Station:    KNUS, 710 am

Show:       Jimmy Sengenberger Show

Guests:    Buck, Ken

Link:        http://sengenberger.podbean.com/

Date:        September 22, 2018

Topics:     Drain the Swamp, Douglas County, Meet and Greet, House Parties, President Donald Trump, 2018 Ballot Initiatives, Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Opioid Crisis, Confirmation, Deregulation, Congressional Review Act, Obamacare, Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Frank, Small Business, Consumer Confidence, Brett Kavanaugh, Balanced Budget, Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), Impeach, Articles of Impeachment, Immigration, Patent Reform, 2016 General Presidential Election, Amendment 112, Oil and Gas Setbacks

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HOST JIMMY SENGENBERGER: [00:00:01] We’ll play a little ‘swamp’ music to welcome on our next distinguished guest to the show. He is a Congressman for the Colorado — Colorado’s 4th congressional district. [He is] also the author of the book ‘Drain the Swamp: How Washington Corruption is Worse Than You Think.’ Congressman Ken Buck joins us on the show. Sir, Welcome!.

UNITED STATES CONGRESSMAN FROM COLORADO’S FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, KEN BUCK: [00:00:28] Thank you, Jimmy! It’s great to be with you.

SENGENBERGER: [00:00:30] It’s great to have you here on a special edition of the program. You know, one of the things — as we’ve been talking about this on the show a little bit, reflecting — this month marks not only five years of the Jimmy Sengenberger Show Saturday nights as of yesterday also eight years on AM radio but 10 years on radio period when I began this month at Regis University and my earliest conversation with you on the air was 2009 in the Regis University studio. My, how time has flown by!

BUCK: [00:01:02] Ten good years, Jimmy.

SENGENBERGER: [00:01:03] And it’s just getting better, I think. That’s for sure. How are you doing?

BUCK: [00:01:08] I’m doing great. I’m doing great. I’m in Douglas County, just did an event in a living room with about 60 people. And I’m heading up to Denver to do another event. And I’ve got to tell you: people are interested and concerned about the ballot initiatives and the different races going on in Colorado. It’s,uh — people are starting to focus, now. And it’s good to see.

SENGENBERGER: [00:01:31] You know, I think one of the important factors in — obviously — running at this point in history is that we do have a booming economy that needs to continue booming. We do have a President of the United States who I think has the best interests of America at heart. But we also have a lot of difficulties going on, and the trials and tribulations. And I want to ask you, in the — despite those difficulties, do you think Republicans in Congress — under this President, so far — have been successful in accomplishing big things?

BUCK: [00:02:03] I think Republicans in Congress have been successful in accomplishing a lot of things. I think that the tax bill is a major piece of legislation. I believe since 1986 we haven’t had a tax reform that reflects the changes in the economy. And I think that’s a major piece of legislation. I think that there are a number of bills that will be coming down in the next week dealing with the opioid challenges and crisis, really, that we have in this country. There have been over 573 bills that have been sent from the House to the Senate, many of which the Senate is now starting to deal with because they’ve been dealing with a lot of confirmations. But I think that the economy is booming in large part because of the tax bill, the good job that the administration is doing on deregulating the economy. And I just think that it’s not — it’s not just coincidence that things are going well.

SENGENBERGER: [00:03:06] One of the things that I’ve found so striking about this Congress is that — as you mentioned — President Trump has been working hard to deregulate in ways we haven’t seen before. But also Congress has been very involved in that, using what was previously more of an obscure statute known as the Congressional Review Act.

BUCK: [00:03:27] That’s absolutely right, Jimmy. We have passed 16 bills that have repealed the regulations from prior administrations — major regulations from prior administrations. And the effect of that, combined with the fact that this President has repealed 22 regulations for every regulation — new regulation that has been enacted — is a certainty in the economy that people are — businesses, particularly small businesses — know that their investments will bear fruit. And they’re more willing to invest. Consumer confidence is up. Small business confidence is up. And the trade within the United States is really booming.

SENGENBERGER: [00:04:16] Now, you’ve written a book –it came out last year — Drain the Swamp: How Washington Corruption is Worse Than You Think’. Have things gotten better, or have they gotten worse since January of 2017 in the swamp?

BUCK: [00:04:31] I think they’ve gotten a lot better. I think that this is a very divisive time. And I think that the media has not portrayed fairly the accomplishments of this administration. But clearly the ability to — for businesses to protect their future –. One of the unfortunate parts of what’s been going on, is we have not dealt with the the legacy from the Obama administration of Obamacare. So health care is one of those issues that is still out there. But the — many of the other issues — the Dodd-Frank stranglehold on the community banks is being loosened right now. There are many other benefits that we are seeing, that I think the swamp is getting better. At the same time, there’s no reason why a Republican House [with] a Republican Senate [and] a Republican President should be spending at the rate that we are spending. And I just think that’s a travesty and a shame. And we’ve got to get spending under control. More revenue is being generated now as a result of the economic activity. If we could reduce our spending we would get closer to a balanced budget.

SENGENBERGER: [00:05:55] We’re talking with Congressman Ken Buck. You know, the one thing that struck me though what you said, is that you just suggested — gosh!– that maybe the media and the Democrats are wrong, that it’s not a “tax cut’s being too steep” problem, but it’s actually a “spending being too deep” [problem].

BUCK: [00:06:12] Well, I think that it’s clear — and the Americans that I talk to believe it’s clear — that we are not undertaxed in this country. We are overtaxed in this country. And we are over-spending, and we need to make sure that we reduce spending to get to that balanced budget. We are never going to tax our way out of this problem, because as we raise taxes businesses fine a more friendly business climate in other countries, and we lose our tax base. So, we’ve got to reduce spending and we’ve got to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses so that they can create more revenue.

