March 04, 2016 12:45 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (March 4)

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• by: Colorado Pols

May the best dick joke win — it’s not like this is a Presidential debate or anything. 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…

► We try to keep the conversation above board around here (well, sometimes), but we can’t think of a better description for last night’s Republican Presidential debate than this: Shit show. If you missed the stone throwing from Detroit last night, there was a fairly universal response to the level of dialogue, as the Washington Post reports:

The Republican Party does not look prepared to come out of the wilderness after eight years of Barack Obama. 

That’s the takeaway of many leading conservatives after last night’s 11th Republican debate.

Just when you probably thought the presidential nominating contest had hit rock bottom, Donald Trump joked about the size of his genitalia…

…The two-hour shout-down in Detroit, ahead of Michigan’s primary next Tuesday, suggested that the GOP’s deep wounds will not heal any time soon and raised the odds that Hillary Clinton will wind up president this time next year…

…I’ll explain further down why Ted Cruz and John Kasich probably won the Fox News debate on points, and Marco Rubio came out worse for wear, but it’s myopic to think about last night in those terms. Because, in reality, everyone lost.

Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) was on hand in Detroit to attempt to spin things favorably for his boy, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, but instead Gardner just made a fool of himself with the Wall Street Journal.

► Last night’s embarrassment in Detroit has conservatives across the country — and here in Colorado — wondering if the Republican Party might just be on its deathbed.

Elsewhere, Jason Salzman tries to keep track of which Colorado Republicans are actually excited about a Trump candidacy. This is a particularly difficult task when media outlets near and far are having trouble getting Colorado Republicans to even respond to questions about Trump. Congressman Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) finally voiced an opinion of more than a few words about Donald Trump, and it did not go well.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► The Colorado House of Representatives has passed a bill to “modernize” birth certificates. As a press release from One Colorado explains:

One Colorado, the state’s leading advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Coloradans and their families, released the following statement from Executive Director Dave Montez on the passage of the Birth Certificate Modernization Act, House Bill 1185, by the Colorado House of Representatives.

“Every transgender person is someone’s son or daughter, and they deserve to be treated fairly and with respect. Today’s bipartisan vote to pass the Birth Certificate Modernization Act brings us closer to eliminating one of the many unfair barriers that transgender Coloradans face every day. This legislation will help thousands of transgender Coloradans and it harms no one.

“This bill will bring Colorado law in line with federal policies for people seeking to update the gender on their birth certificate, making it drastically less invasive for transgender individuals who simply want their identity documents to reflect who they are. Someone whose birth certificate doesn’t match their gender is at risk for being denied housing, a job, or even the fundamental right to vote. That’s why this legislation is so important, and we look forward to seeing it get a fair committee assignment and advance it’s way through the Colorado Senate.”

► This Denver Post blog entry from Joey Bunch probably needs a new headline. “Both parties play politics with potential nominees” is kind of like saying the Denver Broncos are hunkering down and talking only about football.

► Congressman Ken Buck (R-Greeley) still isn’t saying why he was one of just nine members of the House of Representatives to oppose naming a post office in North Carolina after Maya Angelou.

► A measure intended to help entice new teachers to ply their trade in rural Colorado schools is making its way through the legislature.

► So-called “Make My Day” laws probably shouldn’t apply to inmates in Colorado prisons.

► Democrats have a candidate in HD-51, where Republican Rep. Brian DelGrosso is term-limited. Jody Shaddock-McNally will await the winner of a GOP Primary between Hugh McKean and Tom Lucero.

► Public toilets are being installed in Denver, which is…exciting, or something.

► Republican Ben Carson withdrew from the GOP Presidential race this week, and he already has a new job.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Democrat Jeff Chostner, the District Attorney in the Pueblo area, looks likely to be running for re-election without opposition.

► The man convicted in the Aurora Theater Shootings will be spending his life in prison…but not in Colorado.

ICYMI

► Dana Milbank of the Washington Post thinks that Hillary Clinton should consider choosing Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as her running mate, should Clinton capture the Democratic Presidential nomination.

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