The Get More Smarter Podcast

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, what do you call it when you throw a press conference, get boo'd by the crowd so loud you can't hear the questions from the press to try and sell a very unpopular bill outside your district? We ask our 7th favorite member of congress from Colorado. Then, our favorite Congressional Bread sandwich surrenders to President Trump and speaker Mike Johnson and sets up every rural hospital in his district for disaster for really no reason at all! Then, in a new segment, Governor Polis vetoes more bills -- we talk about all the bills Governor Polis is vetoing, and some of them may surprise you. And finally we take a peek at the 2026 candidate roster to see how primary elections that are now only a whole year away are shaping up. But first, he's the legendary liberal columnist for the Colorado Sun...Mike Littwin joins us to talk Trump, Colorado Media, the state of US Journalism, and what gives him hope.  

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, Republicans on the Federal level get ready to kick millions of Americans off the Medicaid rolls for no good reason…maybe. Either way, our 7th favorite member of congress from Colorado seals his political fate by boasting about his role in the cuts. Then, what is that loud whistling sound we hear, now that the Federal Aviation Administration has been gutted, there's  really no way to tell if it's a plane falling out of the sky or not, great! Then, as expected, Governor Polis vetoed a key labor bill that we both support, why did he do that? And finally, Donald Trump gets a $400 million jet from a foreign nation, you get five pencils and no more than two dolls for Christmas! But first, are state legislatures, city councils, county commissions, school boards, fire boards, water boards, zoning and planning commissions, Congress and all of the other elected policymaking bodies representative enough of the will of the people...or do we need to look at a European-style Citizen Assembly to get to the bottom of what the people really want? Fort Collins Mayor Jeni Arndt and Rahmin Sarabi of the American Public Trust join us to talk about the recent experience in hyperlocal democracy that just happened in Fort Collins.

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the 2025 legislative session has adjourned 'Sine Die,'which is latin for “a lot of things that happened this year made us want to die.” We check in with the Trump Trainwreck as tariffs, trust, and traitors start to weigh heavy on the regime. Then, Colorado's future one-term Congressman from the 8th congressional district is writing his own ticket back home...and don't say we didn't tell you so. But first, to unpack the legislative session that just ended, we've got Denver Post Statehouse Reporter Seth Klamann on the pod!

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, 100 days down, 1,359 to go: Donald Trump's second nonconsecutive term in the White House is going extremely poorly by literally every metric, to the surprise of absolutely nobody on this podcast. Then, Mike Waltz has left the chat! But he has entered the nomination for the Ambassador to the United Nations. Is there literally nothing a Trump loyalist can do to actually get fired by a guy who literally made “You're Fired” a personal catch phrase? Next Trump and Republicans are almost comically unserious about handling the scourge of gun violence that has plagued this country for essentially the entirety of the time both of us have been on the planet, and they're still managing to find time to screw over American veterans while they do nothing about guns. And  finally we zoom in on our home state of Colorado as Republican politicians try to get Democratic politicians arrested; dark money comms organizations that aren't really think tanks finally get called out by the local press; and while the trade war makes everything dumber and more expensive, one American export is really picking up steam. Can you guess what it is? (it's measles!) 

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, that constitutional crisis we keep talking about keeps getting worse -- at what point do the people who can maybe do something about it start doing something about it, especially as Trump's poll numbers continue to nosedive? Then, are we headed for a Trumpcession, a Trump-pression, or another worse third thing caused by the worst president the country has ever had? Then, we check in on Colorado's representatives in two Capitols as the Colorado legislative session enters the home stretch and Republicans in Congress are doing ... whatever the hell they're doing.But first, she's the Colorado State Representative for the Get More Smarter Podcast and a freshman in the Colorado House of Representatives. State Rep. Rebekah Stewart (D-Lakewood) joins us to talk about what it was like in her first year of her first term in the lower chamber of the Colorado legislature.

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, with approval ratings for Republicans and Democrats alike in the gutter in Colorado and across the country, Democrats have one ally in the fight to bring their numbers back up...and you'll never guess who it is. Then, we've got great news! Wait, sorry, we mean, we've got terrible news! The constitutional crisis is here; it's obvious, it's permeating everything, and we're just as freaked out about it as you are. Next, we check in on some developments in the 2026 campaign even though we know it's only 2025. And finally we have an update on the Colorado legislature: With just three weeks left to go, how are trifecta Democrats protecting you, us, and Colorado from the evils of Trump, DOGE, and whatever other new horrors await us? But first, he's the left side of the bipartisan polling team at the Colorado Polling Institute and he's got some good news and some less good news about Colorado. Kevin Ingham of Aspect Strategic joins us to talk about CPI's latest poll, and some of the results may surprise you. 

