YouSaid · the spoken record

Chris Sununu

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2023-01-12
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2023-01-12
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  1. “To Cincinnati Oh, that's great. So I'm rooting for both. I love it. I love it. Thank you for the time, buddy. Really appreciate it.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  2. “Exactly what they said to his face that he was an out of touch old white guy that didn't represent, that doesn't represent the future of the progressive party. I just can't imagine that they're going to let that stand. Maybe I'm right. It's your team, not mine.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  3. “Yeah, I would love, there's the opportunity. Get more people to vote. Really allow them the process to take place. Do you really think they should not have a primary in South Carolina when there's an incumbent? Do you think that's fair?”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  4. “South Carolina. I'm not trying to pick on South Carolina, but it's always one of the lowest voter turnout states. If you can do it like New Hampshire does it, where it's not about the party bosses, it's not about the money or name ID. Everyone's got an even shot, come and show me. But until then, New Hampshire is, we are the first nation department because we've earned it. And I challenge anyone to step up and try to match our metrics.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  5. “Well, when we have some of the highest voter turnout, we have the most. Yeah, I think we do have a diverse state. Oh, more diverse than South Carolina where elitists pick the winner and almost nobody votes. The point of diversity if people aren't engaged”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  6. “I wouldn't put it that way. I would say, hey, come to, you know, if you're from, like, you grew up in New York, is that right? You're in Chicago now? Yeah, you come to New Hampshire for like 10 minutes. It'll feel like you got paroled. Listen, man. I have to tell you.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  7. “Look, I'm going to keep traveling the country and keep talking to folks. And we have a group called Live Free or Die, and we're raising some money to really get the message out about our record of success and what New Hampshire is all about. And I spend a lot of time with the younger generation Republicans or potential Republicans trying to, Democrats are great at influencing. We tend to advertise, and it's so wrong. Democrats, we got to get Republicans influencing that group to open ourselves up and make sure that they know that they can be part of an awesome team.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  8. “Oh, Michigan and Georgia, fine. But when it comes to New Hampshire, we're holding ours first. I don't care what Joe Biden says. No, no, I hear you. Listen.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  9. “And now you have New Hampshire, which again, Biden says he's not going to play in, and we'll get to that in a second. Then you have South Carolina, which, again, they're not even going to let the primer happen. Then you have Nevada. Nevada, I think they're still counting votes from two months ago. I don't even know who won over there. So the first states for the Democrats are going to be a mess. So what does it mean? A challenger is going to have an open door.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  10. “Yeah, well, I suppose it would. But no, look, I do believe in states' rights. Look, I think that I'm just going to be frank with all due respect. I think the Democrat primary process is a freaking joke, right? Like, think about this, right? So Joe Biden has said we're not going to have the Democrat primary, first in the nation primary in New Hampshire anymore. We're going to move it to South Carolina, where voter turnout was 16%, where a bunch of elite Democrats picked the winner. Do you know in 2020, David, there was no primary on the Republican side in South Carolina? There was no primary. They just said, Donald Trump, you're the winner. We're not even going to allow challengers. They're going to do the same thing for Biden. They're not even going to let the primary happen. They're just going to anoint him. So Biden has said, let's move the first of the nation primary from New Hampshire to a state that is not going to hold a primary. So now you have Iowa. And last time I checked in 2020, the Democrats completely flubbed Iowa. They're still counting.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  11. “No, I don't think so. Yeah, it'd be the death knell of me. No, it's not necessarily an advantage at all because it's really about the top four or five candidates that come out of New Hampshire in terms of the filtering that we like to do. So no, it's not necessarily an advantage at all, and I would tell all the candidates, whether I decide to run or not, go run in New Hampshire. You need to. You need to do well.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  12. “To drive folks out of the race. Scott Walker had this idea, you know, when he dropped out back in 16, he said, okay, we all really, a lot of you guys nearly need to drop out. The difference is, and I love Scott. He's great, but he didn't have the leverage. And I'm heading up the first in the nation primary. If I'm not running in the race, I'm going to have a lot of leverage. And I'm going to use it to clear fields that are just silly and a lot of folks have, God bless them. They've been running for a long time, but they're still pulling at like 3%. It's like, okay.