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

Mike Littwin, a legendary liberal columnist for the Colorado Sun, dives into the twists and turns of Colorado politics and the state of U.S. journalism. He discusses the chaotic press conference held by a local Congressman facing backlash over unpopular bill cuts. Littwin reflects on the evolving media landscape and the impact of political hypocrisy, especially during the Trump era. With his signature wit, he explains what keeps him hopeful amidst the turbulence in both politics and journalism.

This week’s guests are Jeni Arndt, the Mayor of Fort Collins, and Rahmin Sarabi, founder of American Public Trust and former product manager at Good Eggs. They dive into the transformative power of citizen assemblies in local democracy, using Fort Collins as a case study. The conversation highlights the critical impact of recent Medicaid cuts and critiques the prioritization of wealthy interests over vulnerable populations. Also discussed are the ethical dilemmas surrounding Donald Trump's $400 million jet gift from Qatar, igniting debates on foreign influence in U.S. politics.

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!That’s it for this episode! If you loved watching and/or listening to it as much as we loved recording it, you can thank us by subscribing to the pod wherever you listen, following us over on New Old Twitter AKA Bluesky, subscribing to our shiny new channel on YouTube, smashing that subscribe button on our Substack, and sharing this episode with your friends, your enemies, and your 8th favorite Member of Congress from Colorado! THANK YOU so much for listening, and we’ll see you next time!

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!) That’s it for this episode! If you loved watching and/or listening to it as much as we loved recording it, you can thank us by subscribing to the pod wherever you listen, following us over on New Old Twitter AKA Bluesky, subscribing to our shiny new channel on YouTube, smashing that subscribe button on our Substack, and sharing this episode with your friends, your enemies, and your 8th favorite Member of Congress from Colorado! THANK YOU so much for listening, and we’ll see you next time!

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.That’s it for this episode! If you loved watching and/or listening to it as much as we loved recording it, you can thank us by subscribing to the pod wherever you listen, following us over on New Old Twitter AKA Bluesky, subscribing to our shiny new channel on YouTube, smashing that subscribe button on our Substack, and sharing this episode with your friends, your enemies, and your 8th favorite Member of Congress from Colorado! THANK YOU so much for listening, and we’ll see you next time!

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. That’s it for this episode! If you loved watching and/or listening to it as much as we loved recording it, you can thank us by subscribing to the pod wherever you listen, following us over on New Old Twitter AKA Bluesky, subscribing to our shiny new channel on YouTube, smashing that subscribe button on our Substack, and sharing this episode with your friends, your enemies, and your 8th favorite Member of Congress from Colorado! THANK YOU so much for listening, and we’ll see you next time!

State Senator Jessie Danielson, who represents Jefferson County’s District 22 and chairs the Business, Labor, and Technology Committee, dives into the significant Worker Protection Act aimed at easing unionization in Colorado. She discusses the challenges workers face and the importance of solidarity among different labor groups. The conversation also humorously tackles the confusion around a guest named Jason Bain. Additionally, the podcast touches on the tumultuous political landscape, including Trump’s economic impacts and the upcoming gubernatorial race.

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"That’s it for this episode! If you loved watching and/or listening to it as much as we loved recording it, you can thank us by subscribing to the pod wherever you listen, following us over on New Old Twitter AKA Bluesky, subscribing to our shiny new channel on YouTube, smashing that subscribe button on our Substack, and sharing this episode with your friends, your enemies, and your 8th favorite Member of Congress from Colorado! THANK YOU so much for listening, and we’ll see you next time!

Megan Burns, a newsfluencer expert and a regular contributor, dives into the evolving landscape of media in this engaging discussion. She explores the rise of newsfluencers and their crucial role in reshaping how we consume information. The conversation touches on the struggle between conservative and progressive voices, the impacts of doom scrolling, and the necessity of authenticity in digital politics. Burns also highlights the changing habits in news consumption and the importance of local media and relatable messaging in political engagement.

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! That’s it for this episode! If you loved watching and/or listening to it as much as we loved recording it, you can thank us by subscribing to the pod wherever you listen, following us over on New Old Twitter AKA Bluesky, subscribing to our shiny new channel on YouTube, smashing that subscribe button on our Substack, and sharing this episode with your friends, your enemies, and your 8th favorite Member of Congress from Colorado! THANK YOU so much for listening, and we’ll see you next time!