Station:   KLZ, 560 AM

Show:      Wake Up! With Randy Corporon

Guests:    Hill, Owen

Link:       https://soundcloud.com/randycorporon

Date:       February 26, 2014

Topics:     Tea Party Express, Endorsement, U.S. Senate Race, Ken Buck, Amy Stephens, Colorado State Senate, Senator Mark Udall,

Click Here for Audio

 

[the following are notes from an interview, presented in outline format.  All portions are paraphrased from the questions and responses between the host and the guest.]

HOST RANDY CORPORON:  Tell us where you are calling from… we don’t know about you personally.

COLORADO STATE SENATOR AND U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE OWEN HILL:

• Pleased to be calling in
• My children are asleep upstairs
• I’m in the school room downstairs, in our home in CO Sprgs
• We home school
  • My wife is a trained teacher – doing an awesome job
  • I’m stepping
    • Plastic animals
    • Statue of liberty
    • Replica of Eiffel Tower
    • World map

CORPORON:  How old are your kids

HILL:

• 8 year old Caden  — much to chagrin of his mom, he’s like his dad
• Three daughters
  • Nyette  (knee-et)  [Russian for ‘NO’???] – 6 years old
  • Ellis – 5 years old
  • Elinor—3 year old
• We’ve been blessed – lot of fun
• We take them with us everywhere, do as much as possible– even on the campaign trail
• Politics are more than just about you and me
  • Kids
  • Grand kids
  • A future of opportunity and liberty?
  • Or whether wealthy and empowered in DC and Denver tell them how to live their lives based on their standards rather than ours

CORPORON:  Debt (20 Trilllion dollars by end of Obama’s term) – reflects damage being done to our nation

HILL:

• We can’t even fathom $20T
• We’re numbers people and even we don’t get how big that number is
• Part of the problem:  Debt has become so big
  • People blow it off
  • Can’t even comprehend that kind of magnitude

CORPORON:  I try and get people to envision and understand the amounts in ways they can understand –A thousand thousands,  A thousand millions, Etc —It staggers the mind

HILL:

• Helpful to put it in terms of personal finance
• American family making $36,000 a year
  • Problem:  spending $50,000
  • Might consider loaning money to them
  • but if they have $220,000 in debt already
  • Now you’re definitely loathe to loan this family

CORPORON:  In Senate run, what can one senator do about the national debt

HILL:

• I’m tired of politicians saying they alone can change the world
• Our founding fathers knew the danger of one person having that much power and influence
• They intentionally put in system of checks and balances.
  • That can be frustrating
  • Can’t screw things up too quickly
  • Can’t resolve problems too quickly
• The Tea Party revolution 5 years ago
  • Many said they can’t make a differenc
    • A hick from texas  (ted cruz)
    • An eye doctor (Rand Paul)
    • An unknown from Utah (mike lee)
  • Look!  They are determining and running the agenda in the US senate
  • Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, the media are all responding to what they are saying
• Can we throw energy and intentionality and focus on limited government and dismantling this giant juggernaut of bureaucracy
  • That’s sucking down trillions per year
• We’re entitled to our opinions, but not entitled to our own facts – which are undeniable
  • Poverty is getting worse
  • Food stamp use is getting worse
  • Healthcare outcomes are decreasing
• Despite our best intentions, and all the money – we aren’t being successful in addressing the real problems
  • We need to understand what our founding fathers understood
  • You can’t have one-size-fits-all, top down, mandates
  • We need 50 different approaches as to how we bring together
    • Government
    • Charity based orgs
    • Small biz,
    • Churches
    • Non-profits
    • Schools
    • To create the communities we want to live in

CORPORON:  Ppl say –he’s so young and inexperienced

HILL:

• How many experienced politicians do you look up to right now?

CORPORON:  At KLZ we are constantly bashing professional career politicians – its hard for me to take seriously criticisms that’s based on someone NEW getting into politics

HILL:

• We desperately need new blood in politics
• The system isn’t broken –The PEOPLE are broken
• Process of governing ourselves is NOT broken
  • The alternative:
    • What’s happening in Russia
    • What’s happening in China
• It’s hard to take ppl seriously when they say politics is broken
  • Yes
  • We’ve elected ppl more concerned with their career in politics
  • And buying own votes
  • Taking opportunity and liberty from our children
  • Both Dems and Rs
• New blood is what we need – to go and say We are NOT here to solve the problem, or make DC function more efficiently, or save a little money
• Recognize the founders’ vision – Washington cannot solve our problems
• Washington’s charge
  • Ensure basic liberties
  • Defense from enemies
• It’s up to us !

