There's a way to treat people with respect.
Absolutely. Well, still speaking the truth.
“Right. Absolutely. And pointing out differences”
and where they stand on issues. I've noticed that, too, here in another state as well. Like campaigns, if it seems like if you go, it's what's called negative on a candidate, which means like pointing out that they have,
there's support, yeah, facts about them, that they're supporting policies that can lead our country or state or city or county in the wrong direction that's being negative, you know? And so it's like, people want to avoid that. And it's like,
no, we're, we're, how do we get to this point where that is like a thing even because we need that. I mean, we're right. I don't know if you saw the news. Well, I'm sure you have,
because you probably know more than I do, but democratic socialists are now becoming the thing. Like, we're getting elected across this country. And why is that? Why is that? Americans are capable of achieving extraordinary things
when they have the freedom and opportunity to do so.
This is American Potential. Hey, everyone. Welcome to American Potential Podcast. I'm your host, David Frahm. You're already an election primary season, which means it won't be long before our TVs,
phones, mailboxes, are just flooded with campaigns. But, you know, to be honest, how much time do you spend research in the candidates beyond these commercials? Even more important,
how much time do you spend digging into the issues to see where they line up with your beliefs? When you understand the issues, you're not just better prepared to cast a vote. You're also prepared to have a real conversation
with people who see things differently. You don't have to agree on everything, but having that knowledge makes it easier to listen, ask questions, and have a respectful discussion.
And, instead of just, you know,
argue over talking points.
Today's guests start doing exactly that at a young age. What began as curiosity about the news turned into to her understanding the issues beneath the headlines.
Today, she helps others to the same by taking a deeper dive into the policies that shape our lives and encouraged thoughtful conversations, even when people don't agree.
My colleague Heather Andrews got to sit down with her at an American's for prosperity event in Utah. Well, thanks, David. I'm here with someone lucky enough
to call a friend, Carolyn Fippin. A head of American for prosperity Utah's "let freedom ring" celebration here in Salt Lake City, Utah. Carolyn's story is one of my favorites,
a girl growing up in Upstate in New York, reading the newspaper at the kitchen table with her scientist dad, learning to pull an argument apart piece by piece. That habit took her from ghost writing policy
for elected officials to working for Senator Mike Lee, to running for U.S. Senate herself. And now, to reaching thousands of people with the stories most outlets like to skip.
So Carolyn, welcome. Thank you, Heather. I'm glad that we have gotten to know each other and have become friends over the years. Yes, it's been such a pleasure working with you
on a variety of fun things here in Utah. I don't know if fun. I know I was like... I wish we didn't have to work on any of them. And we'd be honest about this.
“Yeah, because we live in a conservative scene, right?”
Yes. All right, well, tell me, take me back to that kitchen table. You loved reading the newspaper as a kid, just kind of like not a thing for most kids. No.
So it's just sad for me, right? Because I think when you receive your news through an algorithm, it's not going to be the kind of news that I was exposed to growing, right?
Right. And really, like, so I, well, I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And I had my companions mostly were Liberals, by the way. But I remember I had this one from Minnesota. And we loved each other.
Like, she was bridesmaid in my wedding. I was bridesmaid in hers. But we would be up like you work all day. You're all day busy. Breaching gospel.
We were in Czechoslovakia. Wow. Learning to speak Czech. And anyway, but then when you're home night, when you're done with your studies and your dinner,
and you're, you know, you come in at nine o'clock, I think, or something at night. Right. And we had trouble getting sleep, because we would debate politics all night long.
I'm sure. And because you don't do that during the day when you're busy, doing focus on the big things. I'll be at the early morning, right? Yeah.
So I do think that, and I enjoy that, like most of my friends growing up, probably have not been people who align with me, politically.
“Which is actually a good thing, I think.”
I do think it's a good thing. I think it's a really good thing. And I think we have a death of people. Now, who are able to hear things that they disagree with and make a smart counter argument to them.
If you don't know what they think and take it seriously,
they're reasoning. Right. I mean, some of it is just stupid, but some of it actually, there are real, there are real people.
Yeah. He's in. Right. Why they may think that way? Right.
And usually it's because they aren't making decisions
“based on fundamental foundational principles, right?”
Right. Anyway, I think that we have to be able to listen to other people understand where they're coming from, and then we can much more effectively. Yeah, communicates.
Communicate and make a case for why. There's a higher principle or an actual principle. I think that's missing for too many people today too. Absolutely. Absolutely.
Absolutely. Absolutely. So, so you grew up like you so tell me about your family situation though, too. Like you had how many siblings did you have four sisters and a brother? Okay.
I was second oldest. Okay. Second oldest. Yeah. And you were out of out of all your resemblings.
Your dad was a scientist and your mom was. So, she was just a, oh mom. Is there no mom? Yeah.
“And then so how many of your siblings went into, like, you're none?”
Okay. There's a science people mostly. Yeah. Yeah. So they took a different route.
But you told us, yeah. What, what? I can't even tell you. Right? You don't know what it was.
I don't know what it was. But I know that, like, within me, I already developed. And I literally remember sitting in elementary school, learning about the American Revolution. I mean, as a New Yorker, like, we won. Yes, we did.
But I remember sitting there thinking about thinking about, like, what a big deal. Yeah.
The founding principles were, it always resonated with me.
That liberty was important. And then, you know, like I said, I served a mission right after the wall came down in Czechoslovakia. When it was still in Czechoslovakia. Yeah. And just prior to that, I had been studying actually Soviet economy and government at Bergman University.
Right. And then watched it and watched the transformation over that next year and a half that I lived there. So, no. I think I don't know what it is. It's just always been in me.
