Colorado Republican Congressman uh Ken
Buck Congressman good to see you thank
you so much for being here uh one thing
um I don't know if you've heard that
we've actually been praising you on the
show and I I hope that doesn't hurt you
at home it will I I hope it doesn't hurt
you at home you're a very conservative
Republican it's very important to you
that whoever is the next Speaker of the
House acknowledge the fact that Joe
Biden won the presidency it's just a
fact that he did and you want the next
speaker to acknowledge that I I want the
next speaker to acknowledge that I also
want to make sure that we don't have
some who was involved in the activities
uh surrounding January 6th and I think
that if we have a presidential candidate
who uh right now is leading who denies
that the that he lost the election um
and was obviously behind what happened
on January 6 and we have a speaker in a
similar situation we have 20 Republicans
sitting in Joe Biden districts right now
B districts that Joe Biden won in 2020
and those 20 Republicans are going to be
at risk there's no way we win the
majority If the message we send to the
American people is that we believe in
the uh election uh was was stolen and we
believe that January 6 was okay it was a
tour of the capital and I think that
there are I mean this is probably one of
the reasons why Republicans have had
trouble winning elections in 2018 and
200 uh no I'm sorry in 2022 and right I
mean like all the other the midterms in
2018 2020 and then 2022 right I mean all
those other midterm elections have had
problems because there are a lot of
suburban voters who might like some of
the things that Republicans are offering
but they like democracy too well I think
one of the messages we were we we
underperformed Republicans in the house
underperformed the expectation was that
we would have a 30 vote majority a 25
vote majority we in fact have a four
vote majority right now and so part of
the dysfunction that you see is the fact
we don't have a large enough majority
and that I attribute to the fact that
the message to the American people is
muddled it isn't that we're the a party
of the rule of law because obviously we
don't believe in the rule of law if we
ar willing to say that the election
results were were accurate but you're
the only one speaking up about it like
this the only one that I can hear I mean
even Congressman bacon who I would think
I mean he he he didn't he voted the same
way you did to uphold the election Etc
but he's not saying things like this
well uh Jake I I am not running for
speaker but I appreciate your kind words
I I think that uh more Republicans need
to admit uh what's going on and and we
need to move Beyond uh the narrative
that that is out there but do other one
do other Republicans feel the same way
you do they're just not willing to say
it out loud absolutely I I have talked
to a number of people who' have come up
to me and almost whispered thank you um
and and I know whispered yes no there is
why are they so I don't understand why
what are they afraid of there well the
Republicans who are going to vote
against Jim Jordan on the second ballot
which will be more Republicans more
absolutely um want the cover of saying I
voted for Jim Jordan but now it's time
to move on the problem is they are
afraid of a primary the calls that are
coming in are are ridiculous they
they're in the hundreds if not thousands
that are coming into every office right
now the grass Roots campaign is is very
strong for Jim Jordan um and that's
because of the farri activists that are
that are pushing this the political
operatives like Hannity Etc I I I would
say right not far right being on the
right yes uh I would I would say yes
there they conservative activist groups
that are calling in across the country
so you and I are old enough to remember
when Tom DeLay was a very effective
majority leader but there was always the
push that um if he became speaker he was
just he was just too t toxic it would be
bad for the house and I feel like he
even understood that that he was just
too
radioactive Jordan might be kind of in
that vein but maybe he doesn't
understand that well you know Jim Jordan
has talked about defunding the the FBI
um he's talked about some things that
are fairly radical to most Americans the
folks in the middle who we need to win
if we're going to win elections so yes I
think I think that he may not realize
that I andan he may want to back off
some of those statements if he does
become speaker but right now those are
the statements that he's made made you
voted for Tom emmer but you don't like
Tom emmer first of all is I thought he
was like a nice guy he's not a nice guy
no he's my friend and I was trying to
make a joke and it didn't go over very
who do you think would actually be
speaker how about somebody like Tom Cole
Tom emmer I mean is there Steve wack is
there somebody who's just like
Conservative Republican and just kind of
like a Statesman type character yeah I
think I think the next move that was
discussed in conference a little bit
last night was to have a 30-day speaker
if a supplemental comes over from the
that's like a 30-day fiance show I'm not