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  13. “Yeah, look, I don't think anyone wants to give him the keys. I don't think he's going to have the keys. To your point, exactly. It's just not going to happen. And again, we'll see who gets in the race. People say, well, too many people will get in the race. And as the kind of first in the nation primary in New Hampshire, I'm kind of the referee, if you will, whether I get in or not, whether you like it or not, that's kind of my role a little bit. And I don't mind if a lot of people get in the race. What I will mind, well, I will insist on, and others will as well, is the discipline to get out, the discipline to say, this ain't happening for me. I'm only pulling at 5%, 7%. I'm not going anywhere. And I think a lot of these candidates who have effectively been running for like two years, and they're not going anywhere. They got to just kind of drop, drop it, and move on, whether it's today or six months from now. So it's not about who gets in, but I think a lot of us will be on the front lines to make sure everyone has the discipline and is, you know, even if it takes a little public shaming.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  14. “Let's call it. I like the Hightower rule. I like going to that. Yeah, no, I would look whoever runs on that Republican stage, I'll support the nominee. I have no problem saying that because I do fundamentally think there's opportunity there. And if they were to win it, I just don't think he can win. But he's not going to win. That's not going to happen. We're now playing in really extreme hypotheticals. I just don't think he's going to get there. I think he gets in the race. I think he gets out of the race. As soon as the polls don't look good for him, you think he's going away quietly? You think he's going to accept another loss? No way. He's going to start screaming that it's rigged and blah, blah, blah, whatever it is. He's going to start firing at DeSantis and everybody else. And he's going to try to burn down the house before he leaves. But I see that that could be a path. It'll be pretty interesting to see how it all plays out. But I see that that really could be a path.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  15. “No, look, because it ain't getting any better. Because, by the way, because can we start with nearly enough done as a Republican? I got frustrated. When he did something well, I was the first one to say regulatory reform was great. He was the fastest to get the vaccine out. People think he couldn't do it. He did the Abram Accords. He did a lot of really great things. He tend to step on his own successes with some nonsense the next day. But he did do some successes, and I support him 16. I support him in 20. But we're just moving on. And I think most people have that mindset.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  16. “No, not 35 or 40%. No, no, no, no. He has a core base, I'm going to guess, of 20 right now, really. Look, he won the New Hampshire primary with like 35% of the vote, right? So, you know, and it's only gone down, and he's only lost a lot of those independent voters and all that kind of stuff. So it's not getting any better. And when he announced that he was running for president, it was really at what you could argue his weakest political point, right? So I don't think there's any undecided voter over former President Trump that's going to say, you know what? Yeah, I've been debating it back and forth, but he's my guy. Now, if you're not with him now, you're not going to be with him. And as more options are brought to the table and as those discussions happen, I just don't see him as leading the charge. Now, if you get 15 candidates in the race and they all divide up the vote, then yeah, could he win the nomination? Yes, he could. I don't think he will, and he definitely, I'm pretty convinced he absolutely could not win in November of 24. So let's learn from 22.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  17. “Business whatever. You're having a challenge with getting mental health services. I'm not going to tell you what service you have to get at what time and where. But I'm going to create as many doors of opportunity so you do you. You find the right path. The opportunities of education. Look, New Hampshire is some of the best public schools in the country. Incredibly proud. But the four walls of that traditional classroom might not work for a couple percent of kids, especially low-income families who don't have a means for other options. So we have a school choice program that focuses on providing the state funds, however those families want to use those funds. I had families coming up to me going, no one's ever asked me what I thought my kids should have for education, but now I'm being offered that. I'm not telling you what path is best for you. But I'm saying if you need another path, here's the four or five other options that you might have. That's the role of government. And so I try to redesign my systems to be super flexible with as many doors, but I am really not here to tell you what.