The Get More Smarter Podcast - A Weekly Show About Colorado Politics

Send us a message! Really! This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, oh no! The big bullshit bill has hit some serious roadblocks! Wait, sorry, OH YAY! The big bullshit bill had hit some serious roadblocks! And by “some serious roadblocks” we mean “the opinion of the vast majority of voters” How does it play in Paonia? Then, it turns out that cutting healthcare kills people. You mean, you can’t just rub a crystal on it and call it good? Next, the big bullshit bombing of Iran maybe slowed down their development of a nuclear weapon by a few weeks, despite President Trump's claim that he “totally obliterated” their enrichment capacity. We ask, what the fuck, man? Then, your federal lands are safe, for now, sort of...we think...ask us next week. And finally, we go through some updates on the 2026 campaigns even though yes indeed it is still 2025. But first, she’s the President of COBALT Advocates and a friend of the show: Karen Middleton is back on the pod to talk about Colorado’s exceptional progress on abortion rights since the disastrous Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade about three years ago.

Send us a message! Really! This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the big beautiful bullshit bill is banging around in the US Senate, and the longer it does, the worse it gets for President Trump and the Republicans who voted for it. Then, Remember Stagflation -- that thing that is worse than both a stagnating economy and inflation? Well, it’s back thanks to very very dumb Trump administration policies. Next...hey, Colorado, do you hunt, fish, ski, hike, bike, camp, canoe, kayak or enjoy the outdoors in any way, shape or form? Well, unfortunately, all those public lands you enjoy are going to be sold to the highest bidder thanks to, you guessed it, Trump and Republicans. Speaking of public lands, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is creating American history whitewashing whistleblowers by asking visitors to historical sites to report “un-American activities.” Then, who’s to blame for Colorado’s fiscal policy woes? One Republican weighs in with the obviously wrong answer. But first….Congressman Jason Crow is back on the show to talk military parades, the dangers of over-the-top political rhetoric, the GOP budget bill, and conflict with Iran. *Note: This episode was recorded before President Trump decided to bomb nuclear sites in Iran.

Send us a message! Really! This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, it’s no wonder there’s a clown car of candidates in Colorado’s 8th congressional district because the current incumbent is the biggest clown of them all! Then, that same clown famously promised that it would be “gangsters, not grandmas!” that ICE was going to deport in President Trump’s mass deportation raids; now that the exact opposite is true, Gabe Evans has put his name on a mildly worded letter expressing some concerns! Then, that constitutional crisis we’ve been talking about? Well, it’s exploded into full blown fascism -- who could have guessed that was going to happen? And finally we visit our 8th favorite member of congress from Colorado who gleefully reminded us that all this horrible shit is exactly what she voted for (even if she didn't). But first, with a poll showing Gabe Evans is less popular than Donald Trump in his own district, and some interesting findings about public health, social media, and medicaid, Healthier Colorado CEO Jake WIlliams is BACK on the pod to talk about the recent survey they just published.

Send us a message! Really! This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, another violent antisemitic attack hits the USA, this time very close to home as Republicans try to politicize the tragedy to gin up anger against immigrants and Colorado Democrats stand in solidarity with the Jewish community. Then, it’s the greatest feud ever on the dumbest timeline imaginable. Will Donald Trump deport Elon Musk? Will Elon start a new party to spite Trump? Will both of them get outed in the Epstein files? Will anyone, anywhere learn anything from any of this? And finally is it getting crowded in here or is it a WAVE YEAR? There are now five legit candidates in the pool to take on Gabe-ish Evans in Colorado’s 8th congressional district. Meanwhile, the AG’s race gets a fourth Democratic candidate and even the Bread Sandwich draws a primary opponent. But first...in our unofficial series “interviewing as many reporters whose editors don’t listen to the show as possible,” we’ve got Tyler Duncan, government reporter for the Greeley Tribune and some other papers on the show this week to talk about Northern Colorado politics, being a young local journalist in the age of AI, and why so many people are moving there despite the…you know…you know what distinguishing feature Greeley has (we don’t have to tell you).

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 Bluesky Make Friends with Silvio on LinkedIn Follow 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.