Business for Breakfast, George Brauchler, June 27, 2018
Station: KDMT, 1690 am
Show: Business for Breakfast
Guests: Brauchler
Link: https://omny.fm/shows/business-for-breakfast
Date: June 27, 2018
Topics: Attorney General, Phil Weiser, Joe Salazar, Oil & Gas Industry, Renewable Standards, 2040, Conservationists, Rule of Law Republicans, Progessive Establishment vs. Ultra-Progressives, Campaign Spending, Fundraising,
HOST JIMMY SENGENBERGER: [00:00:00] But what is your takeaway? Where do things go from here, in this race for Attorney General?
GOP NOMINEE FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL OF COLORADO, AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY OF COLORADO’S EIGHTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT, GEORGE BRAUCHLER: [00:00:07] Well, I think that that AG’s race is — in my opinion — is the most fascinating race in this primary election cycle because it really highlights the schism that exists between the division between the Ultra-progressives and just the regular progressive establishment of the Democrat Party. I mean, you have a guy who’s about to eke out a 1%-ish victory, after having outspent his opponent 13 to 1. I mean, that’s unprecedented. And that tells you, by the way, how strong that that ultra-progressive part of the party is, that despite being outspent 13-1, this guy is still within arm’s reach of the establishment guy who picked up the governor’s last minute endorsement heading into the last couple of weeks of dropping ballots. I think the other fascinating thing about the money that’s spent — and this played out in the governor’s race, too. You know, Jared Polis spent more money on his primary than Beaupréz and Hickenlooper spent combined in the governor’s election. Well, that still holds true for the AG’s race. If you look at Cynthia Coffman/Don Quick [election], Phil Weiser spent more money to eke out a primary victory than their entire campaigns, and more than the campaigns of Suthers and Garnett. It really feels like the Dems today are going to do everything they can to spend their way into victory in 2018. And I think that’s a fascinating turn of events.
SENGENBERGER: [00:01:36] Well, so, then, in that case, given the amount of money that they’re trying to spend it — and expect to spend, presuming Weiser’s secures the nomination — how are you going to beat back the money machine?
BRAUCHLER: [00:01:48] Well, I think, you know, what’s favorable for us is that, you know, Phil had raised 1.4 million dollars, a record — by the way — for any AG candidate. But he had to spend that, you know, to take down — not take down John Suthers, or to take down Cynthia Coffman — to take down Joe Salazar, a House member from Thornton. And that puts him at ‘vapor’ right now in fundraising. And I don’t have any doubt in my mind that the big money Soros-type groups are going to show up on the soft side, on the third party side, and try to prop him up and keep him moving forward. But for us, the campaign remains unchanged. I mean, I’m a Colorado kid who is fighting to defend Colorado at every single turn have been my whole life. That doesn’t change and that message isn’t partisan. If it feels Republican, it’s because we’re a Rule of Law party and this is about the rule of law, not fighting for some ideological point to score, or to take down an individual president. This is about fighting for Colorado. And I’ve been doing it since the very beginning.
SENGENBERGER: [00:02:48] To that point, what would you say is the role of the attorney general?
BRAUCHLER: [00:02:54] Without hesitation, it is to defend Coloradans by upholding and enforcing our laws and our Constitution, to the exclusion of everything else. Right? I mean, we fight for the U.S. Constitution. We fight for the state constitution. We fight for our state laws. We do not turn to the courts to try to legislate through litigation. We don’t become these political ambulance chasers that we’ve seen — [cell phone signal interference, conversation breaking up] — and sometimes, that will mean — Feds pushing back.
SENGENBERGER: [00:03:22] Uh oh! You’re cutting out, George.
BRAUCHLER: [00:03:22] [continued interference] Yeah, go ahead.
SENGENBERGER: [00:03:28] You’re cutting out a little bit.
BRAUCHLER: [00:03:31] You know why? It’s because I’m on I-25 and I think Verizon [interference] who needs [inaudible — “a bridge”?] there?
SENGENBERGER: [00:03:36] [laughs] You know? Somebody needs to do something about our roads, I think.
BRAUCHLER: [00:03:43] Yeah. So, I’m sorry [interference] in the middle of my little talkie, there. But you know, the bottom line for us is the AG is supposed to protect and defend our Constitution and our laws. And you know, I’ve been doing it for 24 years, now. Whether it’s in uniform or out of uniform, I have been fighting for this state and my country and the Constitution. And that’s not going to change as Attorney General.
SENGENBERGER: [00:04:08] Now, let me ask you, in terms of energy — I mean, we’ve we’ve talked on the on the airwaves before, GeorgeBrauchler–.
BRAUCHLER: [00:04:13] I’ve got a lot of it! I’m very energetic!
SENGENBERGER: [00:04:16] [laughs] Yeah, I don’t — I don’t mean your energy, although that is pretty, pretty clear. I mean the energy space, and what we’re seeing with the energy sector.
BRAUCHLER: [00:04:23] Oh, yeah! Yeah!
SENGENBERGER: [00:04:23] You know, there has been a lot of legal attacks across the country on that. I mean, and of course you’ve got municipalities that have tried to be able to override the states by regulating the energy sector in their own municipalities and so forth, unsuccessfully to this point. But, uh, talk to us a little bit about your feelings on what the AG’s role should be in regards to the energy sector of our economy, as opposed to being energetic.
