In this episode of Rush to Reason, host John Rush engages in a meaningful dialogue with listeners, focusing on the nuances of leadership and political involvement within the Republican Party. The conversation underscores the importance of unity and effective communication in rallying party members towards a common goal. Guests share personal experiences and insights into the challenges faced by grassroots volunteers in a politically dynamic environment. As the discussion unfolds, the episode sheds light on the critical role of dedicated volunteers and the impact of leadership decisions on party dynamics. Through candid exchanges, listeners gain a deeper understanding of
Announcer :
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Announcer :
Are you crazy? Am I? Or am I so sane that you just blew your mind? It’s Rush to Reason with your host, John Rush. Presented by High Five Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling, where every call ends with a high five.
John Rush (Host) :
All right, Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Myself, Andy Pate, Charlie Grimes, and Sue from Denver joining us now. Sue, go ahead.
Caller (Guest) :
Yes, I just wanted to comment, just listen to the last, bit before you went to break about dave williams and i appreciate he may not fit in the mainstream but i do want to say that um i have been a volunteer with the party for a bit and um i just i wanted to say to people who criticize and yet you want to you know if you want to be affiliated with the republican party get involved you know spend some time at it if you don’t like who we have as chairman Go to caucus. Become a delegate. Go to the state assembly, unless, of course, it’s all voted out this election, which it may be, because we may get ranked choice voting.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, we’ll talk about that in a minute, by the way.
Caller (Guest) :
But I just want to tell you that the people who put time and energy into this are the ones who have previously gone to the assembly and voted people in. And for those who want to criticize, I just have to say… Okay, it’s easy to be on the outside.
SPEAKER 09 :
Sue, Sue, Sue, you dropped out a moment. You dropped out for a second. You just want to say, and then you dropped out. Go ahead and repeat that.
Caller (Guest) :
Get involved. Get involved.
John Rush (Host) :
Well, that’s I mean, Sue, no offense. That’s what I do here.
SPEAKER 10 :
We’re all working.
John Rush (Host) :
I get it. And I and I’ve said this many, many times. And I appreciate all of the hard work, the volunteers, all the people that do things, even helping out the candidates and so on. And by the way, I feel sorry for all those individuals, because right now you’re working for a very, in my opinion, corrupt leader that doesn’t care about the party. only cares about himself and is not helping lead this party in a direction that it should head. And I just gave an example of that last hour with that statement, that email that went out about Dick Wadhams. I’m not a Dick Wadhams fan at all. I think Dick has not done much for the party whatsoever. But don’t send an email out like that. That’s just not good for us as a party, Sue.
SPEAKER 09 :
So should the state chair, one week out from election, be sending out an email that attacks fellow Republicans?
Caller (Guest) :
I mean, I think attacking like that is just not smart. I agree with you on the unify, let’s unify. But I have to tell you, as a radio host… It angers me. I’ve heard too many Peter Boyles, other people. I listen to you because I’m a conservative, but I want to never listen to you again when you put me down and I put a lot of time and effort on you.
John Rush (Host) :
And I want to make sure that I’m very clear. How do we put you down? I’m never putting down anyone that works for the party, volunteers, puts in time, effort and so on. I’ve only ever criticized. the current leadership that’s in charge right now of the party, and I’ve been very open. I’m proud to say this. I was the first host calling for Dave’s removal because I saw what he was doing to my party that I have been a part of since… I don’t know when. Long before Dave ever came to Colorado, mind you, Sue. I’m a Colorado native, so I’ve been a part of this for a very, very long time. Volunteered, did a lot of the same things that you’re doing right now inside the party. And it ticked me off watching what Dave did to the party, especially when he threw his hat in the ring to run.
Caller (Guest) :
And that could be I wasn’t at the meeting where he was elected. I’m a fourth-generation Denverite like you. I’ve been involved since I was able to vote.
John Rush (Host) :
Yep, me too.
Caller (Guest) :
I just have to say… You know, just recognize that some people are working really hard.
John Rush (Host) :
And Sue, I say that all the time and I’m very appreciative of all of those people that make things work. And like I said, I feel bad and I’m really upset at the fact that we don’t have good leadership that’s helping some of you, Sue’s of the world, do more and win more because we have leadership right now that literally, Sue, cares nothing. And I mean nothing about winning and that’s what bothers me.
Caller (Guest) :
Yeah, I guess my only comment there is we have to – I hope that you might also see that the other side has a lot of money coming from who knows where.
John Rush (Host) :
No doubt. Absolutely. No doubt. Absolutely they do.
Caller (Guest) :
And we have limited money. It’s only volunteers going door-to-door. They have paid people going door-to-door.
John Rush (Host) :
And really quick, and by the way, I appreciate all you’re saying, but dialogue with me here for a moment. If – we had proper leadership, and we had folks that were out there counteracting what you just said, even on the monetary side, wouldn’t we be much better off?
Caller (Guest) :
You mean people giving to our party?
John Rush (Host) :
Yeah, if we had right leadership and people believing in the leadership that we have, and we’ve got unification versus division, wouldn’t that money follow as well?
