

The Get More Smarter Podcast - A Weekly Show About Colorado Politics
Colorado Pols and The Bighorn Company
The Get More Smarter Podcast is a weekly overview of Colorado politics. The podcast is hosted by seasoned Colorado politicos Jason Bane of ColoradoPols.com and Ian Silverii, former 9News talking head, former Denver Post Columnist, former Executive Director of ProgressNow Colorado, and current has-been. Each week they dive into the local and national news, and for some reason, have had Governors, US Senators, Members of Congress, and countless local elected officials as guests over the years. The guys are also frighteningly good at predicting the future. No, really. Are you ready to Get More Smarter?
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 25, 2026 • 1h 13min
Toasting and Un-Toasting the Bread Sandwich (feat. Alex Kelloff)
Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the Bread Sandwich was toast, and now he’s…untoasted as Donald Trump un-undorseses him for the seat he already has in Congress. Then, what would you do with $200 billion dollars? If the answer isn’t “probably start World War III,” well, then you have a better fiscal policy than the President of the United States! Speaking of our 47th favorite president ever, he went ahead and embarrassed the entire nation several more times, including making a “joke” about Pearl Harbor to the Japanese Prime Minister. Colorado Republicans remain the least serious political party in the country, and we’re including Oklahoma Democrats. And finally, our favorite local television station may about to become our least favorite local television station, unless our Attorney General continues his streak of winning lawsuits against the Trump administration.But first...he’s running for the opportunity to take on Rep. Jeff "Bread Sandwich" Hurd in the race for the Third Congressional District. Alex Kelloff joins us to talk about being a fourth generation Coloradan and how he can win in November.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!

Mar 18, 2026 • 1h 16min
Colorado Republicans Have No Confidence in Anything (feat. Evan Munsing)
Evan Munsing, a combat veteran, entrepreneur, and advocate for veterans and first responders running for Colorado's 8th District, explains why he’s running and how he’d hold government accountable. He discusses affordability, democracy, and the need for candidates to show up. He also outlines campaign strategy against Gabe Evans and responds to worries about war, economic anxiety, and misinformation.

14 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 1h 22min
The DHS Secretary is Noem More (feat. Joe Neguse and Shannon Bird)
Joe Neguse, U.S. Representative known for sharp oversight, recounts his cross-examination of DHS leadership and alleged procurement corruption. Shannon Bird, former state representative and local leader running for Colorado’s 8th District, discusses affordable housing, school funding, and why she’s running. They cover accountability in federal agencies and local campaign priorities in short, punchy conversations.

Mar 3, 2026 • 1h 18min
Why is Inflation? (feat. Manny Rutinel)
Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, does Colorado have MAGA Democrats? One concerning candidate forum might provide an answer. Then, Donald Trump delivered his first-ish State of the Union address in his second term; what did it mean for Colorado? Next, we visit our 8th favorite member of Congress from Colorado and check in with our old 8th favorite member of Congress from Colorado before going into some 2026 updates.But first, he’s one of the three democrats vying for the chance to be the one who sends Gabe Evans back to his three-cow “Farm.” State Rep. Manny Rutinel joins us to explain why he thinks he should be the one to face Gabe-ish this November. 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!

Feb 24, 2026 • 1h 5min
This Goes Out to All You Legislative Lunatics
A rapid-fire rundown of a Supreme Court ruling on tariffs and how it ripples through Colorado politics. Deep dives into redistricting battles and a high-profile DCCC target in a long-shot district. Heated debates over decriminalizing prostitution and new rules to clarify ballot fiscal impacts. Plus messy GOP primary chaos, claims about a supposed Capitol scandal, and the latest political theater out of Washington.

