2020 SPECIAL "CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE CLOSED -- CANADA." -- CANDIDATES." TONIGHT, FORMER GOVERNOR JOHN HICKENLOOPER.
ADAM: GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO OUR CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE SERIES.
I'M ADAM SEXTON.
COLORADO GOVERNOR, DEMOCRAT JOHN HICKENLOOPER.
TONIGHT, WE'LL BE GETTING TO KNOW GOVERNOR HICKENHE STANDS ON AT THE START OF OUR SHOW, I'LL BE ASKING THE CANDIDATE SOME QUESTIONS.
AND THEN AFTER A BREAK, WE'LL HAVE OURL FORMAT.
BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN WITH THAT, LET'S TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT THE CANDIDATE'S BIOGRAPHY.
JOHN HICKENLOOPER WAS BORN IN 1952 AND GREW UP OUTSIDE OF PHILADELPHIA.
HE GOT HIS BACHELORS DEGREE IN ENGLISH FROM WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY AS WELL AS A MASTER'S DEGREE IN GEOLOGY.
HE WORKED AS A GEOLOGIST, BUT AFTER LOSING HIS JOB HE OPENED A BREWPUB IN DENVER, A CITY WHERE HE WOULD LATER SERVE ON THE BOARD OF MUNICIPAL AND CIVIC AND NONPHICKENLOOPER EVENTUALLY OPEN
15 BREWPUBS AND RESTAURANTS MOSTLY ACROSS THE MIDWEST.ST POLITICAL CAMPAIGN, THE RACE TOE AS MAYOR HE TOUTED HIS RECORD TO EVERY FOUR-YEAR-OLD AND TRANSFORMING THE CITY INTO AN
ECONOMIC HUB.
HE WAS ELECTED GOVERNOR OF COLORADO IN 2010, AND RE-ELECTED IN 2014.
DURING THAT TIME THE STATE CREATED A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, REDUCED METHANE EMISSIONS AND PASSED UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR GUNS LIMITS ON HIGH CAPACITY
MAGAZINES.
HICKENLOOPERD AND HAS A SON.
ADAM: GOVERNOR, THAN JOINING US.
IN SOME WAYS, YOU ARE A VERYESID CANDIDATE, YOU'VE GOT BUSINESS EXPERIENCE, YOU'VE BEEN A MAYOR AND A GOVERNOR.
AFTER 2016, THE MAP OF POLITICSF DO YOU STILL THINK THAT TRAD ASSET THAT VOTERS ARE LOOKING FOR? HICKENLOOPER: I THINK IT IS ESSENTIAAPPETITE FOR
PEOPE I'M A DREAMER, BUT I AM A DOER.
IF YOU LOOK AT HEALTH CARE, WHERE WE GOT TO ALMOST UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE IN A BIPARTISAN WAY.
YOU LOOK AT CLGE, GOT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY TO SIT DOWN WITH INDUSTRY AND CREATE M THE FIRST TIME IN THE COUNTRY.
YOU LOOK AT THE ECONOMY, WE WENT FROM JOB CREATION TO BEING THE NUMBER ONE ECONOMY IN THE U.S.
THESE ARE ALL THINGS WERE I WAS ABLE TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER,WN WEAPONS AND GET STUFF DONE.
I THINK THERE IS GOING TO BE A EOPLE REFER TO YOU AS THE MODERATE CANDIDAT WARREN AND BERNIE SAEE WITH THAT CHARACTERIZATION AS A MODERATE?
GOV. HICKENLOOPER: I DON'T LIK ANY OF THE LABELS.
IT CATEGORIZES PEOPLE AND PUT THEM IN A BOX.
IT, AND A FUNNY WAY ALLOWS PEOPLE TO DISREGARD OR IGNORE THEIR IDEAS.NGES ARE SO SIGNIFIC I THINK WE HAVE TO STEP BACK.
IF I WAS WENT TO LOOK AT MYSELF, I WOULD SAY I'M AN EXTREME MODERATE.
WHAT IS THE LABELS FOR SOMEONE WHO GETS STUFF DONE?
I'M A DOER.
ADAM: HAS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY MOVED TOO FAR TO THE LEFT?