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  18. “Yeah, we're twenty four seven, and every governor gets that for the most part. I mean, all 50 of us really do get that. If there's, God forbid, there's a shooting or a flood or a disaster or whatever it might be. Our phones are literally always on. There's no vacation for a governor. I mean, even when we take a day off, we're not taking a day off because he can't get away from the phone in the whole nine yards of it. So it's a challenge. I don't have a lieutenant governor. I don't want a lieutenant governor, by the way. We're just fine with that one. Less government is more. But so, you know, the buck stops here. And I go back to being accessible and allowing constituents to kind of voice their concerns and complaints doesn't mean we may wave a magic wand because we're always on the clock and we have infinite power, but we can definitely open the doors of opportunity for those folks. And that's another key point. The government is not here to solve your problems. The government, that is not the role of government. The government is, my job is to create as many doors of opportunity for you or your family or your”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  19. “Done in the live for your die state. We stay true to those ideals and we can have our battles, but we never let it drag us down and stop the process.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  20. “Yeah, look, there's no doubt. I think we can sell it, whether it's locally or nationally. I think people are dying for it. I think people think that with all the social media and all the political stunts and all of that and the lack of getting stuff done in Washington, they think it's just a bunch of BS. But I'm trying to let people know it's not. It doesn't have to be. Some folks make it about themselves, but I like to think that not just myself, but there's a lot of governors and other folks out there that do understand it's not about us, right? It's about a better system. And it's about inspiring folks to be part of a bigger team, tithing their time and being part of that process. And we may not agree. I may win some. I may lose some. But hopefully with what I bring to the table, I win a few more than not. But by God, I am going to get something done. I'm not dragging myself and my family through this public scrutiny, this public process, just to, just for my own sake, I'm really doing it because we can move the dial. And in New Hampshire we have. I'm super, super proud of what we've done.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  21. “And I think it would be refreshing, even in the Republican Party and the Republican base, to find someone that isn't contorting themselves. You know who didn't contort themselves? Donald Trump. And he was rewarded for it in sixteen. Like that guy was who he was. And he let it fly.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  22. “I'll tell you, I don't think it has been a prerequisite. I think it should be. I don't think Biden was very authentic. He would never engage with the press. The more moderate candidate, to be sure, in the Democrat Party, and then ultimately deemed and played as more moderate against versus Trump in 20. But if you're not answering in the press and you're not being transparent, you're not being authentic. I always had an issue. I think that whether someone like myself or other candidates that just, these are the ABCs of me. I'm not trying to overly think it. I'm not trying to convince you of something that you don't already believe. I'm just trying to open your eyes to the opportunities and the possibilities and the hope and the inspiration of bringing good conservative ideals of limited government and local control and low taxes. Those foundations are still a huge opportunity to drive on. I don't think you need to contort yourself. They do traditionally, but I don't think I really don't think you need to.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  23. “Yeah. Yeah, they did. They checked the box. They didn't understand. They didn't trust themselves to be good enough candidates without checking that box. And it can be done, especially in a place like New Hampshire, frankly. And they kind of missed the opportunity to be themselves. It's kind of weird that way. So hopefully we learn from that as a party. Hopefully Republicans said, look, none of it matters unless you win in November, right? You got to be able to close the deal. Hopefully we”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  24. “Yeah, yeah, no, there's no doubt that affected. The biggest problem that candidates had was Democrats were very, very good at predefining the candidates before they had a chance to introduce themselves. And so we had Republicans that might not have even all been all that extreme, but were defined as extreme. So as soon as they hit the general election, they're like, oh, no, no, no, no, you have it all wrong. And if you're doing that in politics, a place of defensiveness in your campaign, you're all screwed up. You're going to have a really hard time winning your race. So the Democrats were very good about influencing that.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  25. “Pushes and a lot of people said, we're not doing that. We don't want to do business with you. And now they're kind of pivoting back. So we'll see where it all shakes out. But the point is this, the free market. Let people decide. These are private businesses. I might not agree with them, but it's not the government's role to punish people or individuals they disagree with.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  26. “And those instances it was, sure. I just disagree. It doesn't mean he's not a good governor, but I would disagree. I'm sure I've done a lot of things that he disagrees with. And that's fine. We work together. My wife doesn't agree with me on every issue. But the point is I do believe in the sanctity of a private business because I ran a private business. I sweat out other shareholder money and making sure my employees actually had a paycheck at the end of the day. And I would never want the government coming in and telling me how to run things or who I can hire and fire and all of that sort of thing. I do believe in the free market. If a private business is doing something that as a governor, I fundamentally disagree with, I really believe the free market will take care of it. If people don't want to partake in that business and give them their business, they won't. And that business will shift. You're already seeing that, actually, if you on a bigger scale, like look at BlackRock or Bank of America, right? Those are kind of, they kind of took these ESG woke policy type.