Caller (Guest) :
It would. But I think what’s happened to our party and, you know, yeah, we do need I agree with you. We need good leadership, but we are going to vote in leadership in February or March. And I think sometimes, you know, you just have to. I don’t know. I wasn’t part of voting Dave Williams in, but I’m a believer that you wait until the next election and vote someone new in.
John Rush (Host) :
I can’t argue that, and that’s what will happen this time around. And I hope and pray, A, and I’ll talk about ranked choice voting here in a minute when we come back from break. I hope that doesn’t pass, because if it does, it’ll change a lot of what even you and I are talking about right now. But let’s say… For whatever reason, it doesn’t pass. And we go back through this process again. I really hope and pray that we find someone that has really good, solid leadership skills that can lead this party in a direction that can bring some people back together. A lot of bridges are going to have to be mended. A lot of bridges that were burned will have to be mended to make that happen, to even get that money flow coming back in again, Sue, that I agree with you on. We are very, very… How should I say this? We’re at a loss right off the bat money-wise because of the Democrat machine and what it does in Colorado. On the same token, I feel like sometimes we’re our own worst enemy when it comes to that.
Caller (Guest) :
Yes, I agree. And I think a lot of our potential donors don’t donate because we don’t come across as unified and strong and we don’t seem to care about.
John Rush (Host) :
Well, and Sue, really quick, and I know because I am a donor as well. And I’ll tell you, people don’t donate to things they don’t feel will win. It’s that simple. And as soon as we can get a winning attitude back in Colorado with our leadership, the funds will follow.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, and if I may weigh in here, Sue, a lot of the donors right now will not donate because they believe that the current leadership of the Republican Party in Colorado is absolutely corrupt. Okay, they’re not going to donate to Dave Williams. They’re not going to donate to Hope Shepelman. They’re not going to donate to these people and to Ferguson.
John Rush (Host) :
The reason for that, Sue, is when we’ve got a chair, and I don’t want to hash this out because I’ve done this many, many times already, but when we have a chair that took literal state funds to go run Hillary’s State party funds to go run his own campaign and then endorsed other candidates, which, by the way, I don’t think chairmen should ever do in any party across the country. That shouldn’t happen, period. But the reality is you’ve got a party leadership now that’s picking winners and losers. That’s why funding doesn’t exist.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, we had the leadership of our party, Hope Shepleman and Dave Williams, openly campaigning against numerous Republicans who are running in the primaries in our state. That has never, ever happened before.
John Rush (Host) :
You know as well as I, you can’t raise funds from donors doing those things. That’s been my point all along.
Caller (Guest) :
I guess I just don’t want to have my radio host being like Dick Wadhams, who one time… Well, I’m as far from Dick Wadhams as you’ll ever find, because I want to win, Sue.
John Rush (Host) :
Yeah, I want to win. Yeah, I’m not Dick Wadhams, and I have criticized Dick Wadhams openly on this program long before Dave Williams came along. And by the way, Sue… You know, just to make sure that everybody understands where I come from. I’ve criticized the last several chairs that we have had, not just Dave Williams, but have I come down on him harder because he actually ran for office and picked winners and losers? Absolutely, I have. And I will stand behind that.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, how have we been like Dick Wadhams? I’m just curious.
Caller (Guest) :
Well, Dick Wadhams claims to be a Republican and yet basically does nothing but hurt the Republican Party.
John Rush (Host) :
I’ll say straight up. I don’t think Dick Wadhams is a Republican. He’s what I would call a political strategist that leans a little bit right, but Dick wants to butter his own bread and no one else’s, and I’ve said that all along about Dick. However, I will not come out two weeks before an election and call Dick a dick.
Caller (Guest) :
That’s all just I’m not you know, I just think it’s all stupid stuff. But I did want to tell you that, you know, I mean, Dave Williams is not a perfect guy. OK, and he’s made a lot of mistakes and continues to make them. But we discussed discussed in the Denver executive meetings that he needs. media and communication people next to him. And because we’re all so busy working and raising our family and doing all this stuff, no one has time or effort for that.
John Rush (Host) :
Okay, and really quick, Sue, just to counter that, I want to make sure that you and everybody else knows this as well. From day one… The minute Dave was elected, I put out a call on air like I have done with every single chair of the party, and no one has ever accepted this yet. I have offered to have them on on a weekly basis to communicate to all of the conservatives that listen to this program what’s going on inside the party. I have offered to consult them for free. When it comes to some of the media things that you’re even talking about, I have made that public. You can go back and listen to it on this program shortly after Dave was elected. Not one of the chair, including Dave, has ever taken me up on that, Sue.
Caller (Guest) :
Well, I’m glad to know that. That makes me happy, and maybe I’ll bring that to my Denver executives.
