Station:   KLZ, 560AM

Show:      Wake Up! with Randy Corporon

Guests:    Gardner, Cory

Link:        https://soundcloud.com/randycorporon

Date:       September 8, 2014

Topics:            Master Limited Partnerships, Oil & Gas Industry, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Overreach, Regulations, Senator Mark Udall, Club 20 Debates, Voting Record, President Barack Obama, Obamacare, Affordable Care Act, Gun Control, United Nations Small Arms Treaty, Recalls, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Cancellation, Employer Mandate, Government Sponsored Solution, Public Option, War on Energy, War on Coal, All of the Above, Best of the Above, Renewable, Traditional, Tax Reform, Free Market, Market Place Fairness Act, Internet Sales Tax, Jobs, Repeal and Replace, Tort Reform, Larry Kudlow, Four Corners Plan, North American Energy Independence, Education, Common Core, Race to the Top, No Child Left Behind, Keystone XL Pipeline, Department of Interior Official, Executive Action, Immigration Crisis, Comprehensive Approach, Step-by-Step Approach, Border Security, Guest Worker Program

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GUEST HOST JIMMY SENGENBERGER:  […] Congressman, it is good to have you here, my friend, on the Wake Up! morning show, Jimmy Sengenberger filling in for Randy Corporon.  How are you doing, my friend?

GOP CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATE, CORY GARDNER:  I’m doing great, Jimmy.  Thanks so much for having me on.

SENGENBERGER:  Thank you for coming on, and I heard that you had quite a debate on Saturday night in Grand Junction, sponsored by Club 20.  How did that go?

GARDNER:  Well, I thought it went very well.  It was a clear contrast between two differing approaches to government, as Senator Udall is being reliant on Barack Obama, voting with him 99% of the time, passing big government policies; and my vision, of course, which is more freedom, less government, and getting government out of the way.

SENGENBERGER:   Well, and that goes to a very crucial point — government getting out of the way.  We’ve seen with Obamacare, you’ve been running an ad that I think has been very formidable, talking about your own experience with Obamacare, where you’re one of the
Americans who actually got a cancelation letter.  There are so many more Americans that –I’m just waiting for the last shoe to drop over the next few months, before the employer mandate goes into effect in January.  What are the consequences of that to the average American?

GARDNER:  Well, the consequences will be millions and millions of Americans are going to lose their employer based healthcare.  Now, remember, this is a healthcare solution that is government based.  It is run by the IRS — enforced by IRS, I should say– a mandate on individuals and employers.  And Governor [sic] Udall, in 2008, when he ran for the U.S. Senate said that he would oppose a government-sponsored solution.  And then, not only does he turn around and vote for Obamacare which is a government sponsored solution, but he also supports a public option, which, of course, we know is a complete government-sponsored solution.

SENGENBERGER:   Well, the public option question, that’s a very curious one, because we could see, if Obamacare continues to crumble, as we see — we could see a leftward jolt, I would think, over the next several years where they continue to push for more and more government.  Do you think that there’s a threat that he could advocate for a public option — so truly, government run healthcare option in this country, if that happens?

GARDNER:  Well, again, Senator Udall supports a government — uh, a public option.  He supports a government sponsored solution, he voted for a government sponsored solution, even though he said he would not.  Now, what he claimed that it was, was more competition. Now, only someone who’s been in Washington D.C. far too long would think that the government provides free market competition.

SENGENBERGER:   Now, when we talk about the government and getting involved in the process, and you say you want to scale back government.  What exactly to you mean when you say “getting government off the backs of average American businesses and letting them prosper”, Cory Gardner?

