August 05, 2015 11:12 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Wednesday (Aug. 5)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Don’t feel bad — we didn’t make the cut for the big debate, either. 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 2016 Presidential race enters its next stage on Thursday when Fox News hosts (most) of the GOP candidates for the first debate of the campaign. Yesterday, Fox announced the “Top 10” Republican candidates who will take center stage in Cleveland — and the second tier of hopefuls who will participate in the Junior Varsity debate. From Politico:

The candidates, drawn from an average of the five most recent national polls, ranked from first to 10th: Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Christie and Kasich.

Perry, the former governor of Texas whose performance in the debates four years ago helped doom his campaign, finished in 11th place, eight-tenths of a point behind Kasich. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore and former New York Gov. George Pataki are farther behind.

The top 10 candidates will debate in a two-hour event at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday. The also-rans will be invited to appear at a separate, one-hour debate, which airs at 5 p.m. Eastern.

Colorado Pols will be running our traditional Debate Diary during both of the Thursday debates.

► Democrat Hillary Clinton was in Denver on Tuesday for her first official Presidential campaign stop in Colorado. Clinton highlighted immigration and women’s health issues during her Colorado visit, taking particular aim at Jeb Bush following his earlier statements in support of Republican efforts to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush demonstrates the GOP problem with trying to earn support from right-wing conservatives. From Eli Stokols at Politico:

Looking to curry favor with religious conservatives at the outset of a competitive primary fight, Bush on Tuesday repeated his call to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood — and then he went even further, questioning the amount of government support for women’s health programs generally.

The Romneyesque unforced error drew a fast and furious backlash from Democrats, causing Bush to backtrack almost immediately and to acknowledge that he “misspoke.”

► Remember, it’s the children who are really getting the short end of the stick with all of the shenanigans related to Colorado public schools lately. Meanwhile, even diehard Republicans feel compelled to admit that Jefferson County School Board Member Julie Williams is a complete disaster.

► Colorado officials and environmental groups continue to discuss President Obama’s Clean Power Plan.

► Red Rocks Park is now officially a national historic landmark — and so is the Mount Morrison Civilian Conservation Corps Camp located nearby. 

► Denver Mayor Michael Hancock kicks off a campaign today asking Denver voters to approve increases to hotel and car rental taxes in an effort to generate money to revamp the National Western Complex.

► Florida Gov. Rick Scott blames Obamacare for rising Medicaid costs; Florida state economists have no idea what Scott is talking about.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► No surprise here: A silly attempt to recall Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey went absolutely nowhere.

► It’s a good thing that nobody really listened to Walker Stapleton when the Republican State Treasurer was advocating big state investments in gold. 

ICYMI

► Colorado Senator Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) voted in favor of a Senate proposal to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Remember when the editorial board of the Denver Post wrote last fall that Gardner would “pose no threat to abortion rights” if elected to the Senate?

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