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the race for Colorado's next governor is officially on! And the winner will either be Attorney General Phil Weiser or US Senator Michael Bennet -- you can bet on it. Then, don't check your 401k or your kid's college fund or any other investments for the next four years, as Donald Trump's ridiculous one man tariff crusade throws the global economy into a permanent tailspin. We check in with Colorado's Congressional Republicans as at least one of them gets ready to cast the votes that will end his career! And...do you have your tickets to the gun show? Or your background check and your training certificate? Because if you're going to buy an assault weapon in Colorado, pretty soon you're gonna need one! But first, we check in with State Senator Jessie Danielson about the status of one of the biggest bills in the state legislature this year. Danielson also gives us a preview of what she plans to do next in 2026. 

Send us a message! Really!THIS WEEK on the Get More Smarter Podcast it's another special interview-only episode, mostly because Jason is still in the arctic setting tariffs on islands inhabited exclusively by puffins and melting ice caps. Speaking of our apocalyptic climate nightmare hell scape, this week our guest is SIlvio Marcacci, Senior Director of Communications for Energy Innovation. We ask how truly cooked we are if Trump and Congressional Republicans repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, both literally and figuratively, and what it means for Colorado - take a listen!Links:Follow Silvio on BlueskyMake Friends with Silvio on LinkedInFollow Energy Innovation on Bluesky Read the Full Report "REPEALING FEDERAL ENERGY TAX CREDITS AND FUNDING WILL HARM COLORADO'S ECONOMY"

Send us a message! Really!THIS WEEK on the Get More Smarter Podcast it's a special interview-only episode! Where do you get your news? Who do you trust? And are you just a victim of an evil algorithm, or an informed and engaged citizen? Megan Burns is here to talk about the idea of a Newsfluencer, and we ask, does the podcast count? 

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast the race for the worst job in Colorado politics is back on! Who among us gets to be the next Chair of the Colorado GOP? Then, who wants to Chuck…Schumer? It could start with one of Colorado's Senators. And finally, our least favorite member of congress from the 8th congressional district continues to follow in the footsteps of Former U.S. Senator Cory Gardner in his quest to be "Former Member of Congress Gabe Evans."But first, we take a trip back in time and a trip to visit our neighbor in the north. That's right, "Canadian Jason Bane" is BACK on the pod after a four year hiatus. We ask if his move to Canada after the first Trump election in 2016 was a good choice in retrospect, and if Canada is still accepting American applicants! 

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, new polling shows Americans are already sick of Trump 2.0; will shutting down FiveThirtyEight so nobody can get a good polling average help or hurt the 45th and 47th president and his flagging ratings? The White House is controlled by Republicans. The senate is controlled by Republicans. The House of Representatives is controlled by Republicans. The New York Times asks, 'Why won't Democrats stop the government shutdown?' Next, there is some real pain in store for the constituents of our favorite bread sandwich from Colorado's 3rd congressional district; will Rep. Jeff Hurd stand with the tens of thousands of people in his district who have healthcare because of Medicaid expansion, or will he side with Elon Musk and Donald Trump to kick them off their insurance and doom their rural hospitals to bankruptcy? Finally we check in with the most anti-family political party in the country, the Colorado GOP. But first...he was the first officially announced candidate for Colorado Attorney General! He's also the Boulder County District Attorney, and a former deli worker otherwise known as Colorado's Harvey Dent (but with just the one face). Michael Dougherty joins us to talk about his campaign to be the state's top cop in 2026.

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the brilliant businesspeople and billionaires that are currently running the country are driving the economy off a cliff; as Donald Trump's approval ratings slide into net-negative territory at record speed, are we great again yet? Then our neighbors to the north get rightfully pissed at American voters for putting this madman back in the Oval Office -- this time with his North American imperial ambitions! We attempt to gently and politely remind them that more people voted for someone else than voted for Donald Trump. Sorry! Then, Denver's Mayor, Mike Johnston, goes to Washington DC, and it goes a lot better than it could have, unless you're a Republican ad maker. And finally we check in with a few of Colorado's Republican Members of Congress to see how they're handling the whole governing thing. Spoiler alert: Not well!But first, Dr. Sarah Wilson Sokhey of the University of Colorado joins us to talk Ukraine, Russia, and whether we've ever seen a President of the United States or an entire political party parrot the propaganda of a foreign adversary.