GARDNER:  Well, listen.  We can talk about regulations.  We have far too many regulations that are impeding businesses and innovators and entrepreneurs.  We live in a country where big businesses start in small garages.  And today it’s more and more difficult to start that small business because of a big government EPA, that Mark Udall has supported; a ‘War on Energy’ that Mark Udall votes lockstep with to make it more difficult to afford gas for our families.  We can talk about taxes, the fact that we have the highest corporate tax rate in the world.  And Mark Udall has stood with Harry Reid to block common sense tax reform that would make it easier for Colorado families.  All of those things that — and you know, he actually even supports gun control measures that are more restrictive than those gun control measures that led to the recall of two Colorado state legislators this year.  Mark Udall supports gun control measures, and including the United Nations Small Arms Treaty.

SENGENBERGER:   And we’ll get to gun control again in just a moment, Cory Gardner, but I want to stick with the impediments on small business, especially because Mark Udall supports what is — so-called “Market Place Fairness Act”, which is absolutely preposterous.  It is essentially a tax on internet purchases.  That is what it is, an internet sales tax.  There are so many businesses — eBay and Amazon are big now. You know, Facebook [is] big now.  But they started very small. So many businesses that begin on a small scale– startups– especially for young people, young people out of college that have ambitions to create their own businesses and to succeed pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and work hard, they want to start businesses, often times online,  and that would be such a huge impediment.  And Mark Udall is a sponsor of that.  He supports that.

GARDNER:  Well, not only has he supported for higher taxes in that instance, but he has also voted to pass on higher estate taxes. He’s voted for Barack Obama’s budget, time and time again, which of course would increase taxes.  He voted for the healthcare bill, which is a massive tax on American people.  Look, Obamacare is a massive business tax.  Not only does it cut Medicare, but it also turns around and passes on huge costs to American businesses, making it more difficult for small businesses to hire.  In fact, there was just a story showing that 18% of businesses around the country aren’t hiring because of Obamacare.

SENGENBERGER:   “Eighteen percent of businesses aren’t hiring because of Obamacare.” That is a shocking statistic!

GARDNER:  It is. And that’s again, coming from Mark Udall, who has gone to Washington D.C., and instead of being an independent voice for Colorado has decided to be a voice of rubber stamp vote for Barack Obama.

SENGENBERGER:   So, now, if we were to repeal Obamacare, –and I presume that is the ultimate objective that you would like to see, is the repeal of Obamacare.  Is that correct?

GARDNER:  Well, we need to repeal it and we need to put in its place ideas that actually work to bring down the cost of healthcare and increase the quality of care.

SENGENBERGER:   And that’s exactly what I wanted to get to, is what do you want to replace Obamacare with?  What are a few key points that Cory Gardner would like to see in our healthcare system, should we get rid of Obamacare?

GARDNER:  Absolutely. You know, I have introduced legislation that would allow coverage of people with pre-existing conditions.  But I do it in a way that is not the 2000 page Obamacare way.  We didn’t’ need a few thousand page bill to address common sense. So, I’ve introduced that legislation. We ought to be able to allow people to purchase insurance across state lines.  Address meaningful tort reform.  You know, Mark Udall is the trial lawyer’s best friend, when it comes to Mark Udall’s actions, he has failed to put in place measure that would reduce the amount of liability that our healthcare system faces, which in turn drives up healthcare costs. We need to allow insurance across state lines. We need malpractice reform, like I said.  We need to make sure we’re utilizing greater opportunities when it comes to health savings accounts. I passed legislation, out of the House anyway, that would help increase opportunities for tele-medicine, which would decrease the cost of healthcare. Those are the kinds of things we should look at.  There are other people in Congress — people like Tom Rice and Bill Rogue.  They are two doctors in Congress who have come up with ideas as well to replace Obamacare.

SENGENBERGER:   Larry Kudlow wrote a piece for — I forget the specific outlet, I think it was Townhall.com, just a couple of days ago, saying that in order for Republicans to really have a wave election, they need to have a bold and optimistic agenda that they’re putting forth. And it can’t just be individual candidates here and there — or it shouldn’t be just individual  candidates here and there.  There should also be sort of a coordination among candidates at the national level, or something, not necessarily a contract with America, but something that sets a tone — a clear tone across the country.  Do you think that when it comes to Obamacare, that is something that is being reached?  Or is this something where you’ve got a hodgepodge of yourself and others here and there that are proposing different things, and that eventually you’ll come together on something?