SENGENBERGER: [00:06:57] One thing that is obviously going on in Washington D.C. — that normally doesn’t involve the House of Representatives at all, but now there’s talk that maybe it could, depending on what happens in November — and that is, obviously, we’re going through the confirmation proceedings of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. It’s in the hands of the Senate, as constitutionally is required. But Democrats are suggesting that if they get control of the House of Representatives — which begins the impeachment process — and Judge Kavanaugh become Justice Kavanagh, they would be willing to — or at least exploring, right now — the idea of impeaching Justice Kavanaugh. What do you make of that, especially in the context of the importance of the November elections?

BUCK: [00:07:38] Yeah, I think that — I think that’s crazy talk, right now. I think that it is clear that we have not heard from the alleged victim of this activity. We have not heard from Judge Kavanaugh in a setting where he can be questioned. And it’s premature for anybody to talk about impeaching a Supreme Court justice when there has not been a high crime or misdemeanor demonstrated at this point, because we just haven’t heard the evidence. So, I think that it’s — we need to let this play itself out and see exactly what [unintellible]. And I think that Judge Kavanaugh has demonstrated a pattern of honorable behavior, and this would be simply inconsistent with what he has demonstrated throughout his rest of his life. And so, hopefully, we’ll get an answer in the next week, and the Senate will vote on it. But I think before the Senate even votes, anybody talking about impeachment is just irresponsible.

SENGENBERGER: [00:08:56] Well, doesn’t this demonstrate, when they’re talking about impeaching President Trump on the left, they’re now talking about already impeaching a Supreme Court justice who hasn’t — you know, as you point out — these things have not been aired out fully. What does that tell you about the stakes of holding the House of Representatives, which is certainly going to be very tough this November?

BUCK: [00:09:17] I think it’s very important. And I am on the Judiciary Committee, and that’s the committee that would draft the articles of impeachment if any were to be drafted. And I have to tell you, there is important work to be done right now. We’ve got to move forward on immigration. We’ve got to move forward on patent reform. We have to move forward on a number of areas. And the idea that we’re going to be distracted with impeachment — that they wouldn’t get anywhere in the United States — is just ludicrous! We’ve got problems to solve in this country. We’ve got to stay focused on building our economy, on making sure that America and the world are safe and secure. And the people that want to replay the 2016 election are just not understanding the significance of what’s going on around us in the world.

SENGENBERGER: [00:10:14] And as we just kind of start wrapping up here with you, Congressman Ken Buck, our guest — when we talk about the overarching ideas of the Republican Party today, do you think that there is a clear message from Republicans that’s emanating right now? And do you think there’s a clear counter message from the Democrats?

BUCK: [00:10:35] Yeah, I think the clear message from the Republicans is the economy hasn’t been this good in decades, and it is a result of economic policies and the certainty that business needs to move forward. And I think the Democrats, on the other hand, are raising issues about the, uh, you know, the health care system, or here in Colorado we have a fight going on about oil and gas. And this Amendment 112 is a terrible amendment to consider in Colorado. But it’s — there are a lot of wrong headed ideas out there about health care and energy and immigration. And we need to continue to move forward in a stable way.

SENGENBERGER: [00:11:19] I want to do one final thing with our guest, while we’ve got you, Congressman Ken Buck. I’ll play a little clip, a blast from the past. This is 2010 on The Seng Center radio show. And it’s just — I think you’ll get a kick out of this little walk down memory lane.

TAPED FROM A 2010 INTERVIEW, SENGENBERGER: [00:11:34] [playing audio clip from Rep. Buck’s 2010 interview with Jimmy Sengenberger] One of the things — in light of your two interviews on this program — that I just have to point out in the case of this Republican primary, is you and Dan Maes — both the victors Tuesday night — appeared here on Seng Center, but Jane Norton and Scott McGuinness — your opponents — did not. So I like to think, you know, maybe Seng Center is just that kingmaker that people are looking for, and you guys got the Sengenberger bump from coming on the show.

TAPED FROM A 2010 INTERVIEW, REP. KEN BUCK: [00:11:57] Well, Jimmy, there is no doubt about it. We have talked a lot — I’m sure The Denver Post is going to be contacting you soon so their editorial board can get some stringers on just where they should be going. But you have called the races. You have given us the exposure we need. And I’m surprised Fox [News, cable network] isn’t tossing Glen Beck off the air to get you on, and make sure that America understands just what Colorado is learning right now.

SENGENBERGER: [00:12:26] [real time in studio] You know, Glen Beck is no longer on the air, but you didn’t make the phone call to get me on FoxNews, Congressman!

BUCK: [00:12:27] I’ve got to tell you, Jimmy, the Sengenberger bump is alive and well in Colorado, and I hope all of the candidates understand that and take advantage of the opportunity.

SENGENBERGER: [00:12:38] I appreciate that. But Congressman Buck, you’re one of the leading stalwarts in Congress, in terms of fighting for conservative principles and values. And it’s just such a treat to be able to say, “He’s one of ours in Congress from Colorado.” Keep up the fight! Thank you.

BUCK: [00:12:55] Thank you for having me on, Jimmy. It has been a pleasure to know you for the last decade, and I’m really looking forward to see your career blossom, and I would love to visit with you again in the future.

SENGENBERGER: [00:13:06] I look forward to it. Congressman Ken Buck, thank you!