Send us a message! Really!On this episode of the Get More Smarter Podcast, "Baby of the Show" Sam Silverii made quite a bit of news as his mom had to schlep him across the country just to be able to do her job forcing House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to scramble to lock down all their votes on the worst budget resolution we've seen in our lifetimes. Town Halls are back, and they're making the 2017 set look like cute little coffee clutches. Donald Trump, Elon Musk and JD Vance are destroying the country and possibly the world, and it looks like people are quickly taking notice. And we take a look at how 2026 campaigns in Colorado are starting to take shape.

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, we already make the joke about the actor Jeff Bridges in the intro to the interview but we've got the Chairman of Colorado's powerful Joint Budget Committee -- State Senator Jeff Bridges -- on the show to explain the insane math problem that is the Colorado state budget. The economy is rolling along, unemployment is low, and revenue is more than enough to meet spending obligations, so why are we about to cut $1.2 billion from the state budget? Senator Bridges makes it make sense in this interview-only episode.

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, Sam Silverii is three weeks old, which is five days younger than the Trump Administration, and even he knows what's going on in DC is bonkers. We check in with our 8th favorite soon-to-be-one-term member of Congress, who has spent his time in Washington hiding when he's not too busy doing Elon Musk and Donald Trump's bidding. And we check in on the Colorado Legislature, where State House Republicans literally show their asses in defense of the January 6th rioters who Trump pardoned for some indefensible reason.But first...Jason Bane sat down with the House Assistant Democratic Leader, Colorado's own Joe Neguse, to ask him what Democrats in Congress can and will do to stop Trump and Musk's wrecking ball, and what you -- yes you -- can do to help. 

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, Jason Bane is joined by guest host Megan Burns as we continue to keep you updated on what you need to be watching as the Trump administration floods the zone with nonsense. Gabe Evans may be earning a new nickname, while Lauren Boebert just keeps on doing Lauren Boebert things. We'll also discuss the good and the bad in the state legislature; and we've got more “groans” as Colorado Republicans continue playing silly games.

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, President Trump hasn't even  been in office for two weeks, and he's already breaking most of the country. Our seventh favorite member of congress is making some really dumb decisions, and so is our eighth favorite member – though that's a lot more predictable. Sen. Michael Bennet is verbally destroying every Republican in his path…Christy Powell has some interesting campaign finance numbers for us…and the Colorado Republican Party continues to find new ways to embarrass itself. It's almost impressive.

Send us a message! Really!We have a bonus episode this week on the Get More Smarter Podcast: Jason Bane sits down with Corey Hutchins, who oversees the Journalism Institute at Colorado College, advises the Colorado Media Project, and serves on the board of the state chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Each Friday, Hutchins publishes "Inside the News in Colorado," a must-read look into how the media landscape in our state is changing...for better or worse. Hutchins tells us about the new normal for local press; how and where people are getting their news; and how Colorado media outlets did something unprecedented in their 2024 political coverage.  

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, as the Trump regime enters its first week and begins to lay the groundwork for the worst shit imaginable, Colorado's Democratic leaders ready themselves for the fight while Colorado's Republicans write letters of support. We check in with our 7th and 8th favorite members of Congress from Colorado...who are quickly getting tied for 8th place. Also, our 100th favorite Colorado State Legislator does something predictably insane. But first, he studies oligarchies, kleptocracies, and other malformed governments, and he's here to help us wrap our heads around what the next four years could be like in the United States as the tech oligarchy and the federal government collapse into one supervillianesque entity. Professor Thomas Pepinsky from Cornell joins us to talk about the greatest grift of all time happening right in front of our eyes.

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the battle for the soul of the Colorado Republican Party is beginning. Who will be the unluckiest Coloradan to get the worst job in the state? Then, the Colorado Senate Republicans have plans! And a bunch of crinkly dollar bills! And, about half the seats in the State Senate they would need to do anything about it! Next, some men will  literally intimidate witnesses to get a drunken rapist put in charge of the pentagon instead of going to therapy and our 7th favorite member of Congress from Colorado kicks off his problem-solving independent-streaking district-voting career as a member of the US House of Representatives by falling straight in line with his party right away. But first, CHOO CHOO, WE'RE TALKING TRAINS and buses and other transit things in our interview today because we have Chris Nicholson on the pod; the newest member of the Regional Transportation District Board joins us to talk about how to win a down ticket race, what RTD is going to do with all the money the voters just gave them, and more!