GARDNER:  Well, look.  I think there’s dozens after –dozens upon dozens of bills that the House has passed — or introduced, excuse me — to improve, repeal and replace Obamacare.  Many of those ideas have bipartisan support.  I believe it is important that we put forward not only an agenda on Obamacare repeal and replace, but that we also put forward a plan to address other issues in our country.  That’s why I have put forward the Four Corners Plan, focusing on growing our economy, focusing on North American energy independence, making sure we have education opportunities for our children and grandchildren by keeping Congress out of the classroom, and making sure we stand up for our environment. Let’s keep the federal government’s nose out of our water.

SENGENBERGER:   Education.  Let’s talk about education real quickm, because you mention that as part of your Four Corners Plan, and getting the federal government more out of education.  Could you be a bit more specific?  I mean, we’ve got these heated debates over Common Core, Race to the Top, No Child Left Behind.  What is sort of the Cory Gardner perspective on federal government in education.

GARDNER:  Well, sure, I don’t want Congress dictating what ought to be taught here in Colorado. That ought to be a choice of Coloradoans.  I think — I have that I have co-sponsored that allows districts to spend money the way they want to. When it comes to federal funding, why the heck is Washington D.C. telling a school district in Colorado how and where and when, when the school district is who knows best.  Look, this is part of the big government solution of Mark Udall.  Mark Udall believes that Washington knows best.  Mark Udall believes that members of Congress can teach kids better than the teachers here in Colorado. I want to restore power and control to teachers, school districts, parents, to the people who know best what the children of Colorado need, not some bureaucrat, not some politician in Washington D.C..

SENGENBERGER:   I know there are a lot of listeners to this particular program that are very passionate about the  Common Core aspect, which of course came from Race to the Top, where there were these sticks — carrots, rather — that were dangled out by the federal government, “Go change your — the way that you’re doing education, put forth great reform plans, primarily including Common Core among those, and then you will get prize money.  Of course, Colorado tried to play along and we didn’t succeed in winning the so-called Race to the Top challenge. Uh, what do –Do you have any particular perspective on that whole aspect of Common Core and that encroachment on the states? I mean, is that something that you have you taken a position on?

GARDNER:  Well, have said that I oppose Common Core, because I don’t think it’s a good idea for Congress to be dictating to the states what our kids ought to be doing and learning.  I mean, that’s something, again, that was designed to be controlled by the state of Colorado, by local school districts.  We have a State Board of Education.  Look, I think that Washington ought to focus on getting out of the way and not figuring out different ways to put itself more present in the people of Colorado’s lives.

SENGENBERGER:   Now, let’s talk about jobs, because that’s another issue that hits home very strongly for so many Americans. I mean, only 142,000 jobs were created last month, lower than what was anticipated, even though the unemployment rate dropped down .1%, as we were talking with Dr. Walter E. Williams about in the last half hour, that’s largely because of the labor force participation rate continuing to decline.  In fact, 64,000 fewer people in the labor force last month than were previously.  How do you assess the way things are in our economy, and what are the key things that you believe, Cory Gardner, we need to do in order to get the economic gears rolling again?

GARDNER:  Well, if you talk to economists, they will tell you that one of the best measures of an economy is to look at the labor participation rate.  That’s the number of people who are in the work force.  And right now, as you said, our labor participation rate is at the lowest it’s been in in 36 years — over three decades!  And there are more people who are out of the workforce than ever — 36 years, excuse me.  And so you have people who can’t find work, people who have given up looking for work, sitting on the sidelines, and that’s hurting families and hurting people right here at home in Colorado.  What we need to do, number one, we can start growing our economy.  Build things like the Keystone XL Pipeline. Reduce the regulatory overreach that you’ve got right here in Colorado.  A President, Mark Udall– a Senator, who are going along with ‘the War on Coal’, threatening our coal miners, threatening job creation on the Western Slope. And then let’s look at the Western Slope.  Six-point-three percent unemployment in Mesa County, higher than the state average, higher than the national average.  And that’s because Udall has forgotten who he represents.  He’d rather represent Washington than Colorado.

