Station:  KFKA, 1310 AM

Show:     Mornings with Gail [Fallon]   

Guests:   Gardner, Cory  

Link:      http://www.1310kfka.com/podcasts/gail/10/october-29-hr-3-senator-corey-gardner-and-congressman-ken-buck/

Date:      October 29, 2020      

Topics:   

CLIP-CGardnerGAIL102920.m4a

[00:00:00] Senator Gardner, from yesterday’s commerce hearings, Mr. Dorsey having to direct these first questions to you, Mr. Dorsey, do you believe that the Holocaust really happened? Yes or no? Yes. So you would agree that someone who says the Holocaust may not have happened is spreading misinformation? Yes or no? Yes. I appreciate your answers on this. But they surprised me and probably a lot of other coloreds and Americans after all. Iran’s ayatollah has done exactly this, questioning the Holocaust, and yet his tweets remain unflagged on Twitter’s platform. You and I agree that moderating your platform makes sense in certain respects. We don’t want the next terrorist finding inspiration on Twitter or any certain any platform for that matter. But you’ve also decided to moderate certain content from influential world leaders. And I’d like to understand your decisions to do so. A little bit better. Can you name any other instance of Twitter hiding or deleting a tweet from heads of state? Not not off the top of my head, but we have many examples across world leaders around the world. Would you be willing to provide. 

[00:01:13] That was yesterday, Senator Cory Gardner at this Senate Commerce Committee hearing on social media regulations. And today, Senator Gardner joins us. Welcome back to the show, sir. Hey, thanks for having me back. Was it as surreal for you as you questioned Twitter honcho Jack Dorsey as it was for us? 

[00:01:38] Know, absolutely. I had no idea that we could have a situation where a tweet from an American president would be labeled. But a tweet from a radical religious zealot in Iran who is the leading global terror threat to the world, doesn’t get questioned about his tweets denying the Holocaust ever happened. 

[00:02:00] I think right now and, you know, and along those lines, calling for death and destruction to Israel. 

[00:02:06] That’s exactly right. You know, this is absurd to think that they have no problem with that. And that’s just say, you know, he actually went on to say it wasn’t misinformation, it was saber rattling. Well, saber rattling has led to the deaths of Americans in the Middle East, has led to the death of Jews in the Middle East and around the globe. And that is at the hands of the ayatollah of Iran. And they don’t question that. It’s sick. 

[00:02:31] You know, and you asked him about the policies relative to misinformation. First, he said he had none and then he went on to list three that, well, seem pretty all inclusive. 

[00:02:42] Well, when you hear him say one of the misinformation is about, you know, the health and well-being of the American people. I would pretty much say that somebody was denying that millions of lives were snuffed out by a fascist. That is a threat to the American people, to the people around the globe. If we’re trying to wipe that history off of the face of the earth and pretend like it never happened. I just think that this hearing really did highlight the subjectivity of, you know, sensors in Silicon Valley who are stifling free speech. 

[00:03:14] And Senator Gardner, do you think as a result of these hearings, we’re going to choose to see any change in their policies or practices? 

[00:03:22] You know, I think they’re going to have to. They have to or else Congress is going to act. They need to be more forthright with the American people. They need to make clear what they’re doing. I don’t want two dozen sensors in Washington, D.C. either. And that’s the fine balance that we have to have. We can’t have the Silicon Valley elitist determining what somebody in Colorado is permitted to say. But I also don’t want that bureaucrat under an Elizabeth Warren Commission of truth leading some kind of censorship effort either. 

[00:03:53] Well said. Well said. Well, I’m I’m really pleased that you held his feet to the fire, because I just I what it was, like, more surreal than almost anything I’ve seen and 20/20. And that’s saying something, isn’t it? 

[00:04:05] What is the one thing that I was pleased with when I followed up with questions, I said, should you be liable? Should Twitter, Google, Facebook be liable for content that they themselves generate on their own platforms? And all three of them said yes. And I think perhaps that’s where we go to, is the liability that they face when they create this subjectivity. And I think that’s how you address perhaps that the question and answer on Section 230 that really has given them this ability to create this. In part this this partial partiality is they’ve shown no Segway. 

[00:04:40] Just changing gears very quickly, because I know your time is limited this morning, that you just had your 11th bill signed into law this past weekend, the nine eight eight National Suicide Hotline. Tell us about that. 

