July 22, 2016 12:48 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (July 22)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Goodbye, Cleveland; hello, Philadelphia. 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…

► Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican nomination for President on Thursday to wrap up the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Trump delivered a very long speech that seemed intended to scare voters more than inspire them to jump onboard the Big Orange Bus, as the Washington Post explains:

The language he used was as dark and ominous as in any acceptance speech in recent memory, and what he promised to fix was a mess that he laid directly at the feet of Clinton, the former secretary of state and wife of former president Bill Clinton, as well as at the feet of President Obama.

Running through a litany of problems in the Middle East that have happened over the past seven-plus years, Trump said of his rival: “The legacy of Hillary Clinton is death, destruction, terrorism and weakness.”…

…Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign manager, had promised earlier in the week that Trump would campaign on a theme of law and order, a theme that was largely unspoken through much of the early months of Trump’s candidacy.

On Thursday, Trump embraced that message in the opening minutes of his speech, asserting that this is a “moment of crisis” for the country that threatens “our very way of life.” He painted a picture of an America out of control, with rising crime in big cities, police being shot and illegal immigrants streaming across the border.

“Beginning on January 20th of 2017, safety will be restored,” he said.

In a separate story about Trump’s acceptance speech, James Hohmann of the Washington Post summed up the remarks thusly:

Trump essentially used the most important speech of his campaign – and perhaps political career – to yell fire in a crowded theatre.

The Associated Press did some fact-checking on Trump’s acceptance speech, pointing out several problems with his statements on the economy, immigration, and — of course — Hillary Clinton.

► With the Republican Norovirus Convention coming to an end in Cleveland, John Frank of the Denver Post notes the continued defiance from Colorado delegates:

Colorado’s delegates remain reluctant to support Donald Trump, which is to say most of them will vote for the Republican nominee despite their bad history.

This is what it looked like Thursday night —  Donald Trump hit one of his big applause lines in his acceptance speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention and his screaming fans jumped to their feet.

The Colorado delegation, for the most part, remained in their seats. Some clapped. Others sat arms crossed.

“Look at stubborn Colorado,” a Georgia delegate and Trump campaign surrogate snorted from behind the delegation’s seats.

Chris Cillizza of “The Fix” offers up his Winners and Losers from Day Four of the RNC.

► It appears increasingly likely that Hillary Clinton will name Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate. From Politico:

Hillary Clinton’s veepstakes is ending the way it began: with the humble-but-sturdy Tim Kaine sitting at the top of her list.

After an extensive, months-long process during which the campaign considered a host of different options — even vetting a serious candidate from outside the political arena — the squeaky-clean Virginia senator, whose biggest liability to emerge was that he was boring, is emerging as Clinton’s top choice. Kaine has been urged along by two men familiar with the demands of the job: President Barack Obama and former president Bill Clinton, those close to the process say.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► North Denver residents no longer need to wonder when Ben “The Bachelor” Higgins might come knocking at their door. The Republican reality TV star had filed paperwork to run against incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Pabon less than a week ago, despite the fact that HD-4 is the strongest-performing Democratic district in the entire state.

► The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced on Thursday that it will move the 2017 “All-Star Game” from Charlotte in response to anti-LGBT legislation enacted in North Carolina. As the Associated Press reports:

The league had expressed its opposition to the law known as HB2 since it was enacted in March, and its decision Thursday came less than a month after state legislators revisited the law and chose to leave it largely unchanged.

“While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2,” the league said in a statement.

The league added that it hoped to announce a new location for next February’s events shortly. It hopes to reschedule the 2019 game for Charlotte if there is a resolution to the matter.

“We understand the NBA’s decision and the challenges around holding the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte this season. There was an exhaustive effort from all parties to keep the event in Charlotte, and we are disappointed we were unable to do so,” Hornets chairman and Hall of Famer Michael Jordan said.

The loss of the All-Star Game is estimated to cost Charlotte some $100 million, based on the economic impact of the All-Star Game in previous cities. The State of Indiana lost an estimated $60 million in potential revenue in 2015 after Gov. Mike Pence (now Donald Trump’s running mate) signed the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (RFRA) that made it possible for businesses to discriminate against LGBT individuals on religious grounds; at least a dozen organizations cancelled plans to move their company headquarters to Indiana in the wake of RFRA legislation.

► The City of Denver is considering tightening regulations on developers to require that they preserve more parking spaces in new construction projects. Denver isn’t just a nice place to drive around in circles.

► Officials are warning residents of Hugo, Colorado to avoid drinking or bathing with local water until they can figure out a problem that apparently led to a high level of THC in the water supply.

► Colorado Springs activists made headlines in the Gazette after a rally calling for an end to racial injustice. 

► State Sen. Laura Waters Woods (R-Arvada) continues to publicize her strident anti-choice beliefs that do NOT include exceptions for abortions in the case of rape or incest.

► Congressman Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) and his campaign are working very hard to claim that he does not support Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump. Unfortunately for Coffman, a campaign spokesperson is already on the record stating that “the answer is obviously yes” that Coffman would support the GOP nominee. 

► The Colorado Springs Gazette has a whopper of a conflict of interest when it comes to editorializing about Republican Senate candidate Darryl Glenn.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► David Duke, the former leader of white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan, is apparently going to run as a Republican in a U.S. Senate race in Louisiana. Excuse us for not acting surprised.

► Donald Trump really doesn’t like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, which might be the biggest thing he has in common with average American voters.

ICYMI

► If you’re already worried about the Presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, you probably don’t want to read anything about his recent interview with the New York Times.

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