MOST OF IT SENATORS HAVE BEEN
REPUBLICANS, TOO.
BUT THAT CHANGED IN THE TRUMP
ERA, HIGHLIGHTING HOW MUCH THE
FORMER PRESIDENT HAS UPENDED
THE POLITICS OF THE STATE AND
HOW HE CONTINUES TO JEOPARDIZE
THE GOP’S ELECTORAL CHANCES
THIS YEAR.
JOINING ME AS A FORMER
REPUBLICAN SENATOR FROM
ARIZONA, JEFF FLAKE, AUTHOR OF
THE BOOK, CONSCIENCE OF A
CONSERVATIVE, A REJECTION OF
DESTRUCTIVE POLITICS AND
RETURNED TO PRINCIPAL.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS
MORNING.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> THIS PLACE, USED TO BE A LOT
MORE OF A REPUBLICAN STAY ON
THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEVEL.
CERTAIN THINGS HAVE TO DO WITH
DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN ARIZONA BUT A LOT OF IT DOES HAVE TO DO
WITH DONALD TRUMP, WHO SPENT A
LIABILITY FOR ARIZONA
REPUBLICANS, ESPECIALLY FOR
CANDIDATES WHO ARE ALLIED WITH
HIM.
AND THIS HAS BEEN TRUE, THIS IS
THE THIRD ELECTION CYCLE THAT
MAY BE TRUE FOR.
TALK TO ME ABOUT THE GOP IN
ARIZONA BECAUSE I KEEP RUNNING
INTO REPUBLICANS WERE NOT
SUPPORTING DONALD TRUMP AND ARE
OFFENDED BY THE WAY CERTAIN
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ARE
BEHAVING.
>> I MAINTAIN THERE IS STILL A
RED STATE BUT IT HAS TO BE A
REPUBLICAN, THAT IS TRADITIONAL
REPUBLICAN.
LIMITED GOVERNMENT, ECONOMIC
FREEDOM, INDIVIDUAL
RESPONSIBILITY.
IF YOU ARE RUNNING FOR EXAMPLE
FOR THE OFFICE OF MINE
INSPECTOR AND YOU HAVE A R
BEHIND YOUR NAME AS A STATEWIDE
OFFICE IN ARIZONA, THEN YOU
PROBABLY ARE GOING TO WIN.
JUST BEING A REPUBLICAN IS
ENOUGH.
BUT IF YOU SAY, WILL I DON’T
THINK DONALD TRUMP REALLY LOST
THE LAST ELECTION, THEN YOU
PROBABLY WILL LOSE. AND I THINK
THAT IS A CREDIT TO THE PEOPLE
OF ARIZONA, WHO REJECT PEOPLE
WHO REJECT FREE AND FAIR
ELECTIONS.
SO I THINK IT IS STILL A RED
STATE, BUT YOU CAN’T GO OFF ON
A TANGENT LIKE THE PRESIDENT
HAS.
>> AND A NUMBER OF REPUBLICAN
VOTERS I HAVE SPOKEN TO IN THE
STATE, IN FACT I’M GOING TO AIR
THE INTERVIEWS I HAVE HAD WITH
THEM IN THE LAST FEW DAYS, WHO
HAVE SAID THE SAME THING.
THEY IN FACT, MANY CASES IN THE
LAST STATEWIDE ELECTION, THEY
SUPPORTED DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATES, AND BELIEVE THEY
ARE REPUBLICANS BUT THEY DON’T
WANT TO VOTE FOR THIS KIND OF
REPUBLICAN.
THEY WOULD LIKE TO RECLAIM
THEIR PARTY.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THAT
BECAUSE A NUMBER OF THEM
BROUGHT YOU UP AS WELL.
WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE FOR
A REPUBLICAN IN ARIZONA IN THE
SELECTION AND GOING FORWARD
PROCESS IT RECLAIMING THE PARTY
OR IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
LOSING AND SOMETHING ELSE COMES
BACK IN ITS PLACE?
>> AS YOU ARE PLAYING THE LONG
GRAIN AS A REPUBLICAN YOU WANT
TO RETURN TO TRADITIONAL
REPUBLICAN VALUES WHICH I THINK
IS A WINNING CONCEPT IN
ARIZONA.
IS A WINNING PLATFORM.