John Rush (Host) :
You need to let them know that. I have offered that to every single chair that’s been there. And by the way, some of the chairs, going all the way back to Steve House, used to come on the program and give updates as to what was going on inside of the party. That ended, and I tried to get that resolved again and going with Dave Williams from the minute he won, and he never once took me up on that or has ever come on this program to give his side.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah. It’s been an open invitation, Sue. And by the way, just so you know, Sue, uh, I’ve been a County vice chair. I understand exactly what you’re going through. Okay. But I think what you’re basically saying is that we need to absolutely go silent and silence ourselves and about the issues that Dave, that Dave Williams has produced with his behavior in order to be, I don’t know, supportive of our side. Look, um,
John Rush (Host) :
I call it as I see it on both sides of the aisle, Democrat versus Republican. I think that’s why I get the respect from both sides of the aisle that I get and even have liberals listen is because I’ll call it both ways. On the same token, I am a true conservative and I want to win. And I’ve said it a million times on this program. If I’ve said it once, I’m tired of losing.
Caller (Guest) :
And I’m tired of losing, too. So I hope that in your discussion and whatever you say on your radio station doesn’t cause a potential person who might consider running for GOP lead to not do it because they’re going to be made fun of and criticized.
John Rush (Host) :
No, I’ll say it again. I’ll say it with you publicly one more time soon. You can pass this around. And I’ve made this this invitation open. And I’ll say it again. If you as a chair. This includes even Dave Williams right now. If you as a chair want to come on this program on a dedicated weekly timeframe, every Wednesday at 5, for example, I will do whatever works for them and their schedule, including off-air consulting as to what you do to put out proper messages to start helping our candidates win, Sue. I am very good at all of that, not tooting my own horn, but I coach businesses regularly on the things that we’re talking about on the marketing side of their own business. I am more than willing to help our party do that, but I’m not going to go knock on someone’s door. They have to knock on mine. The invitation’s open, but they have to return it.
SPEAKER 09 :
And by the way, I have personally made the offer to the state leadership to work with them. They did not take me out.
John Rush (Host) :
I mean, Sue, I mean, other than going and getting on my hands and knees at the state office and begging them to do some of these things, what else do I do?
Caller (Guest) :
I mean, I appreciate all that. I do. I think it doesn’t help that some of the state officers live far away.
John Rush (Host) :
But either way, you know, Sue, I coach businesses coast to coast over the phone and don’t even see most of these people ever. If I can do that, I can coach them from wherever they’re at. That’s not a problem.
Caller (Guest) :
Great. I will be sure and take it back to people who know more than I do.
John Rush (Host) :
I would appreciate that. No, Sue, I am as true blue Republican as you’re going to find. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, more so than our current leadership, because I want to win.
Caller (Guest) :
Sounds great to me. Thank you, Sue.
John Rush (Host) :
Appreciate it very much. And that was a good dialogue. I appreciate that, Sue. Thank you, by the way, for being bold enough to call in. I think there’s a lot of folks out there listening that don’t feel like they can call in and have that dialogue. And the reality is you can. We just did. And I’m not against anyone. I’m just tired of losing, Andy. Yeah. That’s it. I’m tired of losing. We have opportunities in Colorado to pick things out we can win on, and yet we don’t.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, I will say this. Whoever is the next chair, be ethical. Okay, look, we’re going to ask—all I ask are five words, right? Serve all Republicans, favor none. That’s all I ask of the leadership. All you’ve got to do is serve all Republicans, favor none. Don’t campaign against some Republicans.
John Rush (Host) :
On the same token, Andy, going back to Sue’s comment a moment ago, had, in this case, Dave, taken me up on some of the— Sure. being with us weekly, me helping them with some of the things they need to do on the marketing side and so on. My number one consultation today, if he would have said, you know, John, I think I’m running for office. You know, my answer would have been, yeah, not under my watch. Yeah. Yeah. No, we’re not going down that path because that destroys your leadership. If you go down that path, you can’t do that. No, don’t do that.
SPEAKER 09 :
You can’t do that and be impartial. Okay. You’re literally running in a primary against other Republicans, which has never been done by the state chair before. Don’t do it.
John Rush (Host) :
So my point, Sue and others that are listening, Somebody around Dave is not giving him very good, solid, unbiased wisdom in some of these things. And if they did, please let me know. But if somebody gave Dave the advice I just gave that said, hey, don’t run. It will kill your leadership. My point is I highly doubt some of his close cronies and buddies did that. If anything, they encouraged him to run.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, some did. But he had a close, close crony who was the vice chair of El Paso County who did give him that advice. And Dave turned on him.
John Rush (Host) :
Yeah. So my advice would have been don’t do that because it will kill your leadership. And it has. I’ll leave it at that. And if somebody else is thinking about being chair, yes, you will have my support providing that advice. We have an open dialogue and direct communication, and I’m not saying you’ve got to do everything my way. I’ve never said that. Even to the people that I consult with, it’s not my way or the highway. It’s here’s some suggestions. You go run your business the way you need, but you’re asking me for my help. Here’s what I would suggest you do. In this particular case of a chair, I would ask them of the same thing. If you’re going to ask me for some help, great. Let’s just make sure we’re dialoguing back and forth and we’re being open about it. Yeah, you can still go do you, but if it goes south, that’s on you. Not me. That’s what I tell my businesses as well. Makes sense? All right. We’ll be right back. Flesh Laws coming up next. Kevin Flesh wants to help you with either your civil or criminal case, whatever it might be. Give him a call today, 303-806-8886.
