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LovelandPolitics
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Loveland - January 14, 2014
On the evening of January 14, 2014, LovelandPolitics interviewed Loveland resident
Larry Sarner shortly before he announced his intentions to run as a candidate for
Congress in Colorado's Second Congressional District. Below is the interview verbatim.
LP: What is your plan to defeat the incumbent Jared Polis?
I don’t want to reveal too much to Mr. Polis but that provides him time to prepare but he
is out of touch with the district. The district needs the right kind of Republican to run
and show people he is not representing their interests. In this case he makes it fairly
easy being the stubborn liberal democrat he is.
Basically, I need to talk about what he refuses to talk about. His response at the town
hall meeting solidified my interest in finding somebody to run against him. (Sarner says
Polis' answer regarding Obamacare that its a “done deal” is the response that told
Sarner that "Polis is completely out of touch with the district.")
LP: What is your assessment of the primary?
I am trying to awaken the Republican electorate here. Essentially you can win the
primary and lose the general or lose the general and win the primary (reference to
Senator Lundberg and Eric Weissman). If the Republican electorate is such that
they have a set of issues that have to be satisfied but don’t properly belong in
government they are putting too much on their candidates. They need to talk about
issues that will actually be voted on in congress and make a difference and not just
someone they would be comfortable talking with around their dinner table.
We are talking serious business in a district where they [Republicans] could elect a
fiscal conservative and not Jared Polis but decide that other issues are more important
that don’t jive with the general election.
LP: Are you trying to bring logic to politics?
(laughter)...I am trying to introduce some reason into the nomination process. And in
many respects the person who is deciding to run against me here is actually trying to
do essentially the same thing. Eric Weissman tried to do the same thing. The problem
with both of them and it isn’t a problem with me is they don’t have the right subset of
issues that appeals to the broader district electorate.
So for example, I am extremely concerned on fiscal issues. Most Republican
candidates would be. I am extremely concerned about our country’s interventionist
foreign policy.
LP: Some people will label you as a Ron Paul candidate; is that accurate?
I have differences with Ron Paul but not on this issue. He was and is dead on our
interventionist policies. If we want to balance the budget we need to stop our foreign
interventionism. If we want to have the respect of the rest of the world we have to stop
our foreign interventionism. If we want to have a peaceful and free domestic society we
need to change our foreign policy.
LP: What are the discriminators between yourself and George Leing?
There will be a number of things I am sure. Right now he is the establishment
candidate. His policies and positions are going to be a return to the Republican
establishment positions of the near past.
LP: We reviewed his website and he appears to have a vaguely libertarian
massage?
We share some positions no question and he is a likable and respectable person but
he can’t win this district with the positions he holds with respect to foreign policy and
some domestic as well.
LP: The 2nd CD is roughly 1/3 Republican, 1/3 Democratic and 1/3 unaffiliated.
Which of those groups do you intend to gain support from the most?
Well, I think the most would be the Republicans. The Republican electorate this year is
really fired-up and realize what is at stake. There is a huge population within the
Republican party that says if we don’t start changing the policy now we won’t be able to
change it later.
LP: Many of the unaffiliated voters in Boulder County are such because they
find the Democratic Party too conservative and corporate for their taste. How
will you appeal to them?
I have not heard that characterization before. I am about as far from corporate as you
can possibly get. One of my big complaints about the Obama administration, congress
and the entire Washington tribe that dominates presently is their dedication to their own
interests and not to the interest of the country. Crony capitalism is the byword of the
day.
Unfortunately that is true locally, on the state level and undeniably the case on the
federal level. That would be my first and foremost job to do in Washington is to oppose
crony capitalism.
LP: Let’s talk finances. How much money will you provide your campaign and
how much do you intend to raise to defeat Jared Polis who can self-fund into
the millions of dollars?
My campaign consultants would not be happy with me identifying a number and I am not
sure they have nailed down a specific number. We know there is an upper limit of what
he can spend and still be effective. The extra money does not buy more votes at some
point.
LP: Who are your campaign consultants? We ask because people will
speculate you are already tied into the oil and gas lobby due to your litigation
in Loveland against he anti-fracking crowd (Protect Our Loveland)?
Instead of naming them I will say my consultants are strongly tied to the liberty
movement in Colorado.
Which "Liberty movement" since both the Independence Institute of Colorado
and numerous 912 organizations use that term?
There are about three of them. I have historical ties to the independence institute. The
tea party has a bad rap that somehow it is not really about fiscal responsibility and
personal freedom where the 912 element has elements of that and other issues that
are involved.
LP: What in your background most qualifies you to be a member of Congress?
A real understanding of personal freedom and understanding of government. It is
blowing my own horn but personal integrity. At my age I am not here to make a political
career. I am not trying to get myself into this town (Washington, D.C.) and make a big
bundle. Ive got a genuine dedication and a step-daughter who is at terrible risk for her
future if we don’t get our house in order.
Polis says he is a practical guy applying specific solutions not philosophical well I’ve got
an engineering background so can get into the specifics of any issue.
| Loveland Resident Running For Congress |
| Candidate Background Larry Sarner has been a resident of Loveland since 1977 and has resided in the same residence since 1978. A U.S. Army veteran, Sarner served the United States Military during the Vietnam War but did not see any combat during his service. Sarner holds a degree from both of the State Universities within the 2nd Congressional District. Sarner received a degree in Political Science from Colorado State University in 1970 and a degree in Applied Mathmatics from Colorado University at Boulder in 1984. Larry Sarner and his wife received national attention in 1998 when their daughter Emily Rosa published a scientific article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) while still in the 4th grade. Both Sarner and his wife have been active in various anti-quack medicine organizations debunking touch therapy and other trendy unproven medical practices. After being interviewed by numerous national television news programs, receiving an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records along with articles in the New York Times and other newspapers, Sarner commented the Loveland Reporter-Herald never covered the story about Emily for reasons he didn't know. Sarner's local activities have included an unsuccessful run for Loveland City Council in 1995 and a recent lawsuit stopping the placement of the Protect Our Loveland (POL) fracking ban on last November's ballot see story.. Sarner is 66 years-old and intends on competing against George Leing for the Republican nomination through the convention process. NOTICE LovelandPolitics.com is a non-partisan website. Any candidate running for a public office whose district will include any part of Loveland is welcome to contact us for a candid interview so we can provide our readers greater access to candidates' issues. Please do not send us prepared comments, editorials, letters or video clips. |