March 24, 2020 10:16 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Tuesday (March 24)

• 8 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

Happy Birthday Affordable Care Actttttt…Happy Birthday, to you! It’s definitely 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 an audio/visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show or The Get More Smarter Podcast. And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter.

BECAUSE CORONAVIRUS…

*Colorado Coronavirus info:
CDPHE Coronavirus website 

*Daily Coronavirus numbers in Colorado:
http://covid19.colorado.gov

*How you can help in Colorado:
COVRN.com

► The World Health Organization says the United States could become the next epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. But President Trump is worried that voters are going to ding him for screwing up both the coronavirus response and the economy, so he’s playing doctor — perhaps benching the actual doctors — and suggesting that he’ll soon relax social distancing restrictions. As The Washington Post reports, Trump don’t need no public health experts to tell him what to do:

As he watches stock prices plummet and braces for an expected surge in unemployment, Trump has received urgent pleas from rattled business leaders, Republican lawmakers and conservative economists imploring him to remove some of the stringent social distancing guidelines that he put in place for a 15-day period ending March 30, according to several people with knowledge of the internal deliberations.

The consensus among experts — including infectious disease expert Anthony S. Fauci and other senior officials on Trump’s coronavirus task force — is that restaurants, bars, schools, offices and other gathering places should remain closed for many more weeks to mitigate the outbreak, the worst effects of which are yet to be felt in the United States.

But Trump has been chafing against that notion and impatient to get American life back to normal.

“If it were up to the doctors, they’d say let’s keep it shut down, let’s shut down the entire world . . . and let’s keep it shut for a couple of years,” Trump said Monday. “We can’t do that.”

“If it were up to the doctors…”

As Dana Milbank writes for The Washington Post, this pandemic isn’t about you — it’s about him:

People are dying. Businesses are failing. Workers are losing jobs.

But above all we as a nation must keep in mind the terrible cost borne by President Trump…

…Trump’s reelection depends on a booming economy.

And so on Monday night he made the ultimate gesture of selfishness: Defying the pleas of scientists and public health experts, he said he would reopen the economy in the next few weeks.

► Alex Burness of The Denver Post outlines why Gov. Jared Polis has thus far resisted calls to issue a statewide lockdown or “shelter-in-place” order:

Polis has been walking a tightrope, and he will continue to do so: Measures he takes to force greater social distancing will do economic damage, while leniency on business and other social activities and settings will allow more people to leave their homes, and potentially spread or come in contact with the virus…

…With no statewide stay-at-home order in place, some courts have continued packing dozens into single hearing rooms. Parks are busy and some trailheads are slammed.

Polis not only believes that it’s impossible to enforce these and other behaviors out of existence, but he also has emphasized that there’s “only so much any government can do” in response to coronavirus. He’s repeatedly called on Coloradans to exercise personal responsibility.

A statewide shelter-in-place order is still being sought by some top public health groups.

Meanwhile, local municipalities are pushing ahead with their own measures. As The Colorado Sun reports, the City of Denver will be under a stay-at-home order beginning today at 5:00 pm and running until at least April 10:

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock on Monday announced a stay-at-home decree, closing nonessential businesses and banning people from congregating in parks and other public places. The order cuts off the last vestiges of normal social interaction in the city as health officials try everything they can to slow the spread of the new coronavirus…

…Denver parks will remain open for people to walk and hike in, but not congregate or play sports. Playgrounds and most retail stores will be shut down.

Public transit, including Denver International Airport and rideshares, are not affected by the order. Restaurants still will be allowed to deliver food and offer takeout meals. Medical marijuana stores are exempt, as are grocery stores, banks, laundromats, and child care facilities.

Denver’s shelter-in-place order originally included the closure of liquor stores, marijuana dispensaries, and a restriction on construction operations; the order was amended a few hours later to offer exceptions, keeping liquor stores and dispensaries open to the public.

Elsewhere, residents of Aurora are anticipating a stay-at-home order in the near future. Pitkin County and the City of Boulder have now implemented similar orders.

► State Sen. Jim Smallwood (R-Parker) has tested positive for COVID-19, but says that he is not experiencing serious symptoms and is self-quarantining at his second home in California.

Also on Monday, Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D-Commerce City) announced that she had been misdiagnosed last week as testing positive for COVID-19 and is instead sick with a more common strain of coronavirus.

► As Politico reports, the Senate is expected to approve a massive coronavirus relief package today:

Congressional negotiators signaled Tuesday morning that they are likely hours away from clinching a bipartisan agreement on a nearly $2 trillion emergency stimulus package to confront the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic — capping five days of frenetic talks that have consumed a mostly empty Capitol.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are expected to announce an agreement later Tuesday, while President Donald Trump pushes for an immediate vote…

…Schumer and Mnuchin met in person six times on Monday, and their final meeting wrapped up around midnight. The Senate could hold an initial procedural vote as early as Tuesday afternoon if McConnell and Schumer can reach a time agreement.

