September 27, 2016 01:07 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Tuesday (September 27)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Happy National Voter Registration Day! 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 first Presidential debate of the 2016 General Election is in the books. After 90 minutes of debating at Hofstra University in New York on Monday, Democrat Hillary Clinton was the clear winner over Republican Donald Trump. We live-blogged Monday’s debate, so click here to check out the blow-by-blow action.

If you’re looking for more reaction from last night’s debate, most pundits agreed that Clinton walloped Trump. As the Washington Post reports, Trump is already making excuses for a terrible performance:

The consensus that Donald Trump badly lost the first debate gelled overnight. Liberals predictably panned the GOP nominee’s performance on Long Island, but some of the harshest reviews are coming from conservative thought leaders who had been starting to come around.

Trump’s surrogates in the spin room were downbeat, and the candidate himself has already begun making excuses: “They gave me a defective mic,” he complained to reporters during a gaggle. “Did you notice that? My mic was defective within the room. I wonder, was that on purpose?” There was no clear problem with his microphone during the debate, Jose DelReal notes.

The only problem with Trump’s microphone on Monday was that it kept amplifying Trump’s actual words. For more on the debate, just use the Google; reaction is not difficult to find. You can also check out Politico’s five takeaways from Monday evening. The Associated Press also fact-checked some of the more notable comments from the debate.

Trump’s “stamina” attacks on Clinton fell flat on Monday in part because His Hairness was dealing with case of the sniffles.

► Aurora Democrat Morgan Carroll continues to hit hard at Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Coffman. Carroll’s latest TV ad ties Coffman to Trump with some very effective examples.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► The Denver Post is running an extensive series on oil and gas drilling in Colorado. In Part 3 of the series, reporters Monte Whaley and John Ingold discuss why drilling proponents think the industry should worry less about safety:

Peter Dooley, safety and health project consultant for the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, said safety recommendations often go unheeded.

“You can have all the voluntary industrywide safety days you want,” Dooley said. “But if there is not a requirement to do something, that often puts safety on the back burner.”

Oil and gas proponents concede 2014 was one of the worst years ever for deaths in the industry — at least 144 oil and gas workers died across the nation, a 29 percent jump from 2013, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. But they still point to an overall improving safety record, which they attribute to a constant focus on bettering processes and training employees. And they say the industry’s brawling, hard-living days of roughnecking are long gone…

…Stephen Flaherty, director of state and local government affairs for Halliburton, says his company has seen “double-digit decreases in accidents and injuries because of our safety practices.”

But in Jim Freemyer’s case, the industry failed to provide him the basic technology to survive a day of work.

Check out the entire story for a fascinating look at how cost-cutting trumps safety in many oil and gas operations.

► Here’s a fun list of seven things that Rep. Mike Coffman probably wishes he had never said out loud.

► Political pundits continue to scratch their collective heads over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz‘s decision to endorse Donald Trump for President. Right-wing talking head Glenn Beck interviewed Cruz on Monday and ended up apologizing to his viewers for supporting Cruz in his bid for President. From CNN:

After the interview concluded, Beck said for the first time, he “heard Ted Cruz calculate.”

Beck ended his conservative radio program with an apology to his listeners for supporting Cruz, adding that he should have backed Marco Rubio instead.

“That was so calculated that it was stunning to me,” Beck said. “I think I have to apologize and say, maybe, perhaps, those of you who said Ted Cruz is calculating and a smarmy politician, I think I may have to slightly agree with you and apologize for saying, ‘No, he wasn’t.'”

► Hey, look: It’s Mark Udall!

► Senator Michael Bennet (D-Denver) recaps a recent editorial board meeting with the Ft. Collins Coloradoan.

► Public lands policies are emerging as perhaps the most important issue in a tight battle for Congress in CD-3. As Charles Ashby writes for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel:

Tipton said while he hasn’t advocated for selling off public lands, he is in favor of opening them up for more commercial uses and opposes new government regulations that make that harder to do…

…Schwartz said Tipton misses the point.

The underlying issue behind the movement to sell federal land is to use them solely for energy development at the expense of other uses, such as tourism and outdoor recreation, which also creates jobs, she said.

“There’s a dangerous movement nationally and in Congress to sell and transfer our public lands,” Schwartz said. “Scott Tipton’s record clearly shows a patterns of alignment with the proponents of this movement.”

► The Denver Post and Denver7 are teaming up for some oddly-named “Tap the Vote” issue forums. The first of these initiative debates — featuring a discussion on Amendment 70 (minimum wage increase) — takes place on Thursday.

► A Colorado software developer has come up with a new mobile app that will likely just make people more confused about pre-election polling numbers.

► Colorado’s Chief Medical Officer talks to the Colorado Independent about the health risks of fracking.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► The Colorado Rockies are typically terrible as the 2016 baseball season winds to a close. Too bad a batting title doesn’t directly equate to more victories.

► Early numbers from Nielsen suggest that Monday’s Presidential debate is the most-watched debate in the history of American television. While some analysts were predicting 100 million viewers, it would appear that Clinton v. Trump Part 1 didn’t quite attract such a hefty crowd.

ICYMI

► The undefeated Denver Broncos jumped to the top of ESPN’s weekly Power Rankings for NFL teams.

Don’t forget to check out the Get More Smarter Show. You can also Get More Smarter by liking Colorado Pols on Facebook!