And I think some people feel it. And some people don't. Yeah. So, you know, you've said that the second amendment was a struggle. Yeah.
Those that, you know, as you studied, that, you know, different the founding principles, things like that. But this like amendment was tough for you. So, tell me more about that and what. Yeah.
“No, I think for me, piece by piece, I analyzed where I was on issues and why.”
And that was the one that took me the longest. Everything else was just self-evident. When you understand history, though, the second amendment is not an issue at all. But that just took time and and and research and reasoning for me to get to that point where, aha, you cannot have a disarmed populace against, you know, what we see now is a pretty much all-powerful government.
Right. The government just is forced. Right. That's exactly right. Right.
But I'll tell you, there's there's a trend that I've been noticing that I never understood in Czechoslovakia.
And that is the criminal's roaming free. And I remember somebody telling me that that, yeah, you get locked up for speaking against the government. But the criminals are allowed to roam the streets to murder and to rape. And it never made sense to me. And now we are living in this.
Yeah, absolutely many, many, many states. Right. Just, yeah, don't even, yeah. So I think being able to read and understand history. And I say all the time, what is it that the founders understood that others, I think, too often,
who who try to analyze policy or politics miss, you know, they understood history. Absolutely. They understood policy and politics and how movements affect things. But they understood human nature. And that's something that I think the left and those who kind of follow those ideals and
believe in a government enforced utopia are lacking. Yeah. And that's an understanding of human nature. Absolutely.
And so I think all of these things brought me to a point where, of course, the second amendment
makes sense. But that was my last one. You know, I was early 20s when I finally said, yeah, I am 100% there on this. But that one took me time. Right.
Well, and I, I don't know if you notice, we're living in this time. We're time where it's like, you people avoid having difficult conversation or just tough conversation, working out those kind of things. They don't want to talk about it. I mean, abortion, like, I mean, that's a huge hot button issue.
Like, no one really wants to talk about politics and no one wants to have hard conversations and they avoid them almost entirely. Right. Why do you think we can't afford to do that right now?
Because we are halfway down the cliff falling over.
We're already gone off the edge. All right.
“And I think, in fact, somebody called me on my way here today.”
And was saying, I want your thoughts, I mean, they're upset about this pre-incourt case yesterday with birthright citizenship. And they said, I want your thoughts on this.
And I, I said, here's the thing.
Over time, and I think this can be true of any issue. Things shift. Mm-hmm. But we can't just lie down and either give up or, and say, there's nothing that we can do or pull into ourselves and say, screw everyone else.
Right. Because I do think that more and more people are coming to understand what's going on in our country. But it takes those of us who aren't willing to just, I'm so distracted by the scene. And I think that's Emily Brown. I think so.
But those of us who are willing to say there are things more important than, and this is what I said in the car on the way here, than European vacations and boot jobs. Okay. I know. Right.
It was funny, but not funny because it's so true. It's true. Right. Yeah.
So many people are distracted with things that ultimately, huh?
We'll never match. They don't matter. Not matter. No. And they're not going to, like, do anything for them in the long run.
In the long run. No. And they are a distraction from focusing on the things that really matter. Right.
“And that's what I think the biggest danger is.”
The distraction. Yeah. Right. And there's so much apathy as well. Like, what do you think it will take to get people to wake up and how, like, you know,
on, as you're doing, you know, your shows and talking about things on your on, you know, how are you received?
Like, do you get a lot of people engaged and, like, asking questions?
Or are you seeing people like watching, but then just like, I don't want to worry about it. I don't have time. I think most people who pay attention understand, yeah, for the most part. Right. Um.
It's a matter of getting to those who are too distracted to pay attention. Right. It makes them uncomfortable. Right. Right.
And they're going to be uncomfortable. Right. And I think, you know, we talk about it a lot in this state. And I know there are other states with the same issue. New York does not have this issue.
Right. It's nice and it's called to. I know. Right. Right.
“But I think that we, we have to get over that.”
There is a way to treat people with respect. Absolutely. Well, still speaking the truth. Right. Absolutely.
And pointing out differences in where they stand on issues. I've noticed that too here in another states as well, like campaigns. If it seems like if you go, it's what's called negative on a candidate, which means, like pointing out that they have their support. Yeah, facts about them. Yeah.
That they're supporting like policies that can, you know, lead our country or state or city or county in the wrong direction. That's being negative. Right. And so it's like, people want to avoid that. And it's like, no, we're, we're, how do we get to this point where.
That is like a thing, even because we need that. I mean, we're, we're getting, I don't know if you saw the news. Well, I'm sure you have, but because you, like, probably know more than I do. But democratic socialists are now becoming the thing. Like, you're getting elected across this country.
And why is that? Why, why is that? Right. How did we get here? I'll tell you how.
And I have had this conversation with the number of our elected officials in this state. And I lay it squarely at their feet because people are responding. And we're a Republican state here. Right. And what happens is when you have a Republican government that has betraying the people.
Mm. People say, just give me anyone who will take them out. Mm. And I'll tell you we just saw that with our Senate president. We got a total leftist who is supported by leftists running in a Republican
primary because people said enough is enough. Mm. And that's the problem. When, and, and I'll tell you, I, I've actually studied this a fair amount. And there are a couple of recent books that have been written on this phenomenon of what,
kind of, what are the undercurrents that exist in society, just prior to takeovers, including communist takeovers. I think Jack Pesopic just had one called the Unchumans that I listened to last year. Wow. And it is a corrupt government. It's when the good guys go bad.
Right.
You say, just give me anyone else.
That's always the precursor.
Right. It's that. And there are a couple of other things that are a precursor, too. But that is always one big one. Um, another one is a people who are so dependent on this came from some