July 27, 2015 12:52 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Monday (July 27)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Don’t forget your sunscreen today. Let’s 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…

► The petition drive to recall three right-wing members of the Jefferson County School Board is moving along faster than Donald Trump in a Mexican restaurant. Activists needed less than three weeks to collect 30,000 signatures to recall each board member — about double the amount required by law.

► Republicans are imploding on both the local and national level, and the rhetoric is becoming particularly heated in the U.S. Senate. As Politico reports from Sunday:

Republican leaders, led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), delivered what senators described as punishment for Cruz’s brazen floor tactics — the Texas senator first accused McConnell of lying and later sought to change Senate procedures in order to push for an Iran-related amendment.

So when Cruz came to the floor looking for at least 11 senators to agree to hold a roll-call vote, only three raised their hands. McConnell, sitting at his desk, turned around and peered at Cruz, who looked stunned at what had just happened. The Senate dispensed with his effort by a voice vote and quickly moved on, doing the same to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a Cruz ally who sought to use arcane procedures to force a vote on defunding Planned Parenthood.

It all went down in an instant, but the message was clear: If Cruz doesn’t want to play nice with his Republican colleagues, they will respond in kind.

Don’t worry, American people; Republican Congressional leaders have to start governing eventually. Right?

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Joey Bunch of the Denver Post considers whether Colorado is in the midst of a new “Sagebrush Rebellion”:

Nearly a year after Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob Beauprez argued that Colorado should fight for the right to control federal public lands, the debate has risen fast in Colorado and at least eight other Western states…

…Not since the Sagebrush Rebellion in 1979 has the debate over whether it’s time for federal lands to fall to states’ control gained such attention, and the anti-federal-government sentiment and talking points aren’t likely to dissipate as the West heads toward the next presidential election.

We’ve talked before on Colorado Pols about the silliness of Republican efforts in Colorado to re-plant the flag on territorial claims of land. For those of you opposed to the idea of states claiming federal land as their own, you should feel better knowing that the likes of Bob Beauprez and state Sen. Ellen Roberts (R-Durango) are two of the louder voices on the issue.

► Quinnipiac University released another round of survey results today, with a focus on voter opinions concerning a variety of issues. The results also included approval ratings for Gov. John Hickenlooper (51-40 approve/dissaprove) and Sen. Michael Bennet (41-34).

► The Greeley Tribune profiles freshman Congressman Ken Buck (R-Greeley), and reporter James Redmond paints a scene of long, dreary days for the former Weld County District Attorney. The lede of the story is about Tuesday night dinners that Buck spends with his roommates — three House members and four U.S. Senators — and Buck’s dedication to the weekly meal:

Taking the time for a weekly dinner isn’t often easy. It’s a lonely, exhausting and busy life in Washington, D.C. Buck even calls it crazy.

Buck calls it a prayer dinner. The meals are attended by his housemates, a mix of political veterans and rookies such as Buck. It’s a place where Buck and others talk about their families. At times, they also ponder a question: “Are we making enough of a difference in America?” Buck said. “Is it worth the sacrifice to be in Congress?”

Buck’s Chief of Staff, former state Sen. Greg Brophy, seems to have more time on his hands.

► Some Colorado legislators are working on a bill to address driving while under the influence of marijuana. 

► Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has has a tough couple of weeks as he campaigns for the Republican Presidential nomination and tries to simultaneously limit the number of stupid things he says to the media. Here’s Jeb! singing the praises of the Sharknado movie franchise.

► Denver Post reporter Eric Gorski takes a look at the circus that has become the Colorado State Board of Education.

► Former President Jimmy Carter, or a really good anamatronic version of the wily old’ Georgian, drew a sizable crowd to Denver for a book signing on Sunday.

► The U.S. Senate voted — again — on Sunday to repeal Obamacare. It didn’t work, of course, but it’s not like they have anything else to do.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Republican leaders in the House say that they will ignore a Senate-approved bill that would allow the Federal Highway Trust Fund to continue operating beyond July 31. House Republicans don’t appear to have a solution of their own, naturally.

► Right-wing radio station KLZ 560-AM has a new morning show host after holding on-air auditions over the last few weeks. Many of the radio stations “bigger names” resigned a few weeks ago in protest of not being allowed to interview Tom Tancredo, or something. Jason Salzman has video from a recent bellyaching “Liberty Libations” event, in which former “talent” Randy Corporon, Ken Clark, and Chris Cook pulled no punches in their fist-shaking diatribes.

ICYMI

► Famous person Donald Trump has been dominating the headlines since he announced his bid for President last month. There’s lots of bad news for Republicans here, including the fact that Trump seems to be the only GOP candidate being discussed on Spanish-language media outlets. Also bad news for Republicans: a new poll shows that many GOP voters actually agree with Trump on the idea of mass deportations.

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