[commercial break]

CORPORON:  Last Night’s Debate – who showed?

HILL:

• Six candidates – Floyd Trujillo?  Amy Stephens, Ken Buck, OH, Tom Janich, Marcus Speary
• Hosted by the Denver Post
• Plunkett, Bartels, Kurtis Lee moderating/ asking questions
• Less debate format – more a forum format (series of questions)
• We’ve been to forums all over the state, so we were ready
• It was a good opportunity, a great experience
  • I’m not going to lie
  • I was pretty nervous
• Focused on new ideas, proactive, policy driven future
• It’s not too late… It is possible to do what others call impossible
  • Exist as a successful independent nation
  • Abolish slavery
  • Unite under Reagan
  • Recover from the financial crisis

CORPORON:  6 ppl running for the Senate, tells me how vibrant and dynamic the GOP is  — lots of ideas

CORPORON:  Moving on from the debate:

CORPORON:  [Pleasantries and mutual admiration statements]

CORPORON:  What’s your strategy to win?

HILL:

• Broad opportunity here
• Financial issues
• Buy low, and sell hi…
  • Stock has never been lower for the GOP
  • We lose elections
  • We fail to capitalize on great opportunities
    • 2010
    • Best GOP year in 40 years
• It’s not that ppl don’t share our values
  • We fail to communicate them in ways that draws ppl in
  • Freedom, opportunity, empowering next generation
• Dems have become so radical and extreme
  • Not one single thing they’ve done could be identified as a good thing
  • In fact, they have failed in charging ppl with power and opportunity
• We need new direction, new energy in GOP
  • Stand up
  • Stand with the constitution
  • Delineate Fed powers and state powers
  • Celebrate diversity among states
  • PPL can move to the state that best reflects the values they hold

CORPORON:  What about opponents petitioning onto ballot?  What’s your approach and why

HILL:

• Innovative approach
  • Never been done in Co – but the precipice we’re on demands it
  • WE”RE GOING TO DO BOTH: petition on AND caucus
    • Some ppl don’t understand the caucus process – so we’re petitioning on
    • We need all hands on deck to beat Udall
      • Door to door to recruit
      • We need our church friends and the pro-life friends
      • The don’t know about nor understand the caucus process
    • We’re also going to go through the traditional path of caucus process
      • Honor the sense of ppl who have been around a long time
      • Who have fought and invested a lot in the GOP
      • Valid also
      • Mobilize all hands on deck
    • The GOP has been energized in CO
      • Recalls,
      • Amendment 66
      • To take control of our future

[after Justin Everett interview]

CORPORON:  Tea Party Express endorsement of you… there was some upheaval among local Tea Party community, but I note on your website a healthy list of Tea Party support.  How do you respond to Criticism around Tea Party Express endorsement

HILL:

• Liberty lovers have more fun – one of the strengths of the Tea Party
  • More than dems
  • More than statists
• They are so lock-step… but no one tells us what to do.
  • Yeah, some groups are doing something else
  • TPE offered their support,
    • Base of grassroots support
    • Grassroots Agree with TPE
    • Believe we need new blood
• Thank God we have lots of different opinions

CORPORON:  Rumor:   ppl in politics, talking about a big donation that bought you the TPE endorsement… what’s your response?  Any truth to that?

HILL:

• Let’s be honest
• I don’t trade in rumors
• I don’t know what any of those rumors are about
• There were no rumors  when TPE endorsed Ken Buck last time around
  • Ppl are going to be upset, obviously
  • Because the support for Ken last time is shifting
    • We need something new
    • We need more energy
    • What happened last time: strategy of winning the primary  and  then kneeling on the football, instead of fighting for the people being hurt by Democratic policy
    • I understand they have a bone to pick
      • Of course they’re going to come up with conspiracy theories
      • And untrue things to say
• This is the same group that changed the race for Rand Paul and Ted Cruz and KB last time
• Now they’re looking for the best candidate to carry the mantel of conservatives
• We must return power opportunity and freedom back to the ppl

CORPORON:  What distinguishes you from opponents?