SENGENBERGER:   Uh, there’s no doubt about it. I mean, he has not been willing to stand up for the Keystone pipeline.  Here’s the thing about energy, is — and you’ve been running ads on energy. Colorado is an energy rich state, especially when it comes to oil and natural gas.  And the federal government consistently seems to be impeding upon energy production right here in our own home state of Colorado, where we have a significant — significant–portion of our economy that depends upon the uh, our ability to extract oil and natural gas from our resources.  Talk to us a little bit more about federal regulations and being able to rein in that to help grow the energy sector in Colorado.

GARDNER:  Well, first of all, I mean, you look at the War on Coal.  And the president is making it more difficult to develop coal, to get permits for coal, to generate electricity from coal, the cheapest, most efficient, abundant, affordable source that we have.  And Mark Udall stood right by his side as that has happened.  And so, we need to end and we need to stop the war on coal.  And we need a public land policy, that instead of making it more difficult to use public lands, we ought to have some common sense, make sure we do it responsibly.  Senator Udall and this administration have made it more difficult for permits, and other permits to develop energy on public lands, and I think that’s something we have to look at.  The third thing, of course, is the broader EPA regulations when it comes to hydraulic fracturing, and other issues that people in Washington D.C. want to control instead of letting the states control that, where it should belong.  Senator Udall refused to take a position on an energy ban — refused to condemn the energy ban until it was obvious it wasn’t going to go anywhere, refusing to stand up for the thousands and thousands of jobs of people across the state of Colorado who work in the energy fields.  Look, we need to make sure that the government isn’t impeding things like exports of LNG permits, which could help our allies, like Ukraine, ease their reliance on Russian energy monopolies.  These are things that we can do that this administration is standing in the way of, and Mark Udall, again, 99% voting record with the President, continues to back him up.

SENGENBERGER:   […]

[commercial break]

SENGENBERGER:   […] Joined on the phone by Congressman Cory Gardner, the Republican candidate for United States Senate.  We were just talking about energy before the break and the importance of the energy economy here in the state.  And you’ve been running advertisements talking a lot about issues related to renewable energy, and so forth, with an advertisement particularly focused on wind energy, and so forth.  Talk to us about your vision and how that dovetails in with the notiong of extracting oil and natural gas, because there is concern among many of us that renewable energies are still very costly endeavors, despite the promising opportunities down the road.

GARDNER:  Well, I think as free market believers, we need to make sure we have an ‘all of the above’ energy policy.  That means we have it all, from traditional energy to renewable energy.  Now, I think where the concern lies is when government starts picking winners and losers and requiring people to use more costly energy.  That’s where the big concern lies, and of course, as entrepreneurs, those people who believe in limited government want to make sure that we can develop energies from an ‘all of the above’ strategy.  And so, I think that’s where we have to make sure that we are drawing the line at, and not letting government pick winners and losers, and forcing us, like, into a War on Coal, where you are being forced to use more costly energy against peoples’ best wishes or the best economic policy. And that’s why I’ve supported an ‘all of the above plan.’  Now, Mark Udall has shifted to what he calls, a “Best of the above” plan.  Now, under his plan, I don’t know what he’s taking off the table.  Somebody ought to clarify with him, “Well, what does that mean? What energy resource is no longer going to be utilized?”  Obviously, he opposes the Keystone XL pipeline. He has supported a Department of Interior administration official who said that the biggest threat to the western United States was natural gas.  He has voted for a ranking official at the Department of the Interior who said that.  So, again, I think it’s the difference between being free market versus somebody that believes that government knows best.