Feb 18, 2026 • 1h 43min
We May Have Reached Rock Bottoms (feat. Dr. Francisco Rodriguez)
Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, a Colorado Republican State Representative who will not be the state’s next governor has re-earned his podcast nickname as he proves, once again, that when it comes to the massive amount of lies he will tell IN CHURCH, FROM THE PULPIT, there truly is no Bottoms. Then, the Trump administration is having a really, really bad year, and it’s only February; from failing, again, to prosecute their political opponents to losing a major tariff vote on the floor of the House thanks to Colorado’s own Bread Sandwich, it’s getting harder to believe this group of stupid idiots might be able to steal an election. Then the EPA isn’t protecting shit; Pam Bondi has a meltdown and gets absolutely cooked by one of Colorado’s best; the State Legislature is losing another Democratic Champion; and a Colorado House Republican finally tells the truth about who’s to blame for our massive, continuing state budget cuts.But first, remember how, just a month ago, the United States unilaterally kidnapped the leader of a sovereign nation with neither congressional nor allied authorization? No? Well Dr. Francisco Rodriguez of the University of Denver sure does! Colorado’s top expert on Venezuelan history and politics joins us to talk about what’s happened since, and what happens next. 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!

Feb 10, 2026 • 1h 35min
On a Scale of Zero to Authoritarianism, Where are We Now? (feat. Tom Pepinsky)
Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the reports of the political insurgency in Colorado Politics appear to have been greatly exaggerated; we check in on how the 2026 primaries are shaping up on both sides of the aisle. Then, did new leadership bring a new dawn and a new day for the Colorado GOP? No, somehow the new Chair is even less competent than Dave Williams, which is a very high or very low bar! Then, we always said Gabe Evans would come to regret his lie that ICE agents are going after “gangsters, not grandmas,” and that day is officially here. Then, Lauren Boebert wants credit for doing the wrong thing, and President Trump may not actually know WHY Tina Peters is in jail in Colorado.But first, after a year of living in an Oligarchic Kleptocracy or a Kleptocratic Oligarchy, we check back in with Professor Tom Pepinsky of Cornell University to see if we’ve really slid into authoritarianism or if Trump 2.0 is too incompetent to pull it off.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!

10 snips
Feb 2, 2026 • 46min
BONUS INTERVIEW: Hetal Doshi, Candidate for Colorado Attorney General
Hetal Doshi, a first-generation American and former senior DOJ official who led high-profile antitrust and corruption cases. She discusses taking on tech giants and big mergers, prosecuting fraud to restore consumer funds, plans to build state capacity for white-collar enforcement, and priorities like healthcare cost transparency, environmental defense, and public safety.

Jan 27, 2026 • 1h 4min
There is No Grand Strategy at Work Here
They recap a low‑turnout Weld County debate featuring fringe Republican gubernatorial hopefuls and extreme MAGA rhetoric. They cover shifting poll numbers in Colorado, Hickenlooper’s fundraising edge, and GOP struggles to field statewide contenders. Nationally, they dissect Trump’s troubling public appearances, January 6 revisionism pushback, and legal defenses of related prosecutions. Tina Peters’ conviction and prison incident are also updated.

Jan 21, 2026 • 1h 31min
Which States Do Best on Gun Violence Prevention? (feat. Jessie Ojeda)
Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, the legislature is back in session, the first big tranche of bills have been filed, and Colorado Democrats are as ready to do the people’s work as Colorado Republicans seem somehow caught off guard despite the fact that the legislative session starts about the same time every year. Then, do you have your tickets to the gun show? Our guest this week is Jessie Ojeda from GIFFORDS, who stops by to talk about Colorado’s recent spat of gun safety laws and how we can improve our grade (though there isn’t much room to grow!) Later, friend of the pod Jason Crow is being investigated by the Big Orange Guy -- the same guy who claimed Democrats were using “unfair lawfare” to go after him. Then, in our continuing effort to get listeners as Killin' Pilled as we are, we examine how 5th District Republican Congressman Jeff Crank is screwing up his own politics because it turns out that being a right wing radio host for a few years doesn’t exactly prepare you for a competitive congressional. We also check in with the other schmuck who’s gonna lose a November congressional race (his name rhymes with Gabe Evans) and take a look at news in the race for Governor in 2026.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!