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the 2025 legislative session begins dies initii, which is not a thing but we're going to make it a thing; with hundreds of millions in TABOR Budget Cuts looming, a big bill making it easier for workers to form a union setting up a showdown with the first floor, and the same ol BS from the House GOP MiniMinority, we're in for 120 days of antics at Colfax and Sherman. Then, We dig a bit deeper into the 2026 statewide races (even though it's 2025) and see who's rumored to be running where. We also come up with a GOP fantasy ticket...sort of. Finally we check in with our 7th and 8th favorite members of Congress from Colorado, who are about as useful as you might imagine.

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, it's 2025, so why does it feel like 1861? At least one of us is coming to you live on tape from our Nation's Capitol where a very different kind of storming of the Capitol is happening on this election certification day, and in case you're just waking up from a coma, yes, the American voters in their infinite wisdom elected Donald Trump president again, for reasons we are still unclear on. Then, we discuss who the real President of the United States is going to be in a few weeks, and why having the richest man in the world handpick the leader of white nationalist parties across the globe is a pretty concerning development. And, even though the Democratic Primary for Colorado's statewide offices is over 17 months away, we've got TWO candidates for two of the state's top spots that have already announced, one with a minor conflict of interest to disclose for the pod! Finally, we check in with soon-to-be-one-term Congressman Gabe-ish Evans as he bombs his first interview after being sworn in to a seat he's just keeping warm for the 2026 Democratic Nominee; no need to get any books on those shelves because you'll be moving back home before you know it. 

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, "Deportation hamburgers," our podcast's year in review, and the return of the Liberty in Laundry act. Oh, and the podcast makes international news! But first, Operation Aurora: Is it just a fun 2024 campaign slogan gimmick thing OR the actual beginning of rounding up tens of millions of human beings for the crime of trying to build a better life for them and their families, just like Elon Musk did! We'll try to find out as we interview Dave Perry, editor of the Aurora Sentinel and longtime progressive editorial voice in the third largest and first most diverse city in the state. 

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the incoming President of the Colorado Senate, James Coleman (D-Denver), joins us to talk near-supermajorities, housing policy, the state budget deficit, bipartisanship, Project 2025, and so much more. We're getting you more smarter for the next Colorado legislative session, which kicks off on Jan. 8, 2025.

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast...we're going back in time to January 2023 and our interview with Tim Miller of The Bulwark. Before he became a national name in politics, Miller worked for Republican politicians right here in Colorado. We'll be back next week with all new episodes of the podcast once we finish digesting all of that turkey. 

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, President-Elect Donald Trump continues to fill up his cabinet with weirdos, freaks, and credibly accused rapists, both statutory and otherwise; in other words, everything old is new again. The City of Aurora is the only major city in Colorado currently run by Republicans, and man, are they making our point for us. And our guest this week, Elizabeth Jarosz, is a market researcher with Ipsos; she explains how you can gain additional insights in focus groups by measuring people's sweat (no joke!).

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, The Big Orange Guy is assembling a rogue's gallery of cabinet members to most likely destroy the entire federal government from the inside out, making people like us breathe a sigh of relief when comparative normies like Marco Rubio get appointed as Secretary of State. Next, two leading Colorado Democrats have a pretty bad week based on things they said in public and not-so public. Then, we break down the final-ish results of the elections in the Blue-ish rectangle that is the Centennial State; we check in with our 8th favorite member of Congress from Colorado in her new district; and we find out that the whole "Bread Sandwich" thing may have been cover after all, because the new congressman-elect (Jeff Hurd) from Lauren Boebert's former district is…getting pretty weird already.

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, we regret to inform you that we were wrong. Donald Trump is heading back to the White House, potentially with a Republican Trifecta and a large-scale admission that Project 2025 was the agenda all along. We unpack the results with the one and only SMOTUS: Seth Masket, Professor of the Pod, Director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver and host of the excellent Politics and Baking podcast, "Power and Flour." Together, let's try to figure out what in the hell just happened. 