Both sides were huddling with their legislative staff to review final details, and said they expect to unveil a broad deal within several hours with a vote taking place later Tuesday.

Notice who was NOT a critical part of these late negotiations? Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. As The New York Times editorial board wrote on Monday, McConnell is the reason that a relief package hasn’t already been approved.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer appears to be pleased with the negotiations related to unemployment insurance. House Democrats unveiled their version of a stimulus bill late Monday night.

If you’re looking for political news that isn’t about Coronavirus, it’s available right after the jump…

SERIOUSLY, THERE WILL BE NON-CORONAVIRUS NEWS MOMENTARILY…

► Congressman Ken Buck (R-Greeley) — who is also the State Republican Party Chairman — is a perfect example of how (not) to behave during the coronavirus outbreak.

► Colorado has re-opened its health insurance marketplace through April 3.

► RTD may be forced to make a decision about service cuts as ridership on buses and light rail drops 70%.

► The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) has been inundated with unemployment insurance requests and is asking people to stagger their reporting time to allow CDLE employees to more efficiently process claims.

► The 2020 Toyko Olympics have been officially postponed for one year because of the pandemic.

► Colorado Public Radio asks Members of Colorado’s Congressional Delegation about what questions they are hearing most from constituents. Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County) answered similar questions last week during an appearance on The Get More Smarter Podcast.

► The Denver Post explains how marijuana dispensaries are operating during the coronavirus outbreak.

► Westword discusses the individuals who make up two important coronavirus-related advisory committees.

► A reminder: Be wary of coronavirus-related fraud and price gouging.

► Colorado is receiving a shipment of personal protective equipment (PPE) from the nation’s stockpile, but it is only enough to last for about one day.

► The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel looks at how Western Slope counties are handling the coronavirus outbreak. The City of Grand Junction has declared a state of emergency and announced a deferment of local sales taxes.

HERE IT IS: POLITICAL NEWS THAT IS NOT ABOUT CORONAVIRUS…

► Today is the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. The group Rocky Mountain Values is highlighting the anniversary to ask Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) to protect the ACA rather than advocate for its demise. From a press release:

As the coronavirus spreads across the United States, it’s critical that our elected officials take steps to make sure Coloradans remain healthy. That is why thousands of Coloradans signed a petition asking Senator Gardner to protect the Affordable Care Act. The petition was e-delivered to Senator Gardner’s office today, the 10th anniversary of the ACA.

As of today, the petition had over 2,800 signatures.

The petition reads, in part:

“Senator Gardner has repeatedly stated he would protect our access to health care, particularly for people with pre-existing positions. Instead, he voted four times to repeal the Affordable Care Act in the Senate and has done nothing to stop this reckless lawsuit. Sign this petition and tell Senator Cory Gardner to protect the ACA. Coloradans’ lives depend on it and we won’t go back!”

Over his career, Senator Gardner has voted seven times to repeal the ACA.

► The Center for Western Priorities is tracking efforts by the Trump administration to remake environmental rules and regulations — nevermind that everyone’s attention is diverted because of coronavirus:

Within the last two weeks, OMB has held meetings with executives from the American Petroleum Institute, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Shell, BP, Occidental Petroleum, and the Independent Petroleum Association of America on a proposal to reopen loopholes allowing oil and gas companies to skirt royalty payments to taxpayers on publicly-owned oil and gas.

The analysis also identified 19 proposed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service actions to remove or downgrade protections for plants and animals under the Endangered Species Act—more than the 14 proposals to list new species.

As the country continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic, organizations representing the nation’s states, cities, and counties have called for a formal pause on all active comment periods, stating they are unable to provide thoughtful input. Under Secretary David Bernhardt, the Interior Department has given no indication that it will pause new policy changes, instead proceeding with oil and gas lease sales and opening new comment periods on development projects.

► Governor Jared Polis has signed legislation officially ending the death penalty in Colorado. As part of that decision, the three men who were on death row in Colorado had their sentences commuted from the death penalty to life imprisonment.

► House Minority Leader Patrick Neville thinks it is “unacceptable” that Coloradans have to sit through a two-day waiting period for firearm purchases. If we all had more guns, somebody could have shot the coronavirus already!

Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

► President Trump totally handled the coronavirus outbreak. Totally.

► After a brief experiment in reporting on reality, Fox News is back to shaking its fist at everybody else.

ICYMI

► Remember: President Trump is not a doctor. Do not take medical advice from this man.

► The New York Times chronicles how the Presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders went off the rails.

► Want more? Check out The Get More Smarter Podcast:

For more political learnings, check out The Get More Smarter Show or The Get More Smarter Podcast. And don’t forget to give Colorado Pols a thumbs up on Facebook and Twitter. 

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