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Announcer :
Putting reason into your afternoon drive. This is John Rush.
John Rush (Host) :
All right. We are back. Thanks, Sue, again for that conversation. I do appreciate that very much. And I mean that sincerely. I appreciate those kind of phone calls. That dialogue is very important. And by the way, that’s what a good chairman should be doing is having that kind of dialogue with folks that don’t agree and figuring out how can we find some common ground when this is all said and done and move our party forward. Sue, what I just did is an example of what our own party chair should be doing.
SPEAKER 09 :
Right, instead of just going to the Rhino Watch people and having Chuck and Julie write for you, which is basically what’s going on.
John Rush (Host) :
Yeah, we shouldn’t be doing that. So anyways, let’s talk ranked choice voting, though, because Sue, you brought that up, and I think that’s a very important thing as well, because my prediction is, and I’m sorry to say, And it’s not because I voted this way. I’ve already voted my ballot, and I’m very much against ranked choice voting. I voted no. Because it will be a killer, politically speaking, for Colorado. I have voted no on that. So I am very much opposed to 131. I don’t want to see it pass, but my prediction is it does.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, I predict it will pass, and I predict a lot of the reason once again. And I’m sorry, this isn’t just a bash on Dave Williams. I’m being honest. Dave Williams is a big reason 131 is going to pass. You have a ton of Republicans across this state right now who feel so abandoned by their party, who feel so helpless. because of their leadership alienating the independent voters, that they just look at it and say, let’s just blow up the system. And that’s why they’re going to vote for 131.
John Rush (Host) :
They’re tired. The folks in the middle are tired. They’re tired also because of some of the rhetoric that’s come out from both sides. And there’s also not a large percentage, but there’s even Democrats out there that feel the same way about their own party that are frustrated that will also vote for it, meaning you’re going to have three sides voting. Voting yes for 131, and that’s my prediction as to why it passes. Dave, go ahead.
Caller (Guest) :
Yeah, hey, John. Just a quick note out to Sue. You know, we all feel her pain, and that’s the terrible thing about being a true believer in your party and believing what you think are the core values and then having it. be turned on you while you put in that effort and your blood, sweat, and tears, so to speak. So we all feel that, and hopefully she doesn’t give up on it.
John Rush (Host) :
No, no, never give up. I mean, it’s why I keep doing what I do every day here, Dave. I’m not giving up. I want to see us make changes. I want to see us move forward. Is there still hope for Colorado? I believe there is, or I wouldn’t still live here and do the things that I do business-wise and so on. So, yes, I still believe in Colorado. I just know that we need proper leadership to move the ball forward.
Caller (Guest) :
Yeah, and just a little off topic, what I was recalling about was I’ve been trying to get a hold of some yard signs, and I cannot for the life of me go on Google. Excuse me?
SPEAKER 09 :
Your county party. Your county party is the first place to go.
Caller (Guest) :
That’s where I’ve been trying to go, but they don’t have anybody answering the phones. There’s no address to go and pick them up. It’s just this is where we are, and sign up to volunteer. That’s it.
John Rush (Host) :
What county are you in? You’re in Thornton, so Adams County.
Caller (Guest) :
Yeah. And it just says their offices are in, not Lakeside, but Lakeview.
John Rush (Host) :
Right, Lakeview, yeah.
Caller (Guest) :
Yeah, but it doesn’t say where.
John Rush (Host) :
Now really quick, have you called the state party just to see if they’re of any help on this?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, they should have a bunch of them down there. I know, I’ve stalked them.
Caller (Guest) :
Yeah, I do. I haven’t bothered to call. Nobody answered the phone there. I mean, they might just be busy, you know.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, they are.
John Rush (Host) :
They are, but this is, I’m sorry to say, this is a business thing, which, again, I do constantly. This close to the election, Dave, you figure out a way to man phones live. That’s just what you do. Again, this is a leadership issue at its core.
SPEAKER 09 :
Right. When I was vice chair in Arapahoe, that was one of my duties down the stretch was making sure everybody, you know, the phones were always answered and the signs were going out.
Caller (Guest) :
Yeah, okay. That’s just what I was going to say. And what about propositions? Where would you get those kind of signs?
John Rush (Host) :
Ooh, that I don’t know, Dave. I haven’t the foggiest idea on propositions. Yeah, because those aren’t party things, as you know.
SPEAKER 09 :
No, you’re basically going to have to say, okay, who is running the, say, the no on 131 side, and you’re literally going to have to go to them for their signs. Correct. Because the party, I don’t know that the party is putting out signs on propositions.
John Rush (Host) :
I don’t think they do, Dave. If they do, that’s news to me, because I always thought it was candidate only. I didn’t think they did anything on amendments or propositions. They can take a stance, but they typically don’t do anything on the advertising, signage, etc. They’ve got enough other stuff going on with their candidates.