BUT WE CAN’T GO DOWN THIS
DEMOGRAPHIC CUL-DE-SAC, THAT WE
ARE HEADED TOWARD NOW.
AS REPUBLICANS BY FOLLOWING
WHAT THE FORMER PRESIDENT IS
DOING.
I AM VOTING FOR KAMALA HARRIS,
NOT IN SPITE OF BEING A
REPUBLICAN OR A CONSERVATIVE,
BUT BECAUSE I AM A
CONSERVATIVE.
CONSERVATIVES, FIRST AND
FOREMOST BELIEVE IN THE RULE OF
LAW AND TO HAVE A PRESIDENT, A
FORMER PRESIDENT WHO LOST A
FREE AND FAIR ELECTION AND
ATTEMPTED TO OVERTURN THAT
ELECTION, HOW CAN A
CONSERVATIVE SUPPORT SUCH A
PERSON. SO THAT IS THE BIGGEST REASON.
BUT THERE ARE A NUMBER, ALSO AS
WELL WHO BELIEVE IN FREE TRADE
LIKE REPUBLICANS TRADITIONALLY
HAVE DONE.
TARIFFS CAN BE USED, SHOULD BE
USED IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES
BUT TO BELIEVE WE ARE GOING TO
BRING MONEY INTO THE TREASURY
BY USING THE TARIFFS, IS SO
ANTITHETICAL TO WHAT
REPUBLICANS BELIEVE.
>> TALK TO ME ABOUT WHAT YOU
SAY TO OTHER REPUBLICANS, TO
CREATE A PERMISSION STRUCTURE
FOR THEM TO DO WHAT YOU ARE
DOING AND MANY OTHERS IN THE
STATE ARE DOING.
TO SAY THAT IT IS NOT A MOVE
AGAINST YOUR PARTY, FOR A
REPUBLICAN TO VOTE FOR THE
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE IN THIS
PARTICULAR INSTANCE BECAUSE THE
DEMOCRAT DATES THE REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATE IS NOT SUITABLY
WORTHY OF YOUR VOTE.
WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE TO YOU
BECAUSE I’M SURE YOU HAVE LOTS
OF LOTS OF TIMES.
>> YOU BET, I HAVE THAT A LOT.
JUST RECENT HISTORY, BARRY
GOLDWATER, MR. CONSERVATIVE IN
ARIZONA IN THE 1990s, THERE WAS
A PARTICULAR REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS, WHO
BARRY GOLDWATER AND PEOPLE DID
NOT THINK REPRESENTED THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY WELL.
AND THEN BOUGHT OVERTIME, THAT
WOULD BE WORSE FOR THE PARTY,
HAVING THIS PERSON AT THE HEAD
OF IT.
SO HE ENDORSED A DEMOCRAT.
THAT DEMOCRAT WON.
SHE WAS PROBABLY DEFEATED TWO
YEARS LATER BY ANOTHER
REPUBLICAN.
THAT IT WASN’T -- IT WAS GOOD
FOR THE PARTY OVER ALL.
IS A GRAND TRADITION THAT
PEOPLE CROSSING THE AISLE,
PUTTING COUNTRY OVER PARTY AND
I THINK THAT IS WHAT IS GOING
TO HAPPEN IN ARIZONA. I THINK IT HAPPENED LAST TIME
AND IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS DONALD
TRUMP HAS BEEN ESCALATING IN
THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS HIS
RHETORIC INCLUDING HIS PROMISE
OF RETRIBUTION AGAINST THOSE HE
CONSIDERS HIS ENEMIES.
BOB WOODWARD REPORTED THAT
GENERAL MARK MILLEY, THE FORMER
CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF
STAFF HAS INSTALLED BULLET
PROOF GLASS AND BLAST ROOF
CURTAINS AT HIS HOME OUT OF
FEAR OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN.
DONALD TRUMP CALLED FOR HIM TO
BE EXECUTED.
REPUBLICAN CRITICS OF TRUMP
SIMILARLY HAVE SAID THEY FEEL
FOR THEIR SAFETY.
FEELS LIKE WE HAVE REALLY
CROSSED A LINE AND I WANT TO
ASK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I THINK
IN ARIZONA YOU ARE NOT A
UNICORN AS A REPUBLICAN, WHO IS
SUPPORTING KAMALA HARRIS AND
AGAINST DONALD TRUMP.
