Station:    KFKA, 1310 am

Show:       Gail Show

Guests:    Buck, Ken

Link:        http://1310kfka.com/category/podcasts/

Date:       October 10, 2018

Topics:

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HOST GAIL FALLON: [00:00:33] [I am] pleased to welcome back to the show, Congressmen Ken Buck. Congressman Buck, thanks for taking the time.

BUCK: [00:00:41] It’s good to be with you, Gail.

FALLON: [00:00:43] I want to reflect back on an earlier conversation, and this goes back to 2017. And I don’t know if you remember it, but I certainly do because this is when we were immersed and all of the controversy and the debate and the ideological divide — the seeming ideological divide — surrounding the repeal of Obamacare. And I asked you, “What’s it like?” Because, you know, as portrayed in the mainstream media, what we saw were people of opposing parties basically giving each other wide berth. And you said, “No, it’s really not like that!” Fast forward to today, to the aftermath of what I call a national disgrace, when it came to the Kavanaugh confirmation process. Is the era of bipartisanship gone?

BUCK: [00:01:42] No.

FALLON: [00:01:42] Easy enough. That’s good to hear. Expand on that a little bit.

BUCK: [00:01:49] [hearty laughter] You know, Gail, I think that it is–. First of all, there are there are very good personal relationships across the aisle. And that’s where everything starts. And I am part of a reformer’s caucus that I started with Derek Kilmer– a Democrat from the state of Washington, Kathleen Rice — a Democrat from the state of New York, and Mike Gallagher — a Republican from Wisconsin. The four of us started the Reformers’ Caucus, and we are working on ways to build better relationships across the aisle — personal relationships — and then encourage legislation, amendments, and other opportunities. And so, I think there’s a lot going on that is bipartisan that doesn’t get media attention because it just isn’t high profile, like a Kavanaugh confirmation hearing. But I absolutely agree with you, I thought that was disgraceful. I thought the way that it was handled –particularly by Senator Feinstein — is just unimaginable to me, that the body that calls itself the greatest debate society in the world and the, you know, — has the air, the pretense of this sort of country club atmosphere. It was just not good for America to see that.

FALLON: [00:03:16] It was heartbreaking all the way around because I, like many, believe that something indeed did happen that affected that Dr. [Christine Blasey-] Ford for the rest of her life. But unfortunately, with the dearth of corroborating evidence and I think with then Judge Kavanagh’s very articulate, admittedly emotional, fiery response to that, I found him to be believable as well. How about you.?

BUCK: [00:03:44] Yeah, I think that’s a good way to summarize it. And I think that the senator from Maine, Susan Collins, did a very good job of really explaining why she voted the way she did. And she said that the presumption of innocence has to attach to Judge Kavanaugh, just like it does so many others that are accused of wrongdoing. And when the emotions are the highest, fairness is at its lowest. And that’s really how she evaluated the situation. And I think that while I agree with you, something happened to Dr. Ford, to expect Judge Kavanaugh to be able to defend himself 30 years later without knowing where it happened, when it happened, and the details of it, is just not fair.

FALLON: [00:04:34] It would seem as though the Democrats have seized on all of this controversy — and to some degree, I refer to it as manufactured outrage — in order to galvanize their base. But I found it fascinating. I believe — was it Mitch McConnell or Lindsey Graham that actually thanked the Democrats, saying, “You did something that we could not, in terms of energizing the Republicans to turn out for the midterms.” Is that how you see it?

BUCK: [00:05:08] You know, I’m I’m hoping that’s how it works. And I think that’s how it works. But we’ll have to wait until the election to really see if that’s how it works. One of the reasons Donald Trump got elected, in my opinion, is that people are just fed up with all of the nonsense in Washington DC, the fake news, and the finger pointing, and the — you know, “Melania Trump wore this pair of shoes to this kind of event,” and, “Isn’t that disgraceful?” And Americans want to make a living, and they want to make sure that their kids get a good education, and they want to live in a safe neighborhood. And when you see the news just really getting so low in how it covers events, I think that people are tired of it. And I think they reacted in the 2016 election. And I think they’ll do the same thing in the 2008 election.

FALLON: [00:06:04] Will we hold on to the House?

BUCK: [00:06:08] That’s a great question. I think it’s about a 50-50 chance, in my mind. I’m more optimistic than most of the past prognosticators. I am not at all overly confident. I really think it’s a 50/50 chance. We have a number of really good candidates in tough districts, like Mike Coffman in Colorado. Mike has won in — with very good opponents — he has won when the other side has spent a ton of money against him. He is a fighter. He is well known. I was leaving the airport the other day, Gail, and going through the cashier at the parking lot. And I pulled up and the person recognized me as a Congressman and said — he was from Ethiopia, and he said, “How come you’re not in the Ethiopian community? We see Mike Coffman every week!” And it’s — that’s just who Mike is he is. He is everywhere, all the time, talking to people about the issues that they care about. And I think he will win. And I think that the ‘Mike Coffmans’ around the country will win.

FALLON: [00:07:12] Congressman Buck, [there is] never enough time. But before I let you go this morning, I am hoping you will indulge me with just a few more minutes. Speaking of things that are very, very important to all of us in the state, particularly in Weld County, Proposition 1 12 [is] very dangerous and devastating for the state, but especially for Weld County.

BUCK: [00:07:38] Absolutely. Proposition 112 — I rarely get involved in state or local issues. I think we we do enough damage in the swamp, that we– I shouldn’t voice an opinion on most of the issues that are out there. [Proposition] 112 is just a boneheaded move. It would cripple our school districts. It would so adversely affect the tax base, jobs, the economy in general. It’s a bad idea. Both the Republican and Democrat candidates for governor are opposed to it. It really is something that we’ve got to think through a lot better. I think we have the toughest oil and gas regulations in the country, based on the Ritter and Hickenlooper administrations. And to say that we need just a one-size-fits-all setback is — it is not designed for safety. It’s designed to cripple the industry.

FALLON: [00:08:38] Yeah! [It is] funded by outside money, if I’m not mistaken.

BUCK: [00:08:40] That’s right. Certainly the California interests are once again playing in Colorado.

FALLON: [00:08:48] Congressman Ken Buck, a pleasure as always. Thanks so much for your time and insights.

BUCK: [00:08:54] Thank you, Gail. [it is] great to visit with you.