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  27. “I'm sorry, who No, look. No, look, Ron is a friend, and I think he's a very good governor. I do. I think he handled, most recently, the hurricane. He did a phenomenal job with that. But no, we have very different styles, very different approaches, and it's not about Ron. Obviously, there's a clear contrast there, but there are a lot of other Republicans and Democrats that I would call big government authoritarian that say, look, it's my way of the highway. If the locals don't do what we want, we'll just pass along, make them do it. No, no, no. You're now telling the voters.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  28. “Yeah, yeah. Look, you just got to be honest with people and transparent and own it and not overthink the politics. And I have a lot of people that might disagree with me on the 24 weeks or whatever it might be, or maybe they're pro-life and they want me to be more pro-life and all that. I am what I am. And we can talk about and debate it. It's not the only issue out there. If you're a single issue voter on that issue, well, I guess you've made up your mind. So we'll move on. But there's so many other things, and especially in New Hampshire, so many other successes and good government, good management practices. At the end of the day, I believe in the individual. I might disagree with them, but I believe that they know best. I believe in the private business. Do I think government should be punishing private businesses? Hell no. Look, I hate wokeism is a cultural problem. Very much so. But the government isn't here to solve a cultural crisis that never works out. You need a society to really take that on.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  29. “Yes. Yeah. And I'm not there at all, of course. And for those folks, while I disagree with that vehemently, if those governors want to stand up and say, yeah, we banned abortion. Well, that's right. That's the pro-life candidate. And God bless them, he's going to stand on it. And that's his position. Great. We can debate it out. The rest of us are going to have some form of choice. You have 16 weeks, I have 24 weeks. We're still offering choice. So I just think the definitions are going to get a little bit gray. And I think it's going to be very tough for some of these governors, whether it's on a national stage or not, to start saying, well, I'm pro-life, but yeah, I'm not going to ban it. But it's your choice. It is now your decision decide to decide where you can go.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  30. “Like four weeks. Yeah. So look, if we get to the point where most of the candidates are just debating over the weeks, I mean, I don't want to speak for other governments.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  31. “But then you have the rest of us. I have a 24-week ban. I have no problem with that because that's the third trimester. Some states might have 20 or 16 weeks, but they're all offering choice.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  32. “Yeah, you know, that's an interesting one. If I could, because look, for years, the example say, let's say you have a pro-life governor, right? I'm pro-choice, but let's say you have a pro-life governor. And the pro-life governor would say, well, I can't ban it, of course, because the Supreme Court won't let me. So, you know, what are you going to do? Well, now you can. If you're really pro-life, you can ban it. And maybe that's what your state wants, right, Mississippi or Arkansas, one of those southern states. Maybe that's exactly what your constituents want. And that's fine. And then you have kind of the more pro-abortion that are just a little bit all of everything all the time, which I'm very much against where you can get an abortion up until the day of birth. And I did horribly disagree with that.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  33. “You charge him when he was wrong. In the general, yeah, look, I'm going to support him over. Look, I'd rather have someone I disagree with a little bit on issues like that. Look, Maggie is a nice person. I get along with her. We're very cordial. She lives on the other end of my neighborhood, for goodness sakes. But she just wasn't showing up for six years, was not showing up. So I'd rather have someone I disagree with, but will actually show up for the job.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  34. “Well, they think they do, and they've been given that in this process. But look, are you telling me McCarthy can't work on a bill? And let's say, let's call it, let's go back to immigration reform. You can't say, look, we're going to work on this thing and we're going to get a lot of what we want. If you guys don't want to come along, I can find 40 Democrats who are just looking for these two or three pieces. That would”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  35. “So here's my two cents there that issue of those 20 individuals kind of holding things up, that was going to happen. It just normally happens behind closed doors, right? That actually happens all the time. But McCarthy's one mistake was thinking he had the votes and coming out and bringing it to a vote when he really didn't have those votes. So those debates and discussion happened with Democrats and those debates and battles happen with Republicans, but we usually keep it in closed doors. It was transparent, and I love transparency. They did get something done that was constructive. They moved their rules very constructive. So it isn't like they gummed up the works permanently. It was a bit of a spectacle because I think there was a miscalculation on the early votes there. And a little bit of airing of dirty laundry outside the house, but everyone has it.