SPEAKER 09 :
Right. To my memory, they don’t.
Caller (Guest) :
Yeah, no, I get that. But it’s one of those things you get on Google or whatever it’s searching and you’re getting. And as soon as I say, hey, no on 80, it immediately does. pushes you over to yes on 80 websites. And you’ve got to just keep searching and searching and searching. I’m like, why is none of this thing going to the top? I mean, that algorithm has really been fixed.
John Rush (Host) :
Well, and they pay. Keep in mind, too, the way Google works is whoever’s paying the largest for the click side of things is going to get that search. That’s how that works also, Dave.
Caller (Guest) :
Oh, there you go.
John Rush (Host) :
That’s part of it also.
Caller (Guest) :
Well, I appreciate the time.
John Rush (Host) :
No, no, I appreciate that as well, Dave. And I wish I could be more help on both of those. And again, not trying to criticize, and this is a frustrating part, I think, even for a lot of you that are volunteers. But right now, seven days out from the election, should every party office be manned phone-wise? Yes. Oh, yes. Yes, I’m sorry, but yes is the right answer. And in my opinion, there’s no automated system out there that makes up for somebody physically answering the phones. I get it. It can’t be 24-7, but should somebody be there from 8 to 5 daily to answer phones? Absolutely, folks. Absolutely, there should be somebody there answering phones. And if I were party chair… Would I have that fixed? Yes. Yes. These are very easy things that should be handled from the top down.
SPEAKER 09 :
Absolutely. By the way, I’m looking here and I’m trying to find. He’s right. I’m trying to right now Google it and find anywhere where you can find the group opposing 131. I can’t. Oh, man.
John Rush (Host) :
Well, that’s not good either. Now, again, that’s not a Dave Williams party issue, because propositions and amendments are all done independently from one another, so I’m not casting blame on anybody inside the party for that one. That is whoever’s going against ranked choice voting, which, by the way, both parties should be. This is something i’ll yell at both democrat and republican because i’ve seen the democrats go against 131 as well as the republicans both of them should have had some no signage in the ability to go against that because it’s going to affect both of their parties i’m going to blame both sides on that one yeah republicans and democrats both party offices should have some no on 131 signs Am I right?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, it is. Yeah, you’re right.
John Rush (Host) :
It’s very sad. Both Democrats and Republicans, because they neither one want this. And yes, I know there’s some of you thinking, well, the Democrats want this. No, they don’t. Look, the Democrat leadership has even put out things as a no on 131. This destroys their side also.
SPEAKER 09 :
I think both parties should have signage everywhere. No on 131. No on 131. Everywhere.
John Rush (Host) :
On this one alone. The rest of them, that goes to the individual amendments and so on. But this one, given the fact that it changes the party structure in Colorado, I know some are going to say, well, no, John, it really doesn’t. Well, yes, it does. Yeah, it does. Yes, it does. It may not say that in the wording for 131, but at the end of the day, the reality is this will change party structure.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, yeah, because what’s the outcome of what you’re even trying to do?
John Rush (Host) :
It won’t matter moving forward. It’s going to change everything. If 131 passes, which I predict it does, it’s going to change everything inside of the parties and how they do things moving forward. Am I right, Andy?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, you’re right. I think there’s going to be a lot of people celebrating that, too, as well, because they’re very bitter and angry. That’s more with the Republican Party, but I believe there are some Democrats. There’s some Democrats that will, too. Who are also angry at their party.
John Rush (Host) :
Because they’re frustrated also. Right. Because some want to turn the machine upside down, and that’s coming from both sides and the middle. Again, I go back to where’s my reasoning behind 131 passing? Because you’ve got some Democrats, not a huge percentage, but there are some. There’s a big percentage of those independent voters that want to see it pass. And you’ve got a good percentage of Republicans. I’m sorry to say, but there’s a certain percentage of Republicans that want to see it pass as well, meaning it will pass.
SPEAKER 09 :
I believe more Republicans will vote for it than Democrats.
John Rush (Host) :
Oh, absolutely. But you’re going to find the most as far as independents go. Oh, yeah. That’s the big group. And unfortunately, in Colorado, this is something that, again, both parties, I think, at times struggle to look at the numbers. The independent voter in Colorado is what, Andy, 45, 43 percent of the voting populace?
SPEAKER 09 :
No, the unaffiliated voters last I saw are 47 or 48 percent. 47 or 48. OK, so 45 plus. Yeah.
John Rush (Host) :
So why both parties aren’t even looking at that is beyond me. That’s a huge number. It is. You cannot ignore that 45%, 47%, whatever the magic number is. You cannot, you know, close to 50%. You cannot ignore that. And we do in a lot of cases. Well, not only do we ignore it, Andy, we tick them off.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, we blame them for our bad.
John Rush (Host) :
We not only ignore them, we tick them off. We’re doing get this comparison. We’re doing to the unaffiliated in Colorado. We Republicans are doing the same thing to the unaffiliated voters that the Democrats are doing to the mail vote.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes.
John Rush (Host) :
Are we not?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes. That’s what we’re doing.
