Kelley & Kafer Show, George Brauchler, April 5, 2017

Station: KNUS, 710 AM

Show:     Dan Caplis Show

Guests:  Brauchler

Link:      http://kelleyco.podbean.com/

Date:      April 5, 2017

Topics:

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(NOTE:  These notes were compiled while listening to the interview with Congressman Coffman.  All comments noted are paraphrased, unless specifically identified as direct quotes.) 

 

HOST STEVE KELLEY:   “Brauchler — you could do worse”.  Brauchler you could do worse

HOST KRISTA KAFER:Victor Mitchell, probably Walker Stapleton, maybe Cynthia Coffman will enter the race– Why are you the best man for the job

DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOR COLORADO’S 18TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT AND CANDIDATE FOR COLORADO GOVERNOR, GEORGE BRAUCHLER:

  • They’re all good people and if they’r the nominee, they’ll have my support
  • We need conservative leadership
    • I hope they can fill that gap
    • I know I can
  • This is my only home
    • Grew up here
    • Educated here
    • Commissioned here
    • Prosecuted here
    • Mom is buried here
    • kids all in school here
    • this place matters to me like nothing else
  • I want the future to be bright for our kids
    • I want them to want to live here
    • I want them to be able to live here
  • I’ve served my country in Iraq – and in CO as colonel in Army National guard– I can bring the skills I’ve developed in military leadership and experience to return sanity to how we manage our affairs.

KELLEY:  What does it take as a skill set to occupy state executive position

BRAUCHLER:

  • Ask the question of candidates:  What did you do in your previous service to demonstrate Commitment —
    • to conservative values, or whatever
    • How do you show it
  • What I’ve done:
    • I’ve turned this office into the most transparent DA office in the state
      • Every expenditure is available online
        • Every transaction
      • Those things matter
      • Fiscal responsibility
        • I held the 18th JD budget down below most Judicial Districts
        • I asked my county commissioners to make me the lowest paid DA in the state – and damnit!  they did it!

KELLEY: Why did you do that? Appearances?

BRAUCHLER:

  • It was more than appearances
  • Other DA offices – and compare — my reduced salary equates to about $250,000-300,000 over 4 years
  • We’re a state in recovery…. Businesses have to tighten their belts
  • And I thought it would give me a better chance for special requests for extra funds
  • My wife said, “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you love us?

KELLEY: Great answer! — Lead by example.

KAFER: I appreciate the transparency. What would you most want to do as Governor?

BRAUCHLER:

  • Core competencies for government
    • For example transportation
    • We’ve had affability management with current administration
    • They say our only option is to raise taxes for fixing roads
    • I don’t believe that
    • I’m small government
      • Reagan citation
      • We suffer from the “Good Idea Fairy”
      • what makes us unique and better, We subscribe to a notion of true liberty in Colorado
        • 2nd amendment and guns
        • This is a state that wants to be left alone
    • Other core competencies – other than transportation
      • EDUCATION! == I have a vested interest in seeing that we do better
        Common core should be kept in DC and where they developed it
      • We know what’s best for our kids in CO
      • Common Core has stifled innovation and choice
      • I’m a choice guy – my kids went to charters
    • Medicaid
      • Strangling our budget
      • Depriving education
    • Federal government regs
      • We need to push back
      • And under trump – federal funds should be sent with as few mandates as possible

KAFER:  What starts as a carrot often ends up as a stick. Like sanctuary cities – reducing funding if you don’t do what we want. Medicaid expansion is going to cost CO more over time. How can we ensure that Medicaid is only used for those who most need it, and not for able-bodied, childless adults who are on it now?

BRAUCHLER:

  • We go slowly – we can’t lop people off willy-nilly
  • It will be tough
  • We’ll get there, but it will be tough to sell politically
  • Once we get the flexibility from the feds, we look at those 44% that you describe
  • Ask them, “Should you have some skin in the game?”
    • Shouldn’t you be responsible for a copay?
    • can we discourage you from going to emergency room with just a common cold
  • Stretch these dollars
  • It’s not the federal stuff
    • Look at conservative governors in UT, WI, AZ –
    • That kind of innovation – like Ducey in AZ empowers people to sue to make gov. justify licensing requirements for different professional positions and occupations
    • executive order previously sought the same outcome
  • We need to have a root and branch approach to get gov to do what they should do, and no more

KELLEY:  Jeff Hays – he does a great Bernie Sanders impression, and Cruz – what has the GOP – with its narrow margin in Senate – what will the GOP do to move this state more to a Brauchler administration… or for independents to vote for Brauchler

BRAUCHLER:

  • [does Bernie impression]
  • we have to move past the traditional labels
    • But I am the only conservative of the potential field we mentioned earlier
  • I want to focus on speaking “Coloradan”
  • The unaffiliateds are exploding – reflecting dissatisfaction with 2 party system at least as it has been portrayed so far
    • We can overcome with:
      • Right people
      • Right messaging
      • I want vigorous debate on principle and policy – not attacks on character and personality – no more circular firing squad
      • Coloradans crave that
    • Even with open primaries
      • They want you to commit and expend political capital for the things you believe in — they want predictability
      • That’s what i want in my 2018 campaign
      • that’s what the GOP wants do the same thing

KELLEY:  A party based on What a concept! That’s dreamy!
KAFER:  Remember: “George: we could do a lot worse!”

BRAUCHLER:

  • I love that!
  • I’m going to tweet that out

KAFER:  Thanks for coming on. Obvi. We’re not going to endorse in the primary. What’s your website and twitter account?
BRAUCHLER:

  • I don’t know if they’re going to let me touch my twitter account – I’ve banged mine up so much,
  • I think they’re going to try and leave that in the hands of the people that know what they’re doing
  • George2018.com
  • I’m hopeful that you won’t call me back to say you’ve run through the list and it’s true, we actually can’t do any worse than you

KELLEY:  Thank you so much, it’s admirable, ambitious and tough. Best of luck!