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  36. “Look, so you see what's going on now. And does anyone ever say, boy, I really regret not joining the circus? No, I don't regret it at all. What did you think about what you think?”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  37. “The right step for me, and I talk to a lot of these Republican senators, and I've said it publicly, they were like, they're my friends, but they were like the worst used car salesman in the world. They were saying all the wrong things. I had one senator tell me how much vacation I was going to have. I'm like, what's the matter with you? I'm the governor. I'm 24-7. I don't get vacation and you're bragging about how much vacation you get. Do your freaking job, man. It really drove me nuts. I had one center tell me that balancing budgets, you know, American public doesn't really care about that. It's not important, Gov. It's not important. I said, are you a Republican or what? Are you a conservative? Do you care about the responsibility of managing other people's money in $30 trillion in debt? But they didn't. And so that kind of stuff was very frustrating. And I realized it was definitely not the right path for me. Could I have one of, yeah, I definitely could have won. That's not the issue, but it really just wasn't the right path.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  38. “Oh boy. Well, I was really going to do it. I really was. A couple things. Former governors had run for the U.S. Senate, but remember, almost all of them were term limited. I wasn't term limited, so they weren't just asking me to run. They were asking me to quit what I love to do. And frankly, what I think I'm really good at, and that's being governor and what I can not just defend the interests of New Hampshire against a lot of the progressive stuff coming out of Washington, but also promote the opportunities. I can just do so much, it's so much of a different job and I love doing it. And again, I wanted to go to the Senate not just to be a 51st vote, but to drive on things I think they've ignored, whether it's immigration reform or fiscal discipline and balance budgets and all of that. But I didn't get a whole lot of sense that they were going to be on board. And I realized pretty quickly, look, in about six days, I'm going to be really frustrated with you. And then you're going to get really frustrated with me for the next six years because I'm not going to let up. And I just, I didn't like, it was.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  39. “On this subject, If you had agreed to run for the United States Senate. Probably. Now, getting that image out of there. That is image is burnt in there. Yeah, yeah, right. Yeah.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  40. “With folks around the country in a pretty interesting and positive way. So I'm going to keep doing that. I talk to business groups. I talk to political groups. I went out to good story. I went out a couple years ago now. I talked to the Republicans Party in California at their annual meeting. And it was right after they had lost the recall. They were all down and depressed. We can't win. We can't win here. I said, of course Republicans can win in California. And they can, by the way. I said, but maybe you should start by not putting up the most loud ultra-conservative Republican candidate in California. I mean, know your audience people, right?”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  41. “I think traditionally it might have, but I do think that's all up for grabs. I really do. And so if I were to decide to run, look, it was never really something I had thought of before. A lot of folks are talking about. That's very flattering. They're more talking about how are you guys doing it? Like, how is it you have no sales tax and no income tax? And none of these taxes and all this efficiency in government and the most personal freedoms and the lowest poverty rate in the country and the strong. So how are you doing this? And so you do it all in a purple state. You do it all with a completely divided house. Like that should lock you up and you should be able to get nothing done. But we're very successful. So I love promoting that and talking about it. I don't want to say the word brash, but look, these are the ABCs in me. I don't really couch my words for anybody. After you've managed a pandemic, I'm like, look, you like it. You don't like it. I don't really care. This is just what WERS worked for us. And I'm also open for the feedback. So that has resonated.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  42. “And it hasn't really worked. I mean, we're all on board with it, but it really hasn't worked. And on the first one to stand up and say, guys, I signed this thing and it ain't working.