Happy Columbus Day Indigenous Peoples’ Day! Let’s 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 learner, check out The Get More Smarter Podcast. And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter.
► The Associated Press looks ahead to how Congress may finish out the year on the big issue regarding the debt ceiling:
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., blinked last week. And then he said he wouldn’t blink again.
McConnell said since summer that Republicans wouldn’t supply the votes majority Democrats needed to extend the federal debt limit. But Thursday night, 11 Republicans including McConnell joined Democrats in narrowly overcoming a procedural hurdle so the Senate could subsequently approve $480 billion in fresh borrowing.
House passage, expected Tuesday, would stave off until December a first-ever federal default that could disrupt the global economy, delay government checks to Social Security recipients and others and unleash voters’ wrath on lawmakers.
But the partisan dispute will resume in two months.
Republicans want Democrats to raise the debt ceiling on their own to underscore their argument that Biden’s multitrillion-dollar social and environment agenda is unaffordable. Democrats want Republicans to put their imprint on the borrowing limit increase, noting that the $28 trillion national debt is for unpaid bills already incurred, including $7 trillion under former President Donald Trump.
By enabling a two-month reprieve on the fight, McConnell angered Republicans who wanted a tougher stance against Democrats including Trump, still an intimidating force in the GOP. Even usual McConnell ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called it “complete capitulation.”
Everybody loves alliteration.
► Republican gubernatorial candidate HiediHeidi Ganahl held some sort of online interview thing with wacko right-wing bluster machine Dennis Prager over the weekend (if you’re not familiar with Prager, this will give you some idea of what to expect). Ganahl’s campaign is still having trouble with some of the important details of a statewide contest, such as SPELLING YOUR CANDIDATE’S NAME CORRECTLY:
A few short weeks before the widely expected CDC approval of the COVID vaccine for 5-11 year-olds, Ganahl gave Prager the platform of her gubernatorial campaign to spread dangerous rhetoric about the COVID-19 vaccine. Heidi Ganahl personally kicked off the event by giving Prager the microphone and allowing him to claim it was “child abuse” to give children the COVID-19 vaccine, despite CDC recommendations. Prager also told people in the audience the vaccine was “not good for you” if you had already been infected with COVID-19, disregarding the advice of public health experts, again. The U.S. Surgeon General described COVID misinformation an “urgent threat” and its proliferation a major hindrance towards ending the pandemic.
Prager went on to call schools “poison factories” and praise failed California Republican gubernatorial nominee, Larry Elder. Giving right wing extremists a platform for dangerous misinformation is not new for Ganahl. Prager is yet another addition to the growing list of extremists Ganahl has surrounded herself with such as John Eastman and Lauren Boebert — and we can expect to see more as her campaign continues. [Pols emphasis]
► Colorado Newsline reports on efforts by Rep. Jason Crow (D-Aurora) to overhaul how we conduct background checks for gun purchases.
Click below to keep learning stuff…
And Now, More Words…
► Republicans have found yet another guy willing to invest some of his own money in a fruitless campaign for U.S. Senate. Welcome Joe O’Dea (no, we have no idea who that is, either), and thanks for being GOP consultant Josh Penry’s latest meal ticket.
► A new AP/NORC poll shows that most Americans have significant concerns about cyberhacking, particularly when it comes to efforts out of China and Russia.
►The Colorado Sun reports on the Colorado Supreme Court hearings related to the new congressional redistricting map.
► Two prominent Republicans have an interesting message for voters in 2022 as they attempt to claw back control of their party from Donald Trump. From The New York Times:
►Fox 31 Denver notes that Colorado’s voter registration numbers continue to give an advantage to Democrats.
►POLITICO looks at the campaign of former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke as he tries to claw his way back into Congress, via Montana, while spending the majority of his time IN CALIFORNIA.
►The Denver Post looks at how a law intended to help residents of mobile home parks may not be working as well as its supporters had hoped.
► As The Colorado Times Recorder explains, former Republican DA George Brauchler is waffling on his Trump bonafides.
Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters has 10 days to notify the state that she intends to file a report on donations she is accepting as part of a legal defense fund that she’s actively soliciting, the Colorado Secretary of State ruled Friday.
Responding to a complaint filed by a Grand Junction resident, Luis Lipchak, campaign finance enforcement manager in the Secretary of State’s Office, issued a “Notice of Initial Review and Opportunity to Cure” memo to Peters, saying she has until Oct. 18 to comply with Colorado laws governing legal defense funds.
Such funds are permissible, but only if elected officials report contributions and expenditures, don’t accept money from registered lobbyists, and report fund activity in a timely manner, Lipchak wrote.
“Respondent (Peters) is not currently an active candidate … nor is there an active candidate committee,” Lipchak wrote. “However, respondent has a campaign website soliciting contributions through a donation button. The (SOS) division makes the initial determination that complainant identified one or more potential violations of Colorado campaign finance laws.”
Again, we have absolutely NO IDEA what Rep. Lauren “Q*Bert” Boebert is complaining about today. Democrats are…anti-parent? [P.S. The word you’re looking for is “altogether.”]
Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
► The Washington Post looks at where in the United States that “Columbus Day” is still a thing.
2 thoughts on “Get More Smarter on Monday (Oct. 11)”
Re: the challenges to the Congressional map
Most of the complaints fall into one bucket: the Dems and Repubs want another safe district and are upset that CD8 is such a toss up. Tough! The map reflects Colorado's electorate: 4 D seats, 3 R seats, 1 tossup.
And the claims of Latinx voter dilution is hogwash. If anything CD8 gives the Latinx community the strongest of any district in the state being nearly 40% of the electorate in CD8.
As for the counties that are complaining they are split: the splits have to happen some where because some jackass on SCOTUS once said population had to be exactly equal +/- 1 person. That's NOT what SCOTUS said, but it is how it is interpreted. What they actually said was must be equal or must give valid reason why they aren't. To preserve a city/county boundary is a valid reason in my book if the amount of population is very small (like +/- 500 people). but I digress. The split has to happen somewhere, the passed map makes them rather logically.
The one valid claim that I saw: the new CD7 is an illogical beast. (In one of my comments to the Commission, I called it a cow-patty in the middle of the state) However, it was a by-product of trying to serve a lot of other communities of interest.
I do not expect the Court to return the map for revisions.
October 11, 2021 11:05 AM UTC
2 Comments
Happy 
Re: the challenges to the Congressional map
Most of the complaints fall into one bucket: the Dems and Repubs want another safe district and are upset that CD8 is such a toss up. Tough! The map reflects Colorado's electorate: 4 D seats, 3 R seats, 1 tossup.
And the claims of Latinx voter dilution is hogwash. If anything CD8 gives the Latinx community the strongest of any district in the state being nearly 40% of the electorate in CD8.
As for the counties that are complaining they are split: the splits have to happen some where because some jackass on SCOTUS once said population had to be exactly equal +/- 1 person. That's NOT what SCOTUS said, but it is how it is interpreted. What they actually said was must be equal or must give valid reason why they aren't. To preserve a city/county boundary is a valid reason in my book if the amount of population is very small (like +/- 500 people). but I digress. The split has to happen somewhere, the passed map makes them rather logically.
The one valid claim that I saw: the new CD7 is an illogical beast. (In one of my comments to the Commission, I called it a cow-patty in the middle of the state) However, it was a by-product of trying to serve a lot of other communities of interest.
I do not expect the Court to return the map for revisions.
When Fox News sends out a subpoena…