Posted by
Ron Devito on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 6:10:31 PM
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Testament to Gov. Palin's Character, Friendship, Loyalty
US Senator (UT) Orrin Hatch today thanked former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for her endorsement during an interview with LaDonna Hale Curzon, Executive Producer and Host, Sarah Palin Radio. "She was so kind to me last summer...her decision to stand by me not just last night, but last summer really is a testament to her character, friendship, and loyalty, and is something I will never forget," Sen. Hatch said.
Gov. Palin Brings Most Excitement for Conservative Cause in Decades
He said her endorsement is "really important" to his campaign.
"She has brought more excitement to the conservative cause than any single person in decades, and she is a force to be reckoned with. Our country is a better place with Sarah in it fighting for the values of limited government, individual responsibility, family values, strong national defense. In my race, some have tried to make me into some sort of moderate or even a liberal. Of course, everybody who knows anything about it knows that is is not true. I have and always will be a conservative. I just am so pleased that she took the time to endorse me," he said.
Curzon asked Sen. Hatch if he was concerned that his primary opponent might catch the anti-incumbent Tea Party wave. "We'll, he's trying to, but I think most Tea Party people know I've been there for a long time and I've always been supportive of the mainstream Tea Party folks throughout the country. I actually have had a lot of kindness from the Tea Party Express group in California."
Gov. Palin's Endorsement as Good as Pres. Reagan's Was
He continued, "I think most people know that [Gov. Palin] is a true blue conservative and she doesn't endorse somebody she doesn't believe in. One thing about Sarah, she is a straight arrow. She's as good a person as you can find. I like her husband, Todd too....it thrills me to death to have them supportive of me...anytime you have somebody of the quality of Sarah and Todd endorsing you - in my life it doesn't get any better than that."
Sen. Hatch said he was the only person that Ronald Reagan had pre-primary endorsed. "That was great too. I'd rank this right up with that."
On Romney
Curzon asked Sen. Hatch if he has ever worked directly with Mitt Romney.
"Oh yes. I think the world of him. I know him very well. I worked with him on the Olympics out in UT. You know, we were in trouble. We couldn't raise money. There were accusations of fraud, mismanagement - there were even some criminal allegations. They were not accurate, but they were there, and the money stopped coming, and it looked as though it was going to be the biggest eyesore in the history of the Olympic[s]. We decided to bring Mitt out here and almost overnight he turned it into the greatest Winter Olympics in Winter Olympic history, and we even wound up with a $100 million surplus at the end to take care of the venues after the Olympics were over. He is one heck of a leader, and when he says he knows how to create jobs, and he knows how to get the economy going, he's not kidding. He really does."
Curzon asked Sen. Hatch who he would like Romney pick as his Vice Presidential running mate. "I would not even venture. There's a lot of good people...and I can support any one of them. That's strictly up to him. There are a lot of good people. Everybody ranging from Marco Rubio to Sen. Portman to our new woman governor out in California, to Jeb Bush - you know I don't want to leave anybody out - there are a lot of outstanding people," he said adding Condoleeza Rice as being a possibility.
On the Nikki Haley Piñata
She asked Sen Hatch about leftists beating a piñata with South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley's picture on it.
"You know they can get very rude. They can get very partisan. That's what's wrong. I was raised in the union movement. I actually learned a skilled trade and worked with my bare hands in the building construction trade for 10 years as one of the ways I put myself through school. I was also a janitor. There's nothing uppity about me. I was proud to do it, because I worked my own way through school. But, I've got to tell you, the unions have gone so partisan - Democrat - but 40% of the union members are Republican - they've gone so partisan that I think they're hurting themselves very badly. And doing something like that, I mean that goes beneath the pale. Nobody should denigrate a person like that. But, I'm really disappointed in the people in the unions."
Sen. Hatch: Songwriter
Curzon noted that Sen. Hatch had written over 600 songs in his lifetime. The Utah Senator acknowledged that he wrote songs and a number were published in print form performed live.
"The Tabernacle Choir has got three of my songs, Brooks & Dunn did one of my songs. I've had some very interesting people and I've written with some very great writers. So, it's a lot of fun for me and it takes the edge off these pressures I have in the Senate. I started writing inspirational, then patriotic, then Christmas songs and love songs, and country songs....I'd say there's 100 - 125 that have been produced in one way or the other, but I've written a lot more than that and have lyrics that may never get into song form," he said.
Audio Transcript of Interview with US Sen. Orrin Hatch, UT