July 25, 2016 12:57 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Monday (July 25)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Compared to the Olympic Village in Rio, all of the accommodations in Philadelphia are 5-star locations. 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…

► The Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia got underway on Monday with an unexpected jolt of controversy. As Politico reports:

Democrats on Monday struggled to contain the chaos that threatened to take hold in Philadelphia, as Debbie Wasserman Schultz bowed out of plans to gavel in the Democratic National Convention and restless Bernie Sanders’ supporters lashed out.

A day after the resignation of the embattled party chairwoman over a massive leak of emails showing disdain for Sanders’ campaign, the party could not escape the optics of a convention marred by discord, much like the Republicans’ the week before. And once again, Hillary Clinton has found herself ensnared in another email-related controversy.

Trouble started early Monday, when Wasserman Schultz’s debut at the convention proved disastrous. The Florida congresswoman as was heckled as she tried to speak before the Florida delegation breakfast, with some in the room yelling “Shame!”

By Monday afternoon, Wasserman Schultz had wisely decided to step aside as DNC Chair altogether. Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the mayor of Baltimore, takes over as the gaveler-in-chief in Philadelphia.

Elsewhere, the Washington Post previews the DNC by asking (and answering) 10 important questions.

► Two prominent Colorado Democrats will be on the stage in Philadelphia for prominent speaking roles. House Democratic Leader Crisanta Duran, likely the next House Speaker should Democrats maintain control of the lower chamber, will tell the story of “Colorado, women, and Latinos” on Thursday evening. Governor John Hickenlooper is also scheduled to speak at the DNC later this week.

► There are conflicting reports about how far Gov. Hickenlooper really advanced in the Veepstakes to become Hillary Clinton’s running mate. Over the weekend, Clinton announced that she had tapped Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine for the VP role.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Two prominent Democrats in the midst of high-profile congressional campaigns will remain in Colorado rather than visit Philadelphia for the DNC. Morgan Carroll (CD-6) and Gail Schwartz (CD-3) are keeping their feet in Colorado as they work to unseat Republican Reps. Mike Coffman and Scott Tipton, respectively. Coffman, Tipton, and many other Colorado elected officials skipped last week’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland primarily in order to stay as far away as possible from Donald Trump’s coattails; Carroll and Schwartz are not skipping the DNC for any candidate or platform-specific reasons. 

► Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman addressed her fellow Republicans in Cleveland during an event last week. Coffman told a crowd that she was “ashamed” of the Republican Party for its continued resistance to equal rights for LGBT citizens.

► As Republicans returned home to Colorado following last week’s RNC in Cleveland, one overarching question remained unanswered: Now what?

► Larimer County is growing both in size and political influence, but as the Ft. Collins Coloradoan reports, neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton are particularly popular in Northern Colorado.

► A Lakewood cake shop owner who was criticized for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple is still trying to push his case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Colorado Supreme Court declined to hear a suit by Jack Phillips about being allowed to discriminate for “religious reasons,” so it’s probably not likely that the U.S. Supremes will decide to intervene instead.

► Peter Marcus of the Durango Herald examines the state of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources as a new executive director, Bob Randall, takes the helm.

► Fracking concerns are again becoming big news in East Boulder County, particularly in the City of Lafayette. 

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► As it turns out, the water supply in Hugo, Colorado is not contaminated with THC.

► The Washington Post has already made it known that they will not even consider endorsing Donald Trump for President this fall. From a Friday editorial:

This year we will follow the campaign as always, offering honest views on all the candidates. But we cannot salute the Republican nominee or pretend that we might endorse him this fall. A Trump presidency would be dangerous for the nation and the world…

…Many Americans do not like either candidate this year . We have criticized the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, in the past and will do so again when warranted. But we do not believe that she (or the Libertarian and Green party candidates, for that matter) represents a threat to the Constitution. Mr. Trump is a unique and present danger.

No, we’ve never heard of this being done before, either. Another “first” for Donald Trump!

ICYMI

► Rookies have reported to training camp for the Denver Broncos; the full team will join the kids on Thursday.

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