HILL:

• Different personalities and opinions in GOP but ONE thing we can agree on:
• What we’ve been doing hasn’t worked
• Unless we make significant changes
  • New blood
  • New energy
  • Proactive vision
  • But we have to DO it, not just talk about it
• Doing the same thing and expecting a different result  — crazy
  • Time and time again…
  • We’re going to keep getting the results we’ve gotten time and time again
• Dems pretend that they’re moderate and independent, but Udall voted with Obama 99% of the time
  • That’s what we have going on right here
  • Unless we bring in a whole new generation of Rs here
  • We have to win back those who have been turned of by GOP
• I have a PhD in Economics
  • I can put you to sleep, anytime, day or night
• As many voters in CO 4 and under as we do 60 and older
  • Young ppl
  • Young families
  • Registering as Independents
  • They don’t see the clear distinction
  • They don’t want someone in Denver or someone in DC telling them how to lead their lives

CORPORON:  No direction nor feedback from KLZ Christian management on how to run the show/ One of your opponents comes out pretty strong on social issues … I’ll ask you same questions

HILL:

• I’m pro life
  • It’s not enough just to say I’m pro-life, give platitudes
  • A woman and a man who find themselves with an unwanted pregnancy – we MUST come alongside them with the love of Christ… from a place of compassion.
  • We partenered with life resource centers
    • New ideas, energy
    • New tools
    • Reaching out instead of waiting for people to come to us
  • More and more people are coming out as pro-life
    • Ppl recognize that it’s a moral duty to stand up for ppl who are hurting
    • Ppl agree with us

CORPORON:  I love hearing you say that.  Polling, esp, among young ppl, is changing on this Right to Life issue – ppl shouldn’t shy away from being prolife.  Do like Ted Nugent did, when the media tries to take him off his message.  Answer the question and then go back to your message.  Go to them, don’t wait for them to come around to you.

HILL:

• I couldn’t agree with you more
• That’s how the GOP has lost the confidence of so many ppl
  • We’ve done it so much here in Co
  • They say they share our values
    • But they don’t want to talk about it
    • They don’t want to focus on it
    • You get the sense that they really don’t share our values, they’re just saying it to get our vote

CORPORON:  Immigration issue:  Explaining your vote for in-state tuition for Illegals

HILL:

• Appreciate the full hour
• It’s an important issue
  • We watched and learned from Reagan
  • We saw the failure from amnesty
  • We’d be just as foolish to try amnesty today
• We have to take a strong stand against amnesty
• We need to recognize:
  • There are a couple of ppl who are victims of human trafficking
  • Brought here to CO through no fault or choice of their own
  • They’re worked hard, learned our language, graduated H S  and want to pay their way through college to become productive members of society
  • That we would use the government  (In-state tuition tool) to charge them the exhorbitant tuition for out of state individuals
    • It has NOTHING to do with conservative values
    • It has nothing to do with freedom and opportunity
• Rule of Law:  I ran a bill a couple weeks ago to tell the Feds that if an illegal immigrant is convicted of a crime in CO, we’re not going to use our tax dollars for incarceration – IMMEDIATE deportation.
  • What’s sad is that ICE won’t respond and pick these illegal immigrants up
• Immigration reform where everything is literally on hold
  • Because President Obama and Mark Udall have refused to follow and enforce the laws on the books
  • Whether in immigration or in Obamacare, when we have this notion that the President doesn’t have to follow the law – they’re above the law.
    • There’s no confidence whatsoever, to actually make free enterprise – I mean pro-freedom and opportunity reforms going forward
    • That’s the only thing that is holding us up, in terms of making a good strong stand for those who want to come and undermine our system, who want to dismantle our way of life, and become dependents from outside of the country, on what we’re trying to do here

CORPORON:  Let me jump in here, Owen, I’ve heard in conservative circles “Secure the Border” mantra.. and I’ve heard push back on that as well.  What’s your position?  Secure borders first?

HILL:

• Insofar as the lack of the rule of law–
• As the only military officer in the race –
  • Whenever you would go to a new place, friendly or not, the first thing you do is secure your borders
  • We need to make sure we know who’s coming and who’s going
  • How else can you distinguish good from bad, productive versus destructive
• I’m tired of all Dems and others turning citizenship into a political tool
  • It should be sacred, precious
  • It should take a long time
  • We should take it off the table to make sure it remains sacred and precious.

CORPORON:  Ken Clark calls in to talk about a bill which breaks a contract between private company and Community colleges.  Going into thirds in Senate… hopes Hill will vote against… dangerous precedent.

HILL:

• We had some good debate on the floor
• The more I look at it , yeah, it’s a harmful bill
• With Lundberg, and Marble, and so we’ll be taking a principled stand against government standing in the way of private companies coming together in agreements.
• Dangerous precedent

KEN CLARK, HOST OF “GRASSROOTS RADIO COLORADO” ON KLZ, CALLS IN TO TEASE TODAY’S GRASSROOTS SHOW:  what hill said about ASSET – he has given precedent and preference to people who are here illegally over people who are here legally but in another state.  Also, Senator Hill, your Principles of Liberty scores are very very poor when it comes to personal responsibility and equal protection under the law.  44 bills he voted against [cut off by Randy Coroporon]