Beck: Is Chuck DeVore the Next Scott Brown?

This is a rush transcript from "Glenn Beck," February 8, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GLENN BECK, HOST: We just heard from Carly Fiorina, one of the Republican candidates running for California's senate primary. Chuck DeVore is running for the same seat but he's running as the tea party favorite and they're going head-to-head. And I mean, I saw you guys on the set. You were very nice to each other and you play nice together.

I have to — let me start with a couple of things — because I asked Carly, are you going to be in bed with the special interests? And she said no.

Let me just give you some of the stats on you: Paw PAC created in 1980 as the first organization dedicated to the election of candidates for state Office in California who are committed to the well-being of animals: They gave you an "F."

CHUCK DEVORE, RUNNING FOR SENATE IN CALIFORNIA: Ask my dog about that, by the way.

BECK: California League of Conservation Voters have given you out of 100, a rating of five.

The Sierra Club of California out of 100 has given you a zero.

(LAUGHTER)

BECK: Based on a point system with points assigned for action a supporter of or in opposition to Planned Parenthood affiliates of California's position, Planned Parenthood gave you a zero.

(LAUGHTER)

DEVORE: Yes.

BECK: NARAL — based on some of the member, you were anti-choice by NARAL and the California Labor Federation. And this one I have to take issue with. Labor Federation, AFL-CIO gave you 15 percent approval rating. Why so high?

DEVORE: Well, I was a dues-paying member of the AFL-CIO. That's how I worked my way through college as a carpenter.

BECK: So we were sitting on the set and you said to me — and nobody has this conversation — I mean, look, this show, is a geek fest — he said Woodrow Wilson and the progressive movement, what people don't understand is that's the real root of the problem.

DEVORE: It is.

BECK: What makes you say that?

DEVORE: Well, Woodrow Wilson and people like Frank Goodnow, about 130 years ago, saw the Constitution as a roadblock to their plans for perfecting government and for basically ushering in a paradise on earth. And instead of what was set up by Madison to be a separation of powers, with the legislative, the executive and the judicial, because the Founders understood that people like power. And that you'll end up with tyranny in your country if you can't separate the powers.

And so what the progressives thought, kind of drawing on the writings of Hagel is that we have the administrative state, the political, where you have the politicians who are elected, and the administrative. And the administrative then has your technocrats, your civil servants, your bureaucrats, your un-elected people whose job it is to draft the regulations, because of course the politicians can't be trusted to get it right.

Now, a lot of this, I learned and came into a more deep understanding of it through the Claremont Institute which is a very important think tank out here on the West Coast that's based on constitutional governance and the study of statesmanship.

I was very fortunate in 2004 to go through an eight-day program called the Lincoln Fellowship where you learn about the founding principles of the United States and about those who don't like the founding principles.

BECK: So then how do you — by the way, here, you deserve a water for that one for that one, too. I mean, here, you can have the phone. Take the phone with you.

No, they never call.

DEVORE: No.

BECK: They never call. The — to try to get people to understand that is I think the greatest challenge. And I have to — we have to take a break. I have to take a break. But I want to start back here: You were one of the guys, you resigned your office here, your position here in the California State Assembly. You said, "You guys are mad, you're out of your mind." And so you walked away.

But people are saying right now and it's only going to get worse the closer you get to election, you know you can't go out; you need to have somebody that can work in the system.

I think the system is full of — it's riddled with a disease called progressive. If you've got cancer, no doctor says, yes start using filter tips cigarettes. They say no more cigarettes.

DEVORE: Right.

BECK: Progressives and the progressive idea are the cigarettes. So you tell me how to fix it.

DEVORE: Well...

BECK: Wait, wait, just a minute — next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: We're back with Chuck DeVore running for California, Republican senate primary race.

Chuck when we left, I said you're going to fix it — you are going to Washington and how are you going to fix it?

DEVORE: Well, first of all, we have to follow the Constitution. That's the very first thing that any lawmaker does when they get sworn in.

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: This audience won't, but most people say well, where aren't we following the Constitution?

DEVORE: Well, where do we start?

I think a good obvious place is Tenth Amendment. As a state lawmaker, I find my powers as a state lawmaker being short-circuited at the federal level.

For example, the stimulus: The stimulus when California accepted it came with all these strings that locked in higher spending. I warned about it on the floor of the assembly but we took the money anyway.

BECK: You left the assembly — or you left your position at the assembly. Did you walk out of the assembly?

DEVORE: No, what I did is I resigned as chief Republican whip because a few key Republican leaders had come to an agreement with Governor Schwarzenegger to enact the largest tax increase in U.S. history at the state level.

BECK: You wanted to make the point that, "I'm not involved in that."

DEVORE: I couldn't be part of leadership and promote something that I knew was going to kill the economy and hurt our brand as Republicans because we've already suffered under former President Bush and under Governor Schwarzenegger by increase in spending. The last we had left was at least we were good on taxes. Well, we threw that out, too.

BECK: I have to tell you America, this weekend — I don't endorse anybody; you have to make up your own mind. But I met with Michele Bachman on Friday — is it Friday? Friday night I spent like 30 minutes — I never really sat down with her. I really liked her. I think she is the real deal; whether she's right for Minnesota, that's for Minnesota to decide.

You intrigue me. Because I'm looking for people that understand the constitution, understand the progressive movement. Are you shocked at how many people don't? You sat down with me and you've talked to me more about the progressive movement, which is the disease — would you agree it is the disease?

DEVORE: It is the disease because it's anti-constitutional. They saw the Constitution as a roadblock to their grand designs for bigger government and they set about to dismantle it beginning with Woodrow Wilson.

BECK: Can you go in to Washington and not lose your soul?

DEVORE: Well, you follow the Constitution. And if you follow the Constitution — it's really not a very big book — you follow the Constitution, and the preamble of the Declaration of Independence is the mission statement of government that government exists to ensure the inalienable rights that we can pursue them. Not to try to give them to us with money borrowed money from China.

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