2CSS202001HD_Candidate_Statement_Transcript
 
-  Derrick Van Orden: Hi, this is Derrick Van Orden. I am the Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Wisconsin's 3rd District. I'm a retired Navy SEAL and I'm running for Congress because I believe in the American dream. And once you hear my story, if you don't believe in the American dream already, you're going to and you're gonna understand why it's so important to protect and fight for.  My brother and I were raised in abject rural poverty by a single mother. She was one of 10 kids, and the family joke is she was five foot-nothing and harder than woodpecker lips. Well, that's true! She taught us a couple of things. First and foremost, you have to take care of people. And secondly, you have got to have a work ethic. Those two lessons stuck with me, but I had plenty of more things to grow into as I got older. I dropped out of high school when I was 16 years old. I joined the Navy at 18, and got a GED. I served our nation for 26 years, over 21 of those as a Navy SEAL. I deployed eight times, five of those to combat. My wife Sarah Jane and I have been married for 27 years. We have four children and six grandchildren. And those kids are educated to the level that they feel comfortable. We own a home. We started and ran a small business.  And over the last couple of weeks, Vice President Mike Pence and the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, both looked me in the eye and said, "Derrick, we want you to go to Congress. We support you, we endorse you, and we have your back."  Now I came from nothing. And next year, I'm gonna be your Congressman.  That is the American dream.  Now I'm running against a guy named Ron Kind.  And I'll be honest with you, he's not who he says he is and who you think he is. Ron pledged that he would spend no more than 12 years in Congress. That was over 24 years ago.  Recently Ron Kind had a conference call with the 18 sheriff's departments in our district, and he told them that he had their back, that he would never sign any legislation that removed qualified immunity from police officers because he knows that that is a left-wing end around to defund the police. Well, he didn't mention that not only did he sign the bill that removed qualified immunity from police officers at a federal level, he co-sponsored the bill and he co-sponsored the bill before he made that phone call. And then, he went into the call and told the sheriffs exactly the opposite of what he's gonna do. Now, if you can find another word other than lying for that, I would love to hear it. Ron is very proud to say that he saved the taxpayers $2,000,000 by introducing legislation that you turn in your excess office funds that were not spent. And you know what, $2,000,000 is real money. What Ron is not gonna tell you is that what's buried in the Heroes Act that he has been trying to push down everybody's throat is $1,200 of stimulus money for illegal immigrants.  That's tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars. That is not spending your money like it's his money. That is not shepherding Wisconsin taxpayers' dollars. It just isn't.  Why should you vote for me, and what am I going to do for you? First and foremost, I'm gonna make sure that we defend our police not defund our police. We really can't move forward as a country and as a society, if we're not comfortable leaving our homes and going into cities. Peaceful protesting is an American right. Rioting is not. I'm very clear about this, Ron is not. So, I will make sure that our police are well-funded so that they're trained properly and they can do their job to the best of their abilities. Secondly, I'm gonna work tirelessly to safely, efficiently, and quickly open up our economy so that we can get back to work and support our families. That's what we do as Wisconsinites and Americans. Thirdly, I'm gonna make sure that we can safely, efficiently, and quickly get our children and young adults back to grade schools, high schools, and colleges, so that they can become efficient-- excuse me, so they can become productive members of our society, just like everybody wants to do.  So I'm gonna ask you today, humbly for your vote and your support November 3rd. And I promise you when I go to Washington, D.C. as your representative, that's exactly what I will be doing, representing you and putting your interest above my own. So, God bless you and God bless your families. Have a wonderful day.