going to go there okay but if uh if
something comes over from the white
supplemental comes over from the White
House we're able to vote on it we have
30 days to go in conference and hash
this out it it's sort of a a pause but
it allows the house to operate yeah 30
days that's messy man you guys need to
get what about you no no but thanks all
right I don't say I didn't do anything
for you all right thank you so much
Congressman bu good to see you let's
talk with my panel right here uh uh
Kevin how you doing buddy good how you
doing so you you uh you're you you've
worked for these Fellas on Capitol Hill
first of all just like what what do you
make of this well you know the thing
when I worked up on Capitol Hill you
always had a sense of inevitability that
there was a trend line operating in the
right direction and something would
happen whether it was a bill on the
floor or a leadership decision right now
I'm at a loss to see how this thing ends
like I just do not see somebody or
enough leverage by the leadership to
drive towards 2117 votes for one
candidate and so I think this drags on a
lot longer than we think but how can
that be Jamie I mean there are just like
unobjectionable house Republican leaders
like I just mentioned like Tom W I mean
um how can you ask me Steve W Tom Cole
Tom emmer these are just you know good
house Republican leader types like
what's I don't even understand look
remember 15 rounds remember that uh
Kevin McCarthy
but that was an objection to Kevin
McCarthy because they didn't think he
was trustworthy I understand that two
things one is I think Congressman Buck
may be the bravest member of the
Republican uh conference right now to
come out we keep we keep I'm very sorry
to say this start saying bad things
about we're going to hurt him we're
going to hurt him in his in his
re-election you sound like Liz Cheney
right now oh my God now we're really
doing it but but the reality is what the
congressman is saying
is common sense the problem is you're
the only one we're hearing it from I I
am hearing from from other Republican
members though about something you
mentioned congressman and that is the
notion of letting uh the speaker protm
Patrick McKenry be empowered to go
forward 30 days 45 days maybe be
extended as a comprise as long as a
congressman hasn't been secretly whisked
out let me what do you think of that
idea we had Congressman I think it was
Jimenez was on the on the show earlier
saying this the idea of just like give
give McKenry some Powers just so we can
do supplemental bills just so we can do
what do you make of that idea I I think
it's a good idea for a number of reasons
one we're getting beat up right now so
it would pause that too uh there is a
very serious World situation in Israel
Ukraine uh we would allow the Congress
to function we haven't gotten a
supplemental from the White House but it
would still allow us to function um and
and third it would give us time to get
into conference behind closed doors and
find that person to lead us for one year
we also have time running out on the
clock for uh the the the shutdown if we
don't fund the government yeah until you
guys sneak him out like Taylor Swift at
the restaurant we're going to keep we're
going to keep doing that just a Warner
War you know listening to you talk about
isn't there some conventional
Conservative Republican that there were
some of those Eric hter was one he lost
in a primary John Banner was one he was
ousted by a conference with a Jim Jordan
inspired Freedom uh caucus on the rise
Uh Kevin McCarthy may have been seen as
one for uh many Republicans at one point
uh he was just vacated from his job the
the reason is the Republican party has
moved and so what is sort of a a
conventional conservative establishment
Republican that can unify that way is no
longer so for the a critical swath of
the Republican party that is driving a
lot of the energy inside I think the key
to understanding this is not to think
rationally to think in a very nonlinear
way but one of the questions i' have for
the congressman if I may what about the
legality uh problems that you might have
with giving empowering an acting speaker
and also this is still an institution
that operates on precedence the
Precedence that you the precedent that
you would said if you were to give an
acting speaker uh Authority is that not
some concerns that the that the the
conference has on that there's no
precedent for vacating a speaker this is
the first time that's ever happened so
you're right there's no precedent for
giving powers on a limited basis I I
think what you'd probably have to do is
just trust um Patrick that he would give
up power in 30 days so he is the speaker
there's just an agreement that in 30
days we would have a new speaker or 45
or whatever the and he has said he
doesn't want the job right he has he has
been well he said he doesn't want to be
nominated by the Democrats for the job
if it was a Republican and um one
Republican has said he will file the
motion that's a little different so he
needs to go vote so we're going to let
him go we're going to take a commercial
break thank you one and all for being
here uh when we