Send us a message! Really!On a special Election Day edition of the Get More Smarter Podcast, we've got nothing but nice, warm fuzzies for 25 minutes. We know you're probably freaking out a little bit about Colorado races and the big battle for President of the United States, so we're here to bring some calm(ala) energy and tell you why we both think things are looking good. NOTE: If you are rooting for Donald Trump, then this episode will likely not improve your mood. 

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, it's everything you need to know before election day! We make our final calls for 2024 and bring in the big prognosticator himself: Pollster of the pod Andrew Baumann, Partner at Global Strategy Group, predicts the future and lays down a marker for what he thinks is going to happen in the 8th Congressional District and throughout Colorado; for the Presidential election; and whether or not you're going to get that bonus at the end of the year.

Send us a textThis week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, has the Trump Wall (no, not the one that never got built) finally started to crack, and is it too late to make a difference in this election? Then, we're back with another edition of Game of Groans, and this time, it's the RINOs versus the RATs! And we do one more round of super-future prognostication in which we absolutely nail a prediction as far away as 2026! We've also got an interview double header! Nadine Bridges, Executive Director of One Colorado, and Susy Bates, campaign manager for Freedom to Marry, join us to talk about Amendment J on your ballot right now. State Senator Jessie Danielson also stops by to tell the tale of a ballot initiative you didn't get to vote on this November...and the disgusting story behind it all.

Send us a textThis week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, Gabe-ish Evans is running one of the most confusing campaigns for Congress we've ever seen; will it matter in the closest contest in Colorado? Then, check your mailboxes because it's time to vote! Ballots are either in the mail (or if you already voted, on the way back); instead of filling them out, we're just going to predict what's going to happen in our first 2024 edition of of "Prognostication." Donald Trump is a confused old man sweatin' to the oldies as Kamala Harris waltzes into the Lion's Den and shows Fox News why she's ready to be the 47th president of the United States. But first...get in losers, we're going losing. She can't win a State Senate Seat in North Carolina, but it absolutely won't be from lack of effort. Kate Barr joins us on the podcast today to discuss her losing campaign, gerrymandering, democracy, and why she's going through all the effort just to lose. 

Send us a textThis week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, keep your kids away from Gabe-ish Evans because he might want to hit them...or at least have that option. Then, we continue to examine the mystery of why the Arizona GOP is doing the job of the Colorado GOP, because don't they have enough of their own problems with Kari friggin' Lake as their US Senate candidate? Donald Trump came to that part of Aurora that…really isn't in Aurora. And the Big Lie is back in a big way for 2024, forcing us to ask the uncomfortable question: Will ANY Republican actually concede an election they lose this year? But first, you know him as the guy who nearly beat our 8th favorite member of Congress from Colorado in the wildest near-upset of the 2022 election: Adam Frisch joins us to talk about his campaign for the third congressional district and what it's been like running against our favorite bread sandwich.

Send us a textAlright everyone, warm up those brains, sharpen up those pencils, ink up those pens, and google up those ballot initiatives, it's time once again to VOTE IN COLORADO! That's right, your ballots are IN THE MAIL TODAY so be on the lookout for those sweet sweet envelopes of democracy coming to you literally any minute now! Colorado really does have the best voting system in the ENTIRE COUNTRY so if you haven't gotten a text or an email letting you know your ballot is on the way yet, go ahead and visit justvotecolorado.org where you can check your registration or register to vote, sign up for BALLOT TRAX to get a text or an email when your ballot is received and your vote is counted, or find the location of a Voter Service Polling Center or one of THOUSANDS of convenient drop boxes. From my house I can walk to no fewer than TWO of them without even breaking a sweat.This is the most important election of our lives people, so make sure you're registered to vote, fill out that ballot all the way from the top to the bottom, and turn it in before 7pm on Tuesday, November 5th. Thank you so much for VOTING, and we'll see you next time. 

Send us a textThis week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, Former Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters was finally sentenced for breaking into her own county's election equipment to try and prove the big lie; was justice served? The Vice Presidential debate was the veep of debates; we ask, “Will it matter”? Maybe one of the answers is “only if the president ends up looking pretty old!” Then, SURPRISE! it's October! With only 30-ish days left in the most important election of our lives, what effect will a new, damning indictment of Donald Trump have on the election? And, we dig into the most competitive congressional race in Colorado just a few weeks before voters get their ballots in the mail.

Send us a textThis week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, it's a quick hits only episode! We're trying something new this week: Can we get through 15 topics in 30 minutes? Probably not! But you'll have to listen to find out.