GOV. HICKENLOOPER: I HOPE THAT A LOT OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE IN COLORADO AS CLASSIC AGGRES DO YOU BELIEVE IN ABLE TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND GET THINGS
DONE.
WE'RE THE ONLY PURPLE STATE WHERE WE PASSED UNIVERSAL BACKGROUCKS FOR GUN SAFETY.
THAT IS A CLASSIC PROGRESSIVE GOAL.
DOES THAT MAKE US TOO LEFT?
WHAT I LOOK FOR HIS PROGRESS, ACTUALLY GETTING THINGS DONE MOVING.
ADAM: THERE ARE A LOT OF BIG AND BOLD IDEAS IN THIS RACE.
UNIVERSAL GREEN NEW DEAL, DO YOU HAVE ANCA CAPTURE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC?
GOV. HICKENLOOPER: AGAIN, IT HAS TO BE REALISTIC, THE THINGS YOUA CHALLENGE AROUND THE DISRUPTION THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE WORKPLE.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AUTOMAPROFESSIONS ARE GOING TO GET SWEPT AWAY, BUT THERE ARE GOING TO BE NEWSIONS R WHAT WE NEED IS SKILLS.
SKILLS IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES ALL OVER THE U.S.
I VIEW THAT AS AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE.
I AM AWARE -- I'M NOT AWARE OF SINGLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN COLORADO OR ANYONE I HAVE TALKED TO WHERE THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY I THINK ERIC UNITY COLLEGES HAVE TO EXPAND THEIR CAPACITY BY 10
TIME SAY, FREE SKILLS FOR ALL, FREE COM COLLEGE.
THAT IS SOMETHG WE CAN GET DONE IN A YEAR WITHOUT A LOT OF COMMUNITY -- COMMOTION.
THAT IS SOMETHING WE AS AMERICANS SHOULD DEMAND BECAUSE IT GETS US BACK TOWARD THAT- SEN TRADITION.
70% OF OUR KIDS ARE NEVER GOING TO GET A FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE DEGREE. LEFT THEM BEHIND.
ADAM: COLORADO HAS BEEN ON THE LEADING EDGE OF CANNABIS LEGALIZATION.
AS PRESIDENT, WHAT WOULD YOU DO ABOUT THE STATES WHAT COLOR AUTO OF FEDERAL LAW?
GOV. HICKENLOOPER: AT THIS POINT, I OPPOSE CANNABIS LEGALIZATION.
WORRIED ABOUT TEENAGECONSUMPTION SEEN THE.SAYING IT IS A PERFECT SYSTEM, BUT IT IS MUCH BETTER THAN THE OLD SYSTEM WHERE WE SET MANY OF THESE KIDS TO PRISON.
AS PRESIDENT, I WOULD GO OUT AND LET STATES MAKE THE DECISION BUT CHANGE REGULATIONS SO THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT BLOSFULLY MAKING THIS TRANSITION TO A DIFFERENT
SYSTEM.
RIGHT NOW, THE FEDERALAYS IT IS DO ANY BANKING CONNECTED TO WENT RACKETEERING, MAKE A CASH.
WE SHOULDN'T DO THAT.
OUR PRODUCT SO WE CAN DO TESTING.
THE FDA SHOULD STEP FORWARD AND CREATE STANDARDS BY WHICH WE CAN JUDGE, JUST LIKE ANY PHARMACEUTICAL, WHETHER MARIJUANA WORKS FOR THIS ILLNESS OR THAT ILLNESS.
WHERE SHOULD IT BE PRESCRIBED AND WHERE SHOULD IT NOT BE?
WE SHOULD ALSO HAVE AGRICULTUR T MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO PESTICIDES BEING USED WITH THE CULTIVATION.
THAT BASIC STUFF WHETHER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LET'S STATES MAKE THE DECISION, BUT MAKE SURE THEY REMOVE ALL OF THEIR LAWS AND RULES THAT GET IN THE WAY OF STATE SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTINGY
AROUND CANNABIS.
ADAM: UP NEXT, WE'RE GOING TO JOIN OUR LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE "CONVERSTAIO