Dan Caplis Show, Cory Gardner, August 23, 2019
Station: KHOW, 630 am
Show: Dan Caplis Show
Guests: Gardner, Cory
Date: August 23, 2019
Topics: Healthcare, Repeal and Replace, Bernie Sanders, Medicare For All, John Hickenlooper for U.S. Senate, Infanticide, Botched Abortion, Path to Victory, Four Corners, Optimisitc Message, Socialism, Wishing for a Recession, BLM Headquarters, Bureau of Land Management, Peterson Air Force Base, General Raymond Peterson, Space Command, Open Borders, Public Option, Getting Government Out of the Way, North Korea, China, Allies, Trade War, President Trump, Intellectual Property Rights, Technology Transfer, Tariffs, Pre-existing Condidtions, Obamacare, Affordable Care Act,
HOST DAN CAPLIS [00:00:13] Hey, how could it get any better? Well, this way: we go to the VIP line and we welcome Senator Cory Gardner back to the Dan Caplis Show. Senator, how are you doing?
U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO, CORY GARDNER [00:00:23] I’m doing great, Dan! How are you?
CAPLIS [00:00:24] Well, [I’m] good. [I] appreciate your carving out a few minutes. We know you’re down at — I think — the Colorado State Fair today, and I’m sure you’re having a great time. Have you eaten anything crazy down there? Isn’t that a requirement of running for re-election?
GARDNER [00:00:37] You know, not yet. We just got here. We’ve been all over eastern Colorado, northern Colorado, southern Colorado. So, we just got to Pueblo and, you know, tonight — unlike some in our government — I’ll be eating a little bit of beef.
CAPLIS [00:00:49] Well, Senator, let me start with this question that I recently asked John Hickenlooper — now one of your potential opponents in the Senate race, as he’s got to get through the Democratic primary first, obviously. But I had him on the show and I asked him the question I’m about to ask you. And instead of answering he said this:.
GARDNER [00:01:08] [playing audio recording of a segment of the Hickenlooper interview on the Dan Caplis Show]: “Uh, I’ve got to go. Uh, I’ve got to go.
CAPLIS [00:01:11] So, he walked off the interview rather than answer this question, and the question is simply this: “If a baby is born alive following a failed abortion attempt, should the law require the baby be given the same medical care as any other baby born alive?”
GARDNER [00:01:32] Without — without a doubt. Absolutely. That — to do anything else is infanticide. It’s abhorrent. It’s inhumane. It’s — it’s wrong. And so this is a debate, I think, that was kicked off by the state in New York and comments made by officials there. It’s been certainly highlighted by the Virginia governor. And it’s sickening to think that people would even contemplate such a practice to exist.
CAPLIS [00:02:00] Well, I can’t wait to hear how John Hickenlooper answers the question on the campaign trail because he refused to answer that simple question, which should have been an easy ‘yes,’ right? Of course! You’ve got a baby, there! You’ve got to provide medical care. But he couldn’t answer that question. So it’ll be very interesting to see what he does on the campaign trail. I predict it will be a stark contrast between the two of you, with the vast majority of Coloradans on your side, there, Senator. So, with John Hickenlooper now entering the race, what do you envision as your path to victory in Colorado?
GARDNER [00:02:36] Well, look, we’re going to continue focusing on all four corners of the state. And it’s about the eastern plains, western slope, northern, southern, central Colorado. This is, I think, something that I’ve taken very seriously, making sure that no nook and cranny of our state is left without a voice. And that’s what I want to be, is a voice for all Colorado. We haven’t seen that in Colorado. We haven’t seen that with existing leaders. And that’s what I’ll continue to be. And I think it doesn’t change that strategy, and we’re going to get out and talk about the successes and the solutions that we’ve brought to the state. And we’re going to have an optimistic message. And I think one thing we’ve already seen from the left is solutions aimed at socialism and incredible negativity, including basically trying to wish for a recession.
CAPLIS [00:03:23] Yeah, that’s sick.
GARDNER [00:03:23] And that’s not good for this country.
CAPLIS [00:03:25] It’s sick. It’s un-American. I think that’s going to backfire on them like so much of this garbage is going to backfire on them. Senator, you mentioned solutions, and you know, they used to call it ‘bringing home the bacon’ but you have brought some very, very important benefits to Colorado, including the Space Command, moving the BLM headquarters. Can you talk about that?
GARDNER [00:03:47] Absolutely. You know, General Raymond has been confirmed as the head of U.S. Space Command. He’s operating out of Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. I have talked to the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Air Force — you name it — about that, and I’m very excited that General Raymond in Colorado Springs is now head of U.S. Space Command and they’ll be operating it out of there. I’m excited about Grand Junction being the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management. And all of these make sense because it’s better government. We’re actually able to make better decisions, putting government closer to the people that they’re affecting the most. And so, this is — it just makes so much sense for the country, and it’s so good for Colorado.
CAPLIS [00:04:27] Yeah, and I think it goes to the tremendous influence that you’ve been able to develop — remarkably, really — for a first term U.S. Senator. You have those tangible results, but also the President, as you know, coming out today with this tweet — I’ll read it for those who haven’t heard it or seen it yet. [Reading the referenced tweet by Trump] “@SenCoryGardner as done a fantastic job representing the people of Colorado. He really knows how to win, strong on crime, borders, and the Second Amendment. Cory fights hard for our military and vets. John Hickenlooper is badly damaged after his horrible run for president. Big primary trouble!” So, [what is] your reaction to the President tweeting about you today?
