela ying confirmation of a handful of judges for a couple of weeks — while virtually guaranteeing the Republicans win control of the Senate for another two years, during which they can put hundreds more right wingers on the bench.
  
  schumer wants to fight like hell to win the majority, so we can block these fascists permanently.
  
  I'm with Schumer, but if it's any consolation, Moddy agrees with you
  
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  1. gertie97 says:
    
    August 29, 2018 at 2:10 pm
    
    You're all over this, V. Zappy has tilted at so many windmills it's a wonder he can still work a keyboard.
    
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2. RepealAndReplace says:
  
  August 29, 2018 at 5:27 pm
  
  Zappy, it's nice to see you blame all of them instead of fixating on just one Democrat.
  
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  1. Zappatero says:
    
    August 29, 2018 at 8:25 pm
    
    Schumer or Schumer or Schumer? Amy would fight harder
    
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JohnInDenver says:

August 29, 2018 at 6:14 pm

A lesson on political life in the #MeToo era:

The once and *not* future Arizona legislator

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