BRAUCHLER: [00:04:47] Yeah, listen, I think it’s pretty clear. We have the strongest regulatory framework for oil and gas development in the United States of America. It makes this one of the most challenging environments in which to operate. And yet at the same time, I like that! I want us to have the highest standards because at our core, by nature, Coloradans are conservationists. The battle here isn’t, how do we uphold and defend the laws while protecting the state? We’ve been doing that now for years. The issue is, are we going to allow the Attorney General’s office to become one for some kind of political and environmental elitist activism where they try to take down an industry in exchange for propping up some other environmental elitist goal, which in my opinion is to return us all to grass huts, or something — we’re all going to walk to work. Because at the end of the day, you can’t power your car, your home, your hospital, or your school with just wind and solar — at least, not yet.
SENGENBERGER: [00:05:46] Well, it’s interesting what that indicates, as well — or can lead us to, as well — is this governor’s race. We’ve got Walker Stapleton,officially the Republican nominee — well, will be officially announced, but it’s been called and pretty plainly — and also Jared Polis on the other side of the aisle and he is this, you know, “2040 guy–Let’s go ahead and do 100 percent renewables by that point in time” moving forward in that race. Obviously, you’re going to be supporting the nominee. What do you think?
BRAUCHLER: [00:06:20] I think it’s a huge issue for Colorado. I mean, the hundreds of thousands of jobs — and you’ve talked about them on the show — that are generated from the oil and gas industry. And — oh! by the way — the inexpensive energy that allows us to live in this digital era and allows working class and impoverished people to have access to cheap energy, all of those things are at risk. If Polis pulls this off, I’m going to think seriously about investing in candles, because if we convert all renewables by 2040 you and I are going to have specific times of the day that we can turn on and off our lights. Otherwise, it’s going to have to go back to Ben Franklin times.
SENGENBERGER: [00:06:56] I love that! Let me know when you find the best candle company, and, you know, we’ll get them to sponsor the show. And we’ll have a great opportunity, here.
BRAUCHLER: [00:07:06] [laughs] Yeah, that’s right.
SENGENBERGER: [00:07:06] I think it’s a grand idea. Hey! Obviously, Treasurer’s [race] is still kind of up in the air, a little bit. But one other race that was secured — in just a moment, we’re going to have up Wayne Williams, the secretary of state for Colorado. He’s on the line. I want to wrap up with you. But obviously, we’ve got — you know, we’ve got our slate almost figured out on the Republican side, and there’s Wayne Williams securing the nomination — 100 percent, as well, somehow.
BRAUCHLER: [00:07:32] I — look, Wayne — Clearly a big win. I think my question for Wayne would be, “Where did your campaign fall down?” And what I think I mean specifically is, somehow a guy who’s never been on a statewide ballot — that’s me — got more Republican votes than one of the most successful secretaries of state in our state’s history. I even outperformed him in his home county of El Paso. So, I’m wondering what happened. I don’t — and that’s sort of tongue and cheek, obviously, because I know Wayne is coming up. But those are the questions I’d ask, is, “Wayne, where did it go wrong?”
SENGENBERGER: [00:08:04] Hey! Wayne, are you there? Can you respond to George Brauchler?
COLORADO SECRETARY OF STATE, WAYNE WILLIAMS: [00:08:10] Yeah, I’m here. What’s the question?
SENGENBERGER: [00:08:13] [laughs]
BRAUCHLER: [00:08:13] [laughs]
SENGENBERGER: [00:08:13] He wasn’t listening to you, George! So, there you go!
BRAUCHLER: [00:08:18] That’s just like the campaign trail! The problem is, Wayne hovers at around 7 feet tall, so most of my words hit him right about at chest level. So he never hears them.
WILLIAMS: [00:08:27] [hearty laughter] Congratulations on the stunning victory, Mr. Brauchler!
BRAUCHLER: [00:08:35] Yeah, you too! And Wayne, I was only wondering, tongue in cheek, how did I outperform you in your home county? I’m just wondering if it was — I don’t know if it was the focus on the statewide ballot issues, but you are the most successful secretary of state we have ever had [interference in cell phone reception] — to vote in, in the United States of America. I didn’t expect to outperform me [sic].
WILLIAMS: [00:09:01] Well, you know, there’s always a little ‘thud’ when you’ve got a close family member — like my wife — in the middle of a hotly contested primary.
BRAUCHLER: [00:09:11] How did that turn out, by the way?
WILLIAMS: [00:09:14] She won 60-40 — or 59-41, as of this morning.
SENGENBERGER: [00:09:19] Well, congratulations to her. There you go, Holly!
BRAUCHLER: [00:09:22] Yeah, bigly.
WILLIAMS: [00:09:22] So, Holly’s point is that she won her primary for Commissioner better than I did four years– or 16 years ago, when I ran. [laughs]
BRAUCHLER: [00:09:33] [laughs]
SENGENBERGER: [00:09:33] We have got to let George go. But, George, congratulations!
BRAUCHLER: [00:09:35] Good job, man! Absolutlely. Congrats, Wayne! Talk to you later. Bye!
