June 15, 2015 12:46 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Monday (June 15)

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Denver Nuggets have hired Mike Malone to be their next head coach, which is very sad; Malone has just 39 more NBA wins under his belt than you do. 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…

► Congressman Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) is standing behind his horribly-inappropriate comments in which he compared the Veterans Administration to ISIS. Colorado Pols first reported on Coffman’s absurd statements during an interview on KOA radio Friday morning, and the story has since been picked up by numerous national media outlets. If you missed it, here’s what Coffman said:

This story was front-page material on Buzzfeed this morning, which included this response:

A Coffman spokesman said the comments were, “a controversy only with liberals and the Washington outrage machine. His sarcastic point was obvious – the VA is an organizational disaster.”

Don’t forget the context here — we’re talking about the same Mike Coffman who represents CD-6 (the home of the troubled hospital project) and also serves as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations for the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Construction on the Aurora VA Hospital will continue through September after Congress kicked the can down the road again on Friday.

► The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that you can be fired for using marijuana during your free time. The Aurora Sentinel says it’s time for Congress to step in on legal weed.

► Nobody is more damaging to Sen. Ellen Roberts’ political future than Ellen Roberts herself.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► The Colorado Independent breaks down the votes from Colorado’s Congressional delegation on President Obama’s international trade proposal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). According to the Denver Post, Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County) voted against the proposal despite heavy lobbying pressure from the President himself.

► Jefferson County School Board President Ken Witt and Superintendent Dan McMinimee continue to defend themselves for apparently bullying a Jeffco student.

► Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will visit Denver on Saturday as part of his campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination.

► Democrat Hillary Clinton would be the first woman elected President in the U.S. if she is able to win in 2016. Her campaign is acknowledging this much more than it did in 2008, as “The Fix” notes:

Regardless of why they screwed it up last time, this version of the Clinton campaign appears to have figured out what had been staring them directly in the face for the last seven-plus years.  From the emphasis on her status as a grandmother to the centrality of her own mother’s struggles in her kickoff speech, Clinton is putting her gender at the core of this campaign.

That’s of critical import not solely because it shows she learned the right lessons from the 2008 campaign but also because her gender (and the historic nature of her candidacy) provides Clinton her best possible response to the already-underway Republican attack that she represents the past.

► Governor John Hickenlooper says he “would consider” an offer for a potential cabinet post should Democrats maintain control of the White House in 2016. We’re not sure why this is news, either.

► Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is getting ready to announce his candidacy for President (for reals this time). His campaign is hoping you will just remember the name “Jeb” and forget his last name.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Hey, look at that: Breaking campaign finance laws really can lead to serious consequences!

► The Duggars are not coming to Colorado after all.

► The Senate is debating two different over-the-counter birth control bills, with Colorado Senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet playing major roles. Gardner is having a difficult time trying to explain his version of OTC legislation.

ICYMI

► Former State Rep. John Buckner (D-Aurora) was laid to rest on Friday. Buckner died on May 28 after a battling a chronic respiratory illness.

► A fourth juror has been dismissed from the Aurora Theater Shooting Trial.

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