Station:    KVOR, 740 am

Show:       Richard Randall Show

Guests:    Gardner, Cory

Link:        https://soundcloud.com/user-508356994/2-21-2020-rr-podcast

Date:       February 21, 2020

Topics:     Colorado Springs Trump Rally, Space Command, Space Force, God, Standing Ovation, Mike Pence, Democratic Presidential Candidates Don’t Even Like America, Rock Concert, Doug Lamborn, Miltiary, Men and Women in Uniform, John Hickenlooper, Supreme Court Justices, Conservative Judges, BLM in Colorado, John F. Kennedy, Drinking Water for 50,000 in Southeastern Colorado, Tax Cuts, Hero Veteran Donald Stratton, Pearl Harbor, Awarded Posthumously, Impeachment, God-given Rights, Clinging to Guns and Religion, Mocking Rural Coloradans, Tractors, Farmers, Ranchers

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HOST RICHARD RANDALL [00:00:00] […]  There’ve been people who’ve said, “Well, we’re not sure whether Cory has a chance in Colorado,” this and that. Here’s what I know: he has my rock solid, 100% endorsement, and he has the endorsement of Doug Lamborn, of all kinds of other people. We know how important he is — Cory Gardner is — when it came just to the impeachment itself. Could you imagine if we had a Democrat there? Could you imagine if we had, God forbid, a Hickenlooper there? I will tell you, it was raucous last night. And it was raucous for the president last night, but it was raucous for Cory Gardner yesterday afternoon and last night. He had to speak in the afternoon, gave a longer speech, and then the president called him back out on stage and had him talk again to the crowd. It was, I mean, it was rock concert loud for Cory Gardner. Senator, you join us today. You’ve got to be in a good mood after last night — maybe exhausted. But tell us about your day yesterday with the president.

U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO, CORY GARDNER [00:01:01] Well, thank you. Good morning. Yeah, you know, I’m about to lose my voice and I was only speaking for a couple minutes. He does that for hours at a time every day. So, it’s pretty incredible and remarkable to see what he does. But you’re right. I mean, it was incredible energy, excitement, enthusiasm last night. And I think the people of Colorado all across the state got to hear what he has done for Colorado. That’s pretty exciting.

RANDALL [00:01:21] Well, and he has done a lot of things for Colorado. It’s obvious that he loves Colorado. He goes out of his way to pay tribute to a veteran we just lost this week — his memorial bee this week — Don Stratton. But he cares enough, not just at an [campaign] event. He had Don Stratton in the White House a year and a half ago. The Colorado connection and how important Colorado is, whether it’s electoral votes or whether it’s having a Republican senator go back to Washington again for six years, this president is behind you. And he said last night, “One hundred percent.”  Those on this program say one hundred percent as well. Give us the highlights of some of the things that you said to the jam-packed crowd yesterday at the World Arena.

GARDNER [00:02:04] Well, thank you. I’m excited to have that support, his support. And certainly we talked about moving to BLM headquarters to Colorado. That’s because of his leadership. You know, he’s beginning the construction of a pipeline that John F. Kennedy authorized. President Obama, President Reagan, President Bush, President Clinton, nobody got it done until him. And that’s going to provide 50,000 Coloradans with clean drinking water. The average tax cut for Coloradans is $1,400 per person. Now, let me tell you another story about Donald Stratton. What he didn’t talk about last night — you know, Donald Stratton spent decades trying to get Joe George, the man who saved Donald Stratton’s life as the [U.S.S.] Arizona was sinking in Pearl Harbor. He tried to get Joe George recognized posthumously for his heroism and courage and bravery on that day. No president made it happen until Donald Trump. Donald Trump awarded the Bronze Star to Joe George, the man who saved Donald Stratton. Donald Stratton fought for that recognition. And Donald Trump made it happen.

RANDALL [00:03:02] Well, Cory, I got to — I got to compliment you. We just had Don Stratton’s son on the program two days ago, talking about this. And the fact that you have a hero who is trying to give credit to another hero and people like you and people like the president are going out of their way. You’ve got limited time to talk with us today. And what do you do? You talk to us about an American hero like that. There is a connection. Cory Gardner, I have to say, there is a connection between this president and the people who were in that crowd yesterday. There’s a connection between you and the people who are in the crowd yesterday. And I can’t B.S. anybody, and I never do it. I know that there are some people who loved a candidate in the primary and that was their person. And they’ve said, “No, you know, Cory doesn’t represent me!” But the fact of the matter is, you have proven it over and over and over again. And no more so than the impeachment. It’s got a feel good to hear a stadium last night cheering for you the way they were.

GARDNER [00:04:00] Well, you know, if you’ve ever heard me sing or play an instrument, that’s the closest I’ll ever get to be in a rock concert.

RANDALL [00:04:08] [laughts[.

GARDNER [00:04:08] But it was incredible. Look, I mean, what he laid out, I think, for this country: over 200 judges, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, Colorado’s own Neil Gorsuch, the Space Force, Space Command. I talked to him before he landed in Colorado Springs. And I spoke to him after he left the arena in Colorado Springs last night. And he said, you know, they need to know that we are pushing hard for Colorado Springs and you’re doing a great job advocating for Colorado Springs. And so, he knows how important it is and what we can get done for the state.