Send us a textThis week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the federal government is running out of time (again) to pass a continuing resolution (again) to fund the government for another few months (again), and our 8th favorite member of Congress is pretty responsible for it (again!) Then, the Colorado legislature cut about a billion dollars in taxes over the past few years and now the state budget is short about….a billion dollars! Are these things related? Well, sort of! Then, Donald Trump, yes that one, is apparently planning a visit to Aurora, Colorado to negotiate with the Venezuelan Gangs who have taken over the city! Just kidding, he's probably just going to make a fool of Mike Coffman for the 3,000th time. Next, Gabe-ish Evans had to fire an anti-semitic-ish staffer who said some really batshit-ish-ish on Facebook. And finally, the Triple Dave Williams saga is back! 

Send us a textThis week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, with less than two months to go until the biggest election of our lives, Kamalamentum is still picking up speed...or is it?  The media, and apparently a decently large slice of the American electorate, are grading Donald Trump on a rollercoaster sized curve; we ask, 'Why the hell are they doing that?' Then, our newest segment, "Game of Groans," is back to try and figure out who the hell is actually running the Colorado GOP and (spoiler alert) we still don't actually know. Republican Politicians? Fox News Anchors? Extremely online right wing trolls? Venezuelan Gangs?  Who has really taken over an Aurora Apartment Complex and why the hell don't we actually know the answer at this point? And we wrap up with some reporting on our 8th favorite member of Congress from Colorado, who is the clear personification of why competitive congressional districts are very good things to have. BUT FIRST, you know him as Colorado's Senior United States Senator because he is Colorado's Senior United States Senator! Michael Bennet is back on the pod to talk 2024, the child tax credit, and JD Vance.

Send us a textThis week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, it's the Special Session Special Episode Special! We break down the politics and a little bit of the policy from this very special session that was called to avoid an absolute fiscal calamity because of something like three schmucks and a checkbook. Also, one of the undisputed champions of legislative nuttery goes totally off the rails as one Republican Politician uses her social media account to go after one of her own kids' teachers - yikes. Then we catch up on the VERY LONG list of ballot measures Colorado voters will be weighing in on in just a few weeks here; and we discuss a friend of the show's courageous public struggle with mental health. But first we check in on the Two Colorado Republican Parties that apparently currently exist and we'll let you know if white or black smoke appears from somewhere in Greenwood Village. 

Send us a Text Message.This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, at least one of us is coming to you live-ish from Chicago where Democrats are producing a convention full of joy, hope, optimism, and more than a few Colorado cameos to counter the GOP convention that was about…hell, who knows? We've got plenty of non-DNC stuff to discuss, including new fundraising numbers for the Colorado Dems and GOP...and hoo boy can you just see the difference in enthusiasm right there. Congressperson Lauren Boebert is in her full "Nuh-uh" mode; and we check in with a VERY WEIRD GUY running for the state legislature who claims that he has “studied women” and is therefore more qualified than his Democratic incumbent opponent...who is an actual woman with a literal degree in Women's Studies. 

Send us a Text Message.This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, Ian went on a little summer break and…the entire world changed completely! We'll talk more about the vibe shift, the VP's VP, the Trump campaign, and so much more. Friend of the Pod, Governor Jared Polis, is calling the Colorado Legislature back into a special session, again, to cut property taxes, again, to avoid a really bad hostage situation, again! But first, you know him as the Get More Smarter Podcast's Western Correspondent: Fan Favorite Charles Ashby, the Political Reporter for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, is back on the pod to give us the latest from the Western Slope including the Tina Peters court case, a Boebert-less existence, and whether or not our favorite "Bread Sandwich" is actually campaigning. 

Send us a Text Message.This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, Ian is out of town volunteering at a no-kill aardvark shelter, so Christy Powell is here to save Jason from talking to himself. Presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has changed EVERYTHING and Donald Trump's campaign is falling apart. It's been a wild few weeks. Former Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters is finally on trial, and you'll never guess who showed up to support her. The Colorado Republican Party continues further down its bizarre Chairmanship rabbit hole, and we'll explain what “Leave it to the States” really means when Republicans talk about abortion rights.

Send us a Text Message.This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, it's a HOLY SHIT HE REALLY DID IT emergency podcast! We're recording around 2:30 pm Mountain Time on Sunday, July 21st -- just about 2 hours after President Biden announced he was stepping down from the top of the Democratic Presidential ticket, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, and making HISTORY. Listen up to find out what we think about that, and what we think happens next. 