SENGENBERGER:   Yeah.  A ‘best’ energy policy that doesn’t make any sense to me, if you actually understand that you’re going to have those market forces at work.  But what do you think?  Is there anything that government should be doing when it comes, in your view, to renewable energies?  Or should they just be kind of taking a wait and see approach in supporting the concepts and so forth, or where do you come down on that?

GARDNER:  Well, again, you can look at things like Master Limited Partnerships. Right now, a oil or gas company can organize as a business, as a Master Limited Partnership.  Why not extend that to things like renewable energy?  That’s the common sense, a free market, less — you know, it’s an opportunity to organize a business in a way that creates more opportunities for a business.  So, those are things we can do to get government out of the way.  But I think, what we ought to make sure, is that we have a level playing field, that we have an environment that, when it comes to energy, is conducive to all types of energy policy, not just somebody who decides that they’ve gone to Washington to decide what kind of energy is best for a family.

SENGENBERGER:   […] I am curious about this.  In the advertisement , it talks about a “new kind of Republican” and that you’re sort of  ‘new kind of Republican’.  What do you mean by that?  Is that a new generation of Republicans? Is that a new outlook for Republicans? What does that mean to Cory Gardner?

GARDNER:  Well, I think it means that we have to shift for being the “Grand Old Party’ to the ‘Great Opportunity Party, a party that comes up with ideas and solutions, instead of just saying, “no.”  Somebody that realizes we can have an ‘all of the above’ energy policy, for renewable and traditional energy, based on free market policies.  Somebody who believes in an optimistic vision for the country.  That’s what we’re talking about.  We’re talking about a policy that will actually more this country forward instead of getting country locked down in some of the arguments of the past.

SENGENBERGER:   Immigration Reform: that is one of the obviously top key issues.  President Obama has announced that his is waiting until after the election to take any sort of executive action.  A few questions.  First, do you think that is politically motivated, Cory Gardner?  Second, do you think the president should go ahead, or has the authority to go ahead and take executive actions.  And third, what is your approach that you would like to see taken when it comes to immigration?

GARDNER:  Well, look, let’s make it clear.   We are in this mess because President Obama and Mark Udall have failed to lead. They have failed to do anything on immigration through the Congress. They were in charge of the Congress in 2008-2010.  They had the White House, they had the Senate, they had the House. When they could have acted, they didn’t.  They decided to pass the partisan healthcare bill, instead.  And now they want to play politics on immigration, even though they themselves have created the mess we are in today, including the horrible situation on our border.  When it came to the immigration crisis just over the past couple of months, they failed to lead.  We passed a bill out of the House that I supported that would have addressed the border crisis and yet this Senate failed to bring it up, pass it.  They failed to pass anything over there to address the crisis on the border over the past couple of months.  And so, you know, here we are in a situation where we do have a broken system — clearly, we do.  That’s what we need to address.  But the President cannot unilaterally continue to go around Congress.  If he wants solutions, let’s do what the Constitution intended — what the Constitution tells us to do. And that is to, the Congress makes the law, the President enforces the law, and let’s actually get back to what our founders were supposed to –what they wrote out for this country.

SENGENBERGER:   Thirty seconds:  What should we do on immigration?  I know it’s very quick, but thirty seconds, one minute.

GARDNER:  Well, look, we have to fix the system.  I mean, it starts with border security, absolutely, that means it’s also couple with a meaningful guest worker program, because you can’t have a secure border without a legal supply, ability to have labor needs in this country met.  But, again, it goes back to how this country was founded on ways to make the legislative branch lead on the law and the President enforce the law, not just someone who decides to use their pen and their phone.  That’s what this president decides to do.

SENGENBERGER:   Comprehensive approach or Step-by-step approach?

GARDNER:  Well, again, I think it’s been clear.  Just look at the healthcare bill.  When you have a comprehensive healthcare bill, what has happened?  So, I think we should start with border security and a guest worker program.  There are other pieces that we can put into place that I have talked about.  But, again, I think what the President has decided to do is play politics.

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