John Rush (Host) :
We’re basically doing the same thing that the Democrats are doing to the mail voter. You don’t matter.
SPEAKER 09 :
When we come back, can we talk a little bit about positive things we could do with the Republican Party?
John Rush (Host) :
In fact, Andy, let me go one step further. Yeah, go ahead. Not only do we want you, we’re mad at you for what you are. And the fact that Democrats are mad at males in general because they hate masculinity, they even call it toxic masculinity. Right. They hate men. Well, guess what? Republicans hate independent voters. Don’t they? The core does. They do.
John Rush (Host) :
They do.
John Rush (Host) :
The core hates them because you won’t pick a side. I’ve even heard some of you as listeners email me and text me. What’s wrong with independent voters? They won’t pick a side. What a bunch of pansies. I’ve heard you say that. Right. We’re alienating them. Yep. You’re doing exactly what the Democrats are doing to the mail vote.
SPEAKER 09 :
Basically, either you’re a purist or get out.
John Rush (Host) :
Yep. High five plumbing is next, folks. And don’t forget about the electrical sides of things. They do that now as well. High five plumbing. Eight, seven, seven. We high five.
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John Rush (Host) :
All right, Roof Savers of Colorado. Again, make sure that your roof is all handled as we head down this stretch into winter. That includes your commercial roof if you’re an owner of a commercial property as well. 303-710-6916.
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SPEAKER 09 :
Sponsored by the Colorado Broadcasters Association and the Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation.
Announcer :
Now, back to Rush to Reason, presented by High Five Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling, where every call ends with a high five.
John Rush (Host) :
All right, we are back. Myself, Andy Pate, Charlie Grimes, our engineer, of course. Mike, go ahead, sir. You’re next.
Caller (Guest) :
So, I’m calling in about that Know Your Judge website. Yep, knowyourjudge.com. Yep, so I… went and filled out my ballot before checking. And I decided last night I’m going to check.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay.
Caller (Guest) :
So I did go there. And then I just realized that that’s most of the time that had a, the, the websites that referenced all that stuff had a.gov behind it. Cause it was put out by the state government. So I did a search and I found another website and I, I think it was coloradovoice.com. Okay. And it reviewed the judges and, and, I didn’t realize this, but this is a good point, something you guys should talk about. The Colorado Supreme Court put out this deal where Donald J. Trump wasn’t allowed to be on our ballot.
John Rush (Host) :
That’s right.
Caller (Guest) :
They attempted to keep him off.
John Rush (Host) :
That’s right.
Caller (Guest) :
Well, lo and behold, if you go to judges, knowyourjudge.com, they just give the colorado supreme court a green light and that’s what caused me to go yeah that’s a no-go for me yeah big no judges one of those judges on of the three that we had to choose from on the ballot did she was one of the four judges that said yes that’s right uh so if her judgment is so bad that’s a no this is And so, yeah, so I just wanted to point that out.
John Rush (Host) :
You’re right in that. Yeah, we we’ve talked a little bit about that in the past. Mike, I haven’t spent a lot of time on the judges end of things, because typically in even your area, you’re going to have a little differences in how you vote versus other areas and so on. Kind of like, you know, a local, you know, Jeffco ballot initiative and so on. You know, I don’t get into a lot of those details because most that you can find on your own. I’ll just say straight up on me personally, I don’t have much use for most judges. So I think you can kind of tell where I vote.
Caller (Guest) :
Right. And then also you’re 100 percent right. But the appellate judges, once I found that out about the Supreme Court justices for Colorado, I went and I looked for the appellate judge. And sure enough, I found, you know, one of those guys in that group supported the 100 percent. false thing that happened in Washington, D.C., and that was enough right there for me. In fact, I had such bad judgment on that one, and it was the Donald J. Trump, Russia, Russia, Petra tape thing. He voted in support of that, and I thought, man, how— If you’re that clueless, you can’t do other things well, so that’s a no also. Yeah, they’re not being honest. I agree. You would want the judges to be blind— You know, justice is supposed to be blind when it comes to the individual or their beliefs.
John Rush (Host) :
Key words, supposed to.
Caller (Guest) :
Yeah, go right down straight to it. That’s all I have. No, you’re right.
John Rush (Host) :
No, Mike, I appreciate that, by the way. And, yeah, I don’t get into on this show much on the whole judges end of thing. Most folks can do that on their own. I personally, I’m just not a fan of most judges in general, so I think you can pretty well figure out how my vote is there.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yep.
John Rush (Host) :
Let’s leave it at that. That’s how I feel. Yeah, I don’t spend a lot of time on that one because I have other things to do. Okay, so the ranked choice voting. I think it will pass. I think it’s going to change politics in Colorado for both parties, how it all shakes out and what happens from that point forward. And what I mean by it changes things, it’s going to change things because the way that we’ve typically done things in the past with caucus and assembly and voting people in and on and on we go, Andy, it’s going to change that immensely.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah. Well, it’s going to dramatically change the influence that caucus goers and assembly winners have over who our candidates are, which is so much of their job. I think it’s going to mess things up a lot.