WHAT YOU GET THREATS?
>> I CERTAINLY HAVE AND IN THE PAST, THAT IS AN UNFORTUNATE
PART OF POLITICS TODAY.
BUT SAYING YOU ARE GOING TO
UNLEASH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
OR THE MILITARY IN THIS CASE,
ON THOSE YOU DISAGREE WITH, ON
DOMESTIC POLITICS, THAT IS JUST
SO ANTITHETICAL, AGAIN TO THE
RULE OF LAW.
AND THE DIFFICULTY I THINK A
LOT OF REPUBLICANS HAVE IN
ARIZONA, AND SHOULD HAVE, IS
THE MORE WE TRY TO EXCUSE THAT
OR SAY, HE’S REALLY TALKING
ABOUT IMMIGRANTS, WHEN HE
WASN’T, THE MORE WE NORMALIZE
THAT BEHAVIOR AND THE MORE IT
IS BAD FOR THE COUNTRY,
OBVIOUSLY BUT IT IS BAD FOR THE
PARTY AS WELL.
SO IT IS FAR BETTER,
REPUBLICANS COME A LOT OF
REPUBLICANS LIKE ME BELIEVE, TO
VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT AND MOVE ON.
AND THEN TRY TO GET REPUBLICAN PARTY POLITICS BACK TO WHERE IT
SHOULD BE, BACK WHERE WE ARE
WINNING AGAIN.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHERE WE
STAND FOR VALUES THAT WE HAVE
ALWAYS STOOD FOR, LIMITED
GOVERNMENT, INDIVIDUAL
RESPONSIBILITY, AND THOSE ARE
WINNING ISSUES.
AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE
GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY AND FOR
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AS WELL.
>> SENATOR, YESTERDAY I SPOKE
WITH JOE WALSH, FORMER
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND
CONGRESSMAN, MAYOR JOHN GILES
OF MESA, COLORADO, PART OF
REPUBLICANS FOR HARRIS, ABOUT HOW DONALD TRUMP IS
DELIBERATELY APPEALING TO
PEOPLE’S DARKEST AND UGLIEST
FEARS, SPECIFICALLY AROUND THE
ISSUE OF IMMIGRATION.
THIS IS A REAL AND
SOPHISTICATED ISSUE FOR PEOPLE
IN ARIZONA.
YOU ARE AN ACTUAL BORDER STATE,
YOU CAN HOLD TWO THOUGHTS AT
THE SAME TIME, THAT THE BOARD
NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING WE DECIDE
HOW TO CONTROL AND OPEN AND
CLOSE AND AT THE SAME TIME WE
CAN DO SO WITHOUT DEHUMANIZING
AND INSULTING AND THREATENING
IMMIGRANTS.
HOW IS THAT PLAYING FOR YOU,
BECAUSE THAT IS PROBABLY THE
TOP OF MIND ISSUE IN THIS STATE
FOR VOTERS.
>> MOST DEFINITELY, WE GOT TO
DO MORE ON THE BORDER, WE NEED
TO DO A NUMBER OF THINGS.
WE OBVIOUSLY NEED BETTER
BARRIERS, WE NEED MORE AGENTS
IN CERTAIN PLACES.
WE NEED TO ADJUDICATE THESE
CASES, ASYLUM CASES FASTER.
WE ALSO NEED BETTER PROGRAMS
FOR PEOPLE TO COME IN ON A
LEGAL BASIS.
A LOT OF THAT HAS BEEN
PROPOSED, AS PART OF THE EFFORT
THE GANG OF EIGHT BACK IN 2013
THAT WE PASSED A MEASURE OUT OF
THE SENATE, BUT COULDN’T GET IT
OUT OF THE HOUSE.
MORE RECENTLY, IT WAS PROPOSED
BY JIM LENGTH HURT, -- JAMES
LANKFORD, A SUIT --
CONSERVATIVE SENATOR BUT
REJECTED BY THE PRESIDENT.
THAT IS UNFORTUNATE, ONE THING
-- SHE WENT TO THE BORDER AND
SAID SHE WOULD SIGN THE
LEGISLATION THAT DID THE THINGS
WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE AND IF
YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A LASTING
SOLUTION ON THE BORDER, IT HAS
TO BE A PARTISAN.
AND THAT IS WHAT KAMALA HARRIS