Send us a Text Message.This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, just when you thought this election couldn't possibly get any more insaner, Donald Trump survived an actual assassination attempt; if you're just waking up from a coma, yes, he's about to officially be renominated as the GOP presidential candidate. We check in on the RNC convention in Milwaukee Wisconsin where Trump picked J.D. Vance, a dude barely one year older than Ian, to be his Vice Presidential running mate for a "Double MAGA"ticket. With pressure still sort of building on President Biden to step aside and let someone else take his spot at the top of the Democratic ticket, we check in on Colorado's delegation to see how Democrats are handling this moment. Next we look across the aisle at our friends in the Colorado GOP, who, despite it all, continue to beclown themselves in front of Colorado, the country, and the entire universe. Oh! And their candidate in the only remotely competitive pickup district for them this year, Gabe-ish Evans, is surrounded by liars and hypocrites. 

Send us a Text Message.This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, WE DID IT Y'ALL! WE MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO EPISODE 200! The world is a mess and politics has sure gotten weird over the last two weeks but we made 200 episodes of a Colorado Politics podcast and you're still listening! Yes you! On this episode we'll look back at how far we've come, how far we still have to go, and interview one of our favorite guests, Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

Send us a Text Message.This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the Colorado Primary Election is over!  The winners won and the losers lost and were here to celebrate and/or weep with you, depending on your preferred outcome. But, to be honest, we're pretty happy with the results across the board; we'll unpack what this all means for Colorado politics going forward, especially as it relates to the Democratic and Republican parties and their relative relevance.

Send us a Text Message.This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the 2024 Colorado Primary Election is on Tuesday, June 25th, so we break down the top races. Did you know in Colorado you not only vote for PEOPLE but you vote about PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ELSE TOO, ESPECIALLY THIS ELECTION? We also go through some of the top ballot initiatives voters will see this November. And finally, just when you thought the Colorado GOP's campaign of self-defeat was over, they find a way to make themselves even more unelectable by turning on the people trying to rescue the party from itself. 

Send us a Text Message.This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the Colorado GOP's flag burning stochastic terrorism is the straw that broke the camel's back, strangely enough, as local county party chairs are FINALLY calling for their chairman's ouster. Just like we told you in our last episode, being a felon running for President kind of hurts you, at least a little. We also wind up another round of prognostications so we can tell you the future before you experience it yourself.  And friend of the show and newly minted CEO of Denver Water Alan Salazar is BACK on the pod to talk about the essence of wetness, the battle over Colorado's water, and what he thinks about the first year of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's administration.

Send us a Text Message.This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the Colorado Republican Party continues it's absolutely undefeated effort to ensure permanent electoral dominance by the Colorado Democratic Party, this time by saying every single Coloradan should pull their kids out of public schools; we report on how that's going for them. Democrat of the Decade, Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams, is also doing his part by draining the money from the party he runs for his own personal political gain! Also, we check in with our 8th favorite member of Congress from Colorado; our first (but not only!) most competitive election; and a primary debate in Ken Buck's old district. ALSO, Donald J Trump is a convicted felon!!! In case you haven't heard, the 45th president of the United States of America was convicted on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records for paying hush money to a porn star to try and keep an affair he had secret during the 2016 election. Of course, Republicans are demanding his resignation from the presidential nomination and will be replacing him with someone who didn't do all of that...just kidding! 

Send us a Text Message.This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, with six months left to go until the 2024 election, we look at the state of the U.S. House, the Senate, and the Presidential race that will literally determine the course of American and probably global history. Cool! Here in Colorado we have dueling slates of Republicans; we ask the question on everybody's mind: "Will they actually split into two parties?" If not, what the hell happens next? We also talk furries, aromatherapy masseuses, and state legislative candidates. 

Send us a Text Message.This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the SINE has DIED; for those of you who for some reason don't speak Latin, the second regular session of the 74th general assembly has come to an end! Best friend of the pod Christy Powell is back to give us the rundown from under the gold dome at Colfax and Sherman. Then, some Republicans are already denying the results of the 2024 election even though it hasn't happened yet! Next, Democrats in the US House of Representatives saved Mike Johnson from his own caucus, mostly because they are basically running the House anyway. And we have an update from everybody's favorite puppy murdering governor of South Dakota, because she just can't stop talking about the time she shot and killed her own dog or the world leaders she did or didn't meet.