John Rush (Host) :
Yeah, so… I don’t know this because I didn’t really look up the details. If this passes, when does it start? Did you look at that or do you know? Well, I would assume. Is it immediately or is there a time frame where things have to be arranged first or does this happen in the next election cycle?
SPEAKER 09 :
No, I think it would go in place for the next election cycle. I do believe so, yes.
John Rush (Host) :
For sure, 2026 when we do governors and all that kind of stuff.
SPEAKER 09 :
I would think so, yes.
John Rush (Host) :
Okay. Again, folks, these are things that we, we as a party, us, not the Democrats, should be working on in figuring out how are we going to run a really solid governor candidate. Because again, who is the left going to run? I don’t know. You have to keep in mind, Hickenlooper comes up the next roll around as well. He’s another one that we should be getting somebody ready to go who’s going to run against Hickenlooper on the Senate side. I feel John Hickenlooper is not as bad as… as Michael Bennett the last time around, but if we have the same sort of an issue with a Senate candidate like we did the last time around with Joe O’Day, we might as well just hang it up right now and give John the award for winning. Right. Because he will.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, and also we had Ron Hanks literally campaigning against the Republican in the general election after he lost the primary.
John Rush (Host) :
That’s what I mean. Yes, absolutely. That whole debacle was a disaster. If we’re going to do that again, just give John Hickenlooper the Senate seat and call it good.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, especially since Hickenlooper is going to be harder to beat.
John Rush (Host) :
He’ll be harder than Michael Bennett. Yeah, it will not be as squishy. He’s not as squishy as Michael Bennett, so it will be a harder one to win. But I will also say this. Is he beatable? Yes. Yeah, he’s getting old, guys. He’s very, in my opinion, he is still very beatable running the right candidate on our side.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, but we need new leadership. I’m sorry, but we do.
John Rush (Host) :
Well, and these are the things, folks, as I said yesterday, these are things that right now, Currently, and I know we’ve got a big election going on right now. There’s a lot of things happening. We’ve got to support. OK, I understand all that. So maybe put it on hold until next Wednesday. And I mean this sincerely. Next Wednesday, the day after. This is what you start working on. Everything that I’m talking about right now, Andy, with those two seats in particular, governor and senator, those are two things that immediately Wednesday morning you’re figuring out, OK, how’s this going to work? And I get it. I understand. I’ve been told this many, many times. I don’t always agree with the folks that say this, but they’ll tell you, well, that’s not the chair’s job. They can’t go find candidates.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, the problem is you’ve got to be careful in recruiting because then you’re going to – that’s favoritism.
John Rush (Host) :
I know. But you can sure highly suggest, hey, Andy, you know what? I think you would actually do really well. And by the way, I’m not saying you do it with just one person, Andy. Go find three or four people that you think would be good at that. Go for it. That’s how you get that process started. Follow me? Because sometimes people need a little prodding along that, oh, yeah, you think I could do this? Okay. Let me think about that.
SPEAKER 09 :
John, look, I got no problem with that. But what I mean is this. The big problem right now is that the party itself. There’s no direction. Thank you. Right now, we have nothing from the state party telling people messaging. Okay, how should you be connecting with those around you? They just tell you, go get more voters. Yeah, yeah, yeah. How? What should they be saying to other voters that would be attractive to actually make people want to vote for our side? Nothing. Zero. Zip, zilch, nada. And by the way, another thing that better not start starting Wednesday, but it will, is the purge. Our leadership shouldn’t be saying we are going to purge all opposition to us on the state assembly. That’s what they’ve already come out and said they’re going to do. Look, going forward, we need to unite.
John Rush (Host) :
Not purge.
SPEAKER 09 :
Not purge. Going forward, we need to train. I know. not silence. Do you see what I’m saying?
John Rush (Host) :
All right, really quick, a few other key races maybe in the state. What are your thoughts on some of the races that we’ve got going on? Let’s pick Gabe Evans, for example. That’s a close race. Where do you think that one ends up at? And I like Gabe. He needs to win.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, he’s wonderful. He needs to win. I believe he will lose. I believe abortion is such a massive impact on this election, and I don’t think Trump sells as well. However, do you think that the red wave is going to hit Colorado some? Some. Because of immigration and the economy. If it does, Gabe could win.
John Rush (Host) :
And the fact that unless I’m missing something, maybe I don’t watch a lot of TV, so maybe I am. Yeah. But has our own governor been campaigning much for the Democrats?
SPEAKER 09 :
No, not much.
John Rush (Host) :
A little, but not much. That helps us in what you just said then, Andy.
SPEAKER 09 :
Right, because he’s trying to stay above it all because he wants to run for president in 28. That’s a help. It is a help.
John Rush (Host) :
So we should capitalize on that.
SPEAKER 09 :
I believe we’re going to win in the third and the fifth because we got terrific candidates. We dodged a bullet in each one of those. And Gabe, we dodged a bullet there by getting a much better candidate there. Could he win the eighth? Yes, he could.
John Rush (Host) :
Okay. And he may.