GARDNER [00:05:05] Well, I think it just shows the work that we’ve done. And I think it shows the commitment I’ve made to Colorado. And a lot of people are talking about the fact that we have — basically, and just like you have — the fact we have the BLM now in Colorado, the fact that we were able to bring money back to the people of western Colorado that is owed by the federal government — millions of dollars. And it took a decade or longer to get it back, and we finally got it back to the people of western Colorado. And it shows that commitment. And I think anytime that you have– those shouldn’t be controversial issues to be successful with.
CAPLIS [00:05:39] Right. Now, Senator Gardner, obviously [is] our special guest. What are the major points of contrast between you and John Hickenlooper, when it comes to this U.S. Senate seat?
GARDNER [00:05:50] Well, I think if you look at the contrast on the left, it’s very clear. I mean, [chuckling] just look at what they’re running on. They’re running towards socialism. They’re running toward Medicare For All. They’re running toward public options. They’re running toward the government paying for this, that, eliminating borders, open borders. They’re running for any number of ideas that basically put government first. And I’m sorry, I think Colorado and Coloradans and Americans know exactly what they need to do, and that’s to get government out of the way [and] let America work, and not try to come up with a Washington solution, but actually come up with a Colorado solution, and to get less Washington in Colorado. That’s what we need! And so, the contrast, over the next several months, is going to be clear: a positive message for Colorado, inspired by the great Rocky Mountains of our state, always looking up and forward, not trying to decide that, “I’m sorry, the government has declared that you cannot do this or that you must do that.”
CAPLIS [00:06:49] Hmmm. Now, John Hickenlooper has famously said — and it’s it’s on tape, so he’ll have a harder time denying it — that he’s not cut out to be in the U.S. Senate. Do you agree with him on that?
GARDNER [00:07:00] [laughing] Well, I think he’s going to have to explain to the people of Colorado why he’s not right. And you know, we’re going to notice — we’re going to see in the primary if he was right. ‘Not cut out to be a senator–‘ I think that’s a tough thing to walk back.
CAPLIS [00:07:12] Senator, you’ve — in my opinion — always been very, very good at looking around corners internationally, particularly with North Korea. What is your take right now on this trade war with China? If you were president, what would you be doing? What would you recommend to President Trump on that?
GARDNER [00:07:31] Yeah, I think that’s the recommendation I continue to make, is to get like-minded allies — get our Southeast Asian partners, get Australia, South America, European allies together, because we have all been affected negatively by China’s bad behavior on trade. Get them together — a bloc of our global economy that would be 80 or 90 percent of the global economy together — and say, “China, stop taking our intellectual property rights. Stop,” you know, “requiring our businesses to transfer technology. Stop denying market access, or else you’re gonna face consequences not just from the United States, but the entire world. I think that’s the approach that we have to take. And you know, China has taken $300-$500 billion from the United States in intellectual property. And we can’t stand for that. We need to solve the tariff situation, resolve it in a way that’s positive for American consumers. I don’t like tariffs. But I think this approach of getting the entire global economy together — as much of it as we can, to stand against China — is the right approach.
CAPLIS [00:08:32] Yeah, and two more questions, if you have another minute or two. And I don’t want to take you into the policy weeds, but one — I think — big lie out there that we’re hearing from the left is that Republicans, you know, are going to take away the requirement of preexisting conditions, you know, being — people having the right to get their health care without regard to these preexisting conditions. Where do you come down on that?
GARDNER [00:08:57] Well, look, I mean, Obamacare has failed, absolutely failed. And that’s why you see both Republicans and Democrats talking about repeal and replace of Obamacare. That’s why Bernie Sanders talks about repealing Obamacare and replacing it with Medicare For All, because he knows that Obamacare has been a failure. Now, I disagree with him on Medicare For All, but they still want to repeal and replace Obamacare. But what we can agree on is making sure that people with preexisting conditions have coverage — required coverage. That’s what we are about. That’s what we’ll fight for and continue to succeed with. Now, people are going to lie about it. People are going to try to say that that’s false. But we know that we can come together with a better plan, a better policy, a better idea that works — that covers people’s preexisting conditions. And unfortunately, Obamacare has failed to do what they promised it would do.
CAPLIS [00:09:49] And finally, Senator, circling back to the President’s very enthusiastic endorsement of you today, as you look ahead to this campaign, do you envision joint appearances with the President in Colorado? What do you think we’re going to see there?
GARDNER [00:10:04] Yes, and I think — I hope the President comes to Colorado to share the good things that we’ve been doing in Colorado. I’d like to share with him the successes we’ve had in public lands — managing our public lands. I’d like to show him the successes we’ve had in aerospace and space. I’d love to show him the new BLM headquarters that we are going to have in western Colorado. And I would hope that that’s not just something that Republicans would support, but I hope [it’s something] that Democrats and Republicans and everybody in between would like to see.
CAPLIS [00:10:30] Yeah, well, hey, [I] appreciate everything you’re doing. Keep up the great work, and [I] look forward to the next conversation.
GARDNER [00:10:36] Hey, thanks for having me, Dan. Thanks!