RANDALL [00:04:36] You know, the biggest applause last night — there was so much applause for patriotism. There was a standing ovation for God. Both the president and Mike Pence made a reference to God and there was a standing ovation for God. I’m so proud to say that. And Second Amendment, all of those kinds of things, Cory Gardner, what would be the difference between Cory Gardner being in Washington for six years and somebody else being in Washington for six years?

GARDNER [00:05:00] Well, look, you know, surely we must stand for God because we will stand before God someday. And that’s the important thing to keep in mind as we lead up to the values and principles our framers put for this country. And, you know, look, I’m somebody is going to stand up for religious freedom. I’m going to be somebody who believes that our rights don’t come from government. Our rights don’t come from fellow men and women in this country. They come from God. And I think there’s a lot of people, particularly on the socialist left now — and that’s all of the on the left — don’t believe that. They don’t believe that our rights come from God. They believe they come from government. The government can whittle them away, can fine tune them however they want, and ignore those sort of principles of our framers.

RANDALL [00:05:42] Well, in Colorado, we have Jared Polis and I guess the president, to his credit, said that Polis met him and wanted to talk about Space Command. I guess I give him credit for that. But there is a difference in belief between you and the president and the Democrats up in the state house in Washington and the difference — [correcting himself] I mean, in Denver.  The difference is, is that you and the president have faith in the average Coloradan to make good, sound decisions, whether it’s our electoral votes and giving them away or whether it’s the death penalty and putting it on the ballot for Coloradans to decide. What’s the difference, and why do you have so much faith in the average Coloradan?

GARDNER [00:06:21] Well, Richard, that is a huge and important point. You know, and I said it last night. I believe in Colorado. And I know Donald Trump says, “I believe in America.” And I know the president does as well. Sometimes I wonder if the presidential candidates even like America. If you look at and listen to the things that they have said, they’ve all said this is a racist country. This is a country where nobody can succeed and rise. And you begin to wonder what kind of a nation do they think we have? I am so proud of this country. Have we made mistakes? Yes, we have. Are we always in search of a more perfect union? Yes, we are. But together we have risen to meet and to overcome every challenge and to make up for those mistakes. And we will continue to do that. And so I believe in the American people. I believe that we have the ability of our people to govern themselves, that government is because of the people, not because of the government itself. And you know, our constitution is sort of a red light on government, not a green light on government.

RANDALL [00:07:18] Well, final question, because I know you are so jam-packed.  Boomer rubes, that’s what they call us. I think you’re a “fly-over” senator. And I think there are a lot of people who live in flyover country, whether they are farmers and they get belittled by somebody like Bloomberg — I go back to his comment when he wanted to bring his money into Colorado on the Second Amendment and start impinging on our rights on the Second Amendment here. And he said he wasn’t even sure if Pueblo and Colorado Springs and southern Colorado had roads. And I think the guy is serious!  [That is the] difference between Democrats and Republicans, even in understanding Colorado, much less resonating with them.

GARDNER [00:07:56] Look, it’s a huge difference. You know, I think they look out at Coloradans and if you don’t live in the ivory tower elites with them, they look down on you. Look, I’ve been mocked because of where I live. I’ve been made fun of because of what my family does. We sell farm equipment. We sell tractors. Michael Bloomberg has done it to every single one of my neighbors, my entire community and everyone that I grew up with. You know, we’ve been accused of literally clinging to our guns and religion. John Hickenlooper has said that we in rural Colorado will simply just have to put up with other things now, because that’s just not good enough for them. And this is — you know, I don’t -. We never should live in a country where half the country looks down on the other half of the country because of what they believe. That’s not who we are as a nation. We respect each other. We rise together. And together we will win.

RANDALL [00:08:44] There was a real cross-section of people there. There were people who are farmers and ranchers. And they know the difference between a John Deere and an International Harvester, or a Case, or like me, grew up driving a Minneapolis Moline.I don’t think even know–.

GARDNER [00:08:57] Hey!  A Mini!  That’s great!

RANDALL [00:08:59] Exactly, right? So, final thoughts from you before I let you go and get on with the work of being a senator and making sure that you get reelected here in Colorado. Your final thoughts?

GARDNER [00:09:09] Look, I am so grateful for the people of Colorado Springs, the men and women in uniform who serve and fight each and every day. Nobody has felt the pressures and stress of our national security commitment than the men and women in Colorado Springs. But we’re going to fight together. We’re going to win together. We’re gonna stand up for this country together. And it’s simply because of what we’ve already said. I believe in [unintelligible] believe in Colorado. We can do anything together.

RANDALL [00:09:31] God bless you. We’ll talk to you again soon. God bless you. Thank you so much, Senator, for what you’ve done to stand by this president, especially during the impeachment. [I] look forward to talking with you often and making sure that you go back there for six more years.

GARDNER [00:09:44] Thanks, Richard. God bless. Thank you.

RANDALL [00:09:46] All right.