SPEAKER 09 :
But my prediction.
John Rush (Host) :
He may because of what I just said a moment ago. We really don’t have a lot of opposition, even from the governor’s side of the fence, rolling against him.
SPEAKER 09 :
My prediction is, look, it’s tough. It’s a blue state. Well, look.
John Rush (Host) :
We are a blue state.
SPEAKER 09 :
It’s a winnable district. I think that the leadership of our party in the state has crippled our organization so badly that that’s going to make it hard for Gabe to win.
John Rush (Host) :
I was afraid you’d say that.
SPEAKER 09 :
That is, you know.
John Rush (Host) :
I’m sorry, I’m afraid you’d say that because you’re right.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, yeah.
John Rush (Host) :
You’re correct. It’s sad, but you’re correct.
SPEAKER 09 :
I mean, our leadership literally campaigned against Gabe.
John Rush (Host) :
I know.
SPEAKER 09 :
In the primary.
John Rush (Host) :
I know.
SPEAKER 09 :
Okay.
John Rush (Host) :
I know. And it’s a seat we need to win and pick up.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes. Absolutely.
John Rush (Host) :
Because his opponent, by the way, is a dirty, rotten Democrat.
SPEAKER 09 :
Oh, yes.
John Rush (Host) :
Through and through. Absolute dirty, rotten Democrat.
SPEAKER 09 :
Right. So now what we’re having to do is overcome the many weeks of campaigning that our state party did against our candidate in the 8th. Okay? You’re already going uphill against the Democrats. Right.
John Rush (Host) :
Right. Especially her.
SPEAKER 09 :
Right. I don’t know. What do you predict? 3-5-8. Ugh.
John Rush (Host) :
I’m with you. I think Gabe has a chance. There’s still some time left, although early voting in Colorado was already ramping up. A lot of folks were already going through that. The ads are heavy against him. Most of the ads are flat-out lies. There’s PACs that are running ads against him. They’re flat-out lies. She’s running ads. She’s lying through her teeth. The reality is everybody’s lying against Gabe, and it’s hard to overcome that.
SPEAKER 09 :
You know, then there’s another problem, and I’ll say this and we go to break. Because of what our state party did. Andy, you keep blaming. I’m just being honest about the numbers, guys. There’s an undercurrent of Republicans in those districts who don’t trust our candidate. Because they were told to hate that candidate.
John Rush (Host) :
On the front side.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah.
John Rush (Host) :
In the primary.
SPEAKER 09 :
So it’s tough.
John Rush (Host) :
I know. You’re right. Okay. Let’s take a break. We’ll come back, get things finished up. Golden Eagle Financial is next. Al Smith, give Al a call today. Get your financial future set. You can find him at klzradio.com.
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John Rush (Host) :
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John Rush (Host) :
Cub Creek Heating and Air Conditioning folks, if you’ve got a problem with your furnace, please give those guys a call today. They’ll be happy to come out and take care of whatever you’ve got going on. Find them at klzradio.com.
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Announcer :
It’s time to leave your safe space. This is Rush to Reason on KLZ 560.
John Rush (Host) :
All right, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. A couple minutes left of today’s show is all. Appreciate you all listening very much. Been good dialogue all day. And the text line, if you text in, just know that I will do my best to respond, but it’s glitchy, and sometimes it lets me respond, sometimes it doesn’t. If you have something really important that you want to send, please send me a text message, or sorry, an email message instead, john at rushtoreason.com, J-O-H-N. And somebody texted in a moment ago that a lot of the churches, when it comes to some of the propositions and amendments, abortion and so on, may very well have some yard signs as well. So check with a local church. You don’t even have to attend there. Just find out if a local church might have one of those signs as well. Thank you for that tip, by the way.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yep, that’s good. Can I talk national election? Okay, bottom line, I think national election is going to come down to these issues. Abortion on one side, immigration, the economy, and inflation on the other side. So the big question is, which will be most important? I will say this, a lot of people are counting on the Trump vote being under-polled. You got to keep in mind in 2022, the Democrats were seriously underpolled by an average of four points in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. If that holds again this year, Kamala wins all three states and she is our next president. OK, and why was that? That was because of abortion. They underpolled the impact of abortion. Um, my concern is this, I do believe Trump’s going to win by about 60 40. That’s where I am. Okay. But my concern is because of, of abortion, he could lose.
John Rush (Host) :
Yeah, like I said earlier, if he wins, I believe it’ll be a very, very small margin. I hope, like I said in the first hour, I hope I’m wrong. I hope I eat my words, and it’s a landslide, and I’ll apologize if it is. I hope so. I’ll eat my words, because I’ll be happy to do so. But I think, and I’m even more skinny on the numbers than Andy, I think if he wins, it’ll be by just a handful of electoral college votes. That’s what it’ll come down to when it’s all said and done.
SPEAKER 09 :
I’d say you’re at about 53% you think he will.
John Rush (Host) :
We’ll find out, so… All right, guys, have a great night. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560.
Media Narratives vs Reality: Data That Changes the Story. Iran, Oil, and Global Power.