Buck celebrates ‘year of the grassroots’ and vows to campaign on illegal immigration

U.S. Senate hopeful Ken Buck told Peter Boyles last week on Boyles’ KHOW talk radio show that, like many Coloradans on the right, he was tired of the media and political parties choosing political winners before voters had a chance to decide. Clearly reveling in the steam his campaign has seemed to build in relation to frontrunner Jane Norton in recent weeks, he lauded the work of the Tea Party movement and said he felt it was “the year of the grassroots candidate.” Buck also said he would make sure illegal immigration was a top issue in the Senate campaign.

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“Our political system is broken,” Buck said. “What I love about the grassroots movement, the Tea Parties and 912s and other movements, is that they are expressing their voice in a way that can not be ignored by the political establishment. I hope the Republican party and the Democratic party move closer to their grassroots bases, that the grassroots bases aren’t co-opted by the parties.”

He said the voters would have to look at past actions in determining whom to vote for in the primaries, because the rhetoric will be similar. You have to look for people who “walk the walk,” he said.
On that score, Norton’s votes in favor of the controversial tax raises Referendum C and D set her apart. The success of those campaigns, with the backing of leaders like Norton, he said, began the Democratic attack in the state on the Taxpayers Bill of Rights.

Boyles was eager to hear from Buck on illegal immigration. Would Buck work to make it an issue?

“I think that illegal immigration is going to be a big issue,” said Buck. “I think that it goes to a lot of the spending that is going on in DC, to a lot of the issues that are going on in this country.

“I will make it an issue. I think that we have done great things in Weld County. I think that there is only so much we can do, though. It is really a federal issue and has to be dealt with in a strong way. “

Buck said that reining in government spending would be his number one concern.

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