July 07, 2016 10:46 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Thursday (July 7)

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• by: Colorado Pols

If you’re still waiting for the Denver Nuggets to dive into the NBA free agent market…you might want to get comfortable. 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…

► Big news from the Washington Post this morning: Denver gazillionaire Phil Anschutz has some pretty clear links to the anti-LGBT group “Alliance Defending Freedom.” We summarized the breaking news in a post this morning:

Today’s report documents to a far greater detail than has been disclosed previous the funding and advocacy relationships surrounding the Alliance Defending Freedom–an organization that has spearheaded the opposition to LGBT rights across the nation, and responsible for the defense of figures such as Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis in her battle to avoid having to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

Since the U.S Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, ADF has continued to push a wide variety of anti-LGBT legislation in state legislatures across the nation including Colorado’s. The organization has introduced dozens of such pieces of legislation just in 2016, from “bathroom bills” to restrict access to gender-appropriate restrooms for transgender people to “religious freedom” bills meant to carve out space for faith-based discrimination. Safe to say, ADF is diametrically opposed to the direction the nation has been headed on gay rights in recent years.

The rise of Donald Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee for President has shown a new light on the anti-everything sentiments of His Hairness, and there seems to be something of a domino effect happening as media outlets take a fresh look at the names and checkbooks behind some of the country’s more prominent hate groups.

Some of Anschutz’s money also appears to be connected to soon-to-be-former legislator Gordon “Dr. Chaps” Klingenschmitt, which is embarrassing enough in itself. Unfortunately, the list of Colorado Republicans with ties to hate groups in general seems to be expanding.

► Senator Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) will stump in Colorado for Republican Senate nominee Darryl Glenn. Given Gardner’s recent track record of publicly supporting one loser after another (including former Senate candidate Jon Keyser), this is probably not a good sign for Glenn.

► Former Colorado Senator Bill Armstrong died on Wednesday after a prolonged battle with cancer.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper says he briefly discussed a potential Vice Presidential nod with Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during a meeting last week. Hickenlooper says he is open to the idea of becoming Clinton’s running mate (of course he is), but a potential Clinton-Hickenlooper ticket isn’t something that seems to be getting any traction among national political reporters.

► Phil Robertson of the reality-TV show Duck Dynasty is a relatively sought-after speaker in the world of right-wing Republicans, and he brought his shtick to Colorado last week for the Western Conservative Summit. Robertson is apparently convinced that violent crime in the United States is the fault of the LGBT community, a theory we can’t even attempt to connect with any sort of logical or rational thought.

► Jewish Republicans are increasingly speaking out against the Party’s embrace of Donald Trump for President. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is also taking heat from his family for trying to defend Trump with a story of his family’s history as Holocaust survivors.

► Even Congressman Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) likes puppies.

► Rates of kidney cancer appear to be higher in communities just south of Colorado Springs, though officials are divided on the potential causes. Whether it is a direct cause or not, water contamination in areas near Widefield and Fountain certainly isn’t helping.

► “Right-to-die” advocates are pushing for a November ballot measure that would provide new end-of-life options for patients with terminal illnesses in Colorado.

► Conservation Colorado has released its annual scorecard measuring the environmental support of Colorado legislators. Republican state Senators Kevin Grantham, Kent Lambert, and Vicki Marble tied for the lowest scores.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► The annual Colorado Crime Report again highlights the problem of gun violence.

► Donald Trump is really not very good at running for President. Nevertheless, state Rep. Clarice Navarro remains a big fan of Trump.

ICYMI

► Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is keen on becoming Donald Trump’s running mate this fall. But even if he doesn’t get tapped for the #2 job, Newt seems to be in line for some sort of high-level position should Trump somehow become President.

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