June 10, 2016 01:23 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (June 10)

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy 53 years ago today; clearly, we’re still working on this issue. 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). If you are more of a visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show.

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► If you haven’t yet received a mail ballot, you might want to check your registration or address status. Go to JustVoteColorado.org for more information.

► When you’re done reading this today, head on over to the Get More Smarter Show for a more visual tour of Colorado politics. Get the lowdown on the top State House Primaries to watch as the June 28th election approaches.

► The petition fraud scandal that has dogged Republican Senate candidate Jon Keyser is still going strong after the arrest of petition gatherer Maureen Moss. As Marshall Zelinger reports for Denver7:

The signature collector accused of turning in forged voter signatures on petitions for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jon Keyser is free from jail.

Maureen Moss was released on a personal recognizance bond Thursday, after making her first court appearance since being arrested on Wednesday afternoon.

If Moss fails to appear at her next hearing on Monday morning, a warrant will be issued for her arrest and she will be held on a $10,000 bond.

Denver7 political reporter Marshall Zelinger was in the courtroom for the hearing. When Moss was brought in to the holding area, she asked a sheriff’s deputy multiple times to have him removed. Zelinger was allowed to stay in the room.

Enough of this “shoot the messenger” nonsense. Zelinger has been reporting on the facts of this story for weeks now — which is his job. Ernest Luning of the Colorado Statesman also has more on the story.

► Robert Blaha has landed the endorsement of the Colorado Springs Gazette in the five-way battle for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination:

After meeting with all major Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate, and watching forums and debates, The Gazette’s editorial board determined Blaha is best suited to defeat Sen. Michael Bennet in November and improve Colorado’s representation in Washington.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Republican Senate candidates Darryl Glenn and Jon Keyser are fighting it out over the relative merits of each other’s record in the Air Force. No doubt Keyser is just thrilled to be talking about something other than petition fraud. The Colorado Springs Gazette has more on a Wednesday debate in Colorado Springs that was plenty combative in itself.

► Fellow Republican Senate candidate Jack Graham is running into his own problems as the GOP Senate race comes down to its final weeks. As Marc Stewart reports for Denver7:

As a U.S. Senate candidate, Republican Jack Graham is traveling Colorado, trying to get your vote.   

But now, he’s getting attention from his time as Colorado State University’s athletic director. In a profile piece, the Denver Post cites sources, claiming Graham or head football coach Jim McElwain said “smoking marijuana is part of black culture.”   

“‘Smoking marijuana is part of black culture.’ Did you ever say that phrase?” asked Denver7 reporter Marc Stewart. “Absolutely not,” Graham replied.

The remark was allegedly made during a meeting with alumni, discussing graduation rates of black student athletes.

Graham had better be careful here; if there is a recording of this conversation or other witnesses who will back up the claim, this could get ugly.

► Looking for more information on the Republican Senate race? Here’s a good primer from the Colorado Independent.

► Colorado Senator Cory Gardner is taking up the fight against a ruling intended to make it more difficult for employers to screw workers out of overtime pay. From the Denver Business Journal:

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., vows to fight the U.S. Department of Labor’snew overtime rule, which would make millions of workers eligible for time-and-a-half pay when they work more than 40 hours a week.

He has joined Senate republicans in supporting legislation to block the rule. Senate chairman, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and 42 others including Gardner, sponsored legislation to use the Congressional Review Act to prevent the rule from going into effect Dec. 1.

Gardner claims the Department of Labor decision will “hurt” people in Colorado; we’re not sure who he’s talking about here.

► Media watchdog Jason Salzman does some fact-checking on the reporting of a Delta County Republican Party Chair’s racists Facebook posts.

► Democrat Alan Salazar, the right-hand man for Gov. John Hickenlooper, is taking a leave of absence from the state in order to help Democrat Hillary Clinton in her campaign for President. From the Colorado Independent:

Salazar said he will be working on a yet-to-be-named program, jointly under the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, that concentrates on battleground states. Salazar would serve as a senior advisor, primarily focused on Colorado. But there may also be opportunities to work on policy and Latino outreach that could be helpful to other battleground states, he said.

► Governor John Hickenlooper used his veto pen to stop legislation dealing with some particulars of mental health “holds” in Colorado.

Elsewhere, Hickenlooper is still undecided on how to address a last-minute bill dealing with full-strength alcohol sales in Colorado grocery stores.

► At Least You Don’t Live in Oklahoma (h/t to “Phoenix Rising” for the link).

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Could Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton select Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as her running mate? The Washington Post speculates about a meeting between the two women that was scheduled to take place this morning. Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump mocked the idea by calling Warren “goofy.”

► Donald Trump has not had a very good week, taking heat from all sides for racist comments he made about a federal judge. Today, Trump did his best to reassure Evangelical Republicans that he is their guy for the Presidency.

ICYMI

► Watch the new episode of the Get More Smarter Show. Already seen it? Then watch it again.

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