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  43. “No, of course. Diagnosing. I can count on the number. Maybe it's zero. I don't know. I don't get outrage. I don't show public resentment. I get frustrated, of course, but I always stay positive and I'm always willing to go back. And I'm so proud of the results I get. And you are rewarded. I improve positive that you're rewarded for digging in deep and making decisions, even when people don't agree with me, right? I'm in a very purple state. How is it that I'm getting so much done? How is it that I won in 2020 by 30 points in the whole nine yards? I'm not here just to tout how popular I am, but I'm telling you, the reason I'm popular is because I get stuff done and I treat people with respect that I'm always positive and optimistic and I'm always trying to promote in a, not rainbows and unicorns and fairy tale type stuff, but the real successes we've had. And I also own the problems. I have no problem saying, hey, I tried something and it didn't work. I worked with police officers to do a justice reform bill.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  44. “Right, look, if individuals, whether they're congressmen or senators, governors who have presidents, you've got to understand how the systems work. And I think they weaponize them when they don't understand how they fundamentally work. And because of that, they can't offer real solutions to the table. Therefore, it's, well, this piece of paper says we're going to do X, Y, and Z. Now, the system might be massively more complicated than that, but they don't know. They didn't take time to do the work. It's so frustrating. I think if everyone had to do homework, that it wouldn't be ads weaponized.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  45. “Of course. Look, I'm an engineer. I love redesigning systems and we did it on the opioid and fentanyl crisis. It's gotten wonderful results. We did it on mental health. But one thing I also know is you never design the system perfect the first time, so you need to design inflexibility so it can be adjusted, not five years down the road, but sometimes a year or two down the road. Hey, we tried these five things on our mental health initiative. These three worked, this one is getting different results than we thought, and this one over here is a disaster. Okay, great. So I can take that one that doesn't work, pivot the money and the funding somewhere else. I can have enough flexibility to adjust the rules maybe around that fourth one. And the other three we're going to double down on.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  46. “And I'm like, what are you talking about, man? In New Hampshire, if we miss something by a vote, we just bring everyone back into the room and we have the discussion again. We figure out how to revive this.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  47. “Can you believe it? What a mist. Would we be having the same conversation about our border today? And I get it. They wanted to build the wall. I get no problem building a wall. I have no problem securing a border. Absolutely. But again, it has to come with these other controls. So they should have been negotiating harder. And I think with better leadership, whether it's out of the White House or leadership in the House and Senate, they could have gotten it done, but it seemed like everyone threw up their hands and said, everyone had a red line that could not be crossed. And they were all getting crossed. You don't throw up your hands and say, well, I guess it's not going to happen. We'll see in four years. No, no, no, no. You go back to the drawing table. You let a motion simmer down. Maybe you come back to it in another month. They did that with healthcare. Healthcare, the famous John McCain, right? He puts his thumb down on the healthcare bill. It loses by one vote on the Senate side. And all I hear is, well, I guess that's that.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  48. “And I'm getting crushed by it. Well, we were in New Hampshire. We're more middle of the pack now, but we were at the tip of the spear of this thing. I remember. Yeah, it was brutal.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  49. “Yeah. Well, look, are you going to deport millions and millions of people? No, obviously that's not going to happen. But you have to have a process, a structure. You have to be able to clear out these backlogs. I mean, you're going to have people that are technically on a list to see a judge in 2027. That's just not practical, right? So I'm not going to lay out exactly what the plan is, but there's got to be a plan and there is definitely enough Republicans and enough Democrats to say, look, we're not going to get everything we want. But can we all agree to secure the border? Yes. Can we all agree in creating a system and allowing our border agents to do what they do best and actually present that security and allow them to do their jobs? Absolutely. And then what's the legal immigration system we're going to have? It should be a simplified system so it's not overly complex, but one that has accountability and control. So you're not letting just anybody, the cartel and all that. But the opioid crisis is the biggest issue.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  50. “And I need a desperate need. It affects our workforce, our economy, our security, the opioid crisis. I mean, it all trickles down, but it has to start with a secure border and a good appropriate legal immigration system so the best and the brightest of the world can be here. They want to be here. We need them here, right? But you got to have a system that has the right controls in place.”

    2023-01-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 517 — Gov. Chris Sununu · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source