[00:04:53] You know, Colorado leads the country and so many great things. One of the things that we lead the country in is something that we need to work on. It’s not one of those great things. And that’s too many people who die by suicide. In Colorado, we lose somebody every seven hours in Colorado alone to death by suicide. And if you had to find yourself at that moment of need, that crisis point, you’d better be able to remember one of a couple different 10 digit phone numbers to call if you need to speak to somebody. So just like nine one one that you would call for reporting a fire. This number, nine eight eight. When it takes effect, you’ll be able to call to get the kind of help you need immediately. And it will save lives. It will have specialized help for veterans because we lose too many veterans in our society to suicide. This is going to provide the resources to help the people at the end of a phone line that can that can save a life. 

[00:05:46] Justice. Amy Barrett. Music to my ears confirmed by the Senate 52 to 48 Monday evening with a swearing in and the formal swearing in to follow. Coming shortly there after much to the chagrin of, well, no shortage of Democrats, you had Chuck Schumer coming out and saying this was the darkest day in Senate history. But wouldn’t the Democrats given the same opportunity and the same circumstances, wouldn’t they have done the same thing? 

[00:06:21] Well, if you look absolutely, yes. And if you look at Kagan, Justice Kagan, Justice Ginsburg, Justice Sotomayor, when there’s Democrat nominees, they’re perfectly fine and they expect Republicans to vote them for them as they expect Democrats to vote for them and get in line about a Republican nominee seems to be a threat to democracy, an illegitimate sham. And it drives them to the brink of extinction of our democracy. And that’s what you heard Chuck Schumer complain about. And look, if there were no politics involved, Amy, Connie Barrett would pass a if not unanimously, doggone close to it. She’s one of the most eminently qualified jurists legal minds our country has ever had. And so, you know, it’s politics to them because they need somebody on the court who’s going to rule the way they want them to in making policy because they can’t get their policies to pass at the ballot box or on the floor of the Senate itself. They have to rely on the courts to do their job. 

[00:07:19] What really concerns me, other than the requisite hand-wringing and Pearl clutching. And, you know, the screaming at the heavens on the behalf of the Democrats was Chuck Schumer once again essentially promising a scorched earth campaign, saying that, yes, retribution. Retaliation against. Republicans was in order for this move. Whatever happened to statesmanship and doing what is best for the American people? 

[00:07:49] Well, to be clear, this was a vacancy on the court. The Constitution says the president shall nominate and the Senate with the advice and consent shall confirm. It’s not like we were packing the courts, which is now what Chuck Schumer wants to do. We were filling a open a vacancy that the founders envisioned would happen and does happen. But their response to the legitimate filling of a wall of a vacancy on the court is to destroy the courts, to pack the courts, to eliminate the filibuster, to add Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico as states to put in place socialized medicine and have to have a court with 15 justices on it that will rule the way they want them to. And when it comes to it. And so I think you have one one party very liberal left led by Chuck Schumer and people like Joe Biden and John Hickenlooper, who wants to get there. They are willing to destroy everything in order to get their way. 

[00:08:48] 816 sixteen now 13 10 CAFTA joined by Senator Cory Gardner. Now, John Hickenlooper taking a page from Joe Biden’s playbook, refusing to say how he would vote on the Supreme Court’s expansion, so-called Supreme Court packing NG’ANG’A. Biden actually being little bit more clear about TARP at 1:00 to get your take on John Hickenlooper? S refusal to say if he is a gay or no. 

[00:09:20] Well, I thought you said he was taking a page from Joe Biden’s playbook. So he’s taking a nap in the basement. 

[00:09:25] I think that’s exactly right. 

[00:09:28] You know what? John Hickenlooper just needs to be clear with the people. Colorado. A simple yes or no answer. He can’t answer it, though, because he knows the people of Colorado resoundingly reject his position. He wants to pack the courts because he wants to have a judge, enough justices on the high court that will rule the way he wants them to. And that’s why I can’t say no. He told The Denver Post he’d be more forthcoming about his views after the confirmation. Well, that confirmation has occurred and he’s quickly gone back into the basement without answering. But this is what you get with John Hickenlooper, who’s the most corrupt governor that Colorado’s ever seen. 

[00:10:07] Time to put a lid on ice, I suppose. Time to put a lid on it for us as well. Senator Cory Gardner, before I let you go. Crystal ball. What’s the outcome of the election?

[00:10:17] Well, look, I feel good about it. I’m excited about the race in Colorado. I think the president is going to surprise people in Florida, North Carolina, and I think 2020 is going to be a repeat of 2016. 

[00:10:30] Sir, thank you so much for your time, your insights. Certainly do appreciate it. 

[00:10:34] Thanks for having me. Thank you. 

[00:10:36] You bet. Senator Cory Gardner, 818 now 13, 10 k. F k. 

[00:10:41] Dan Patrick, the whole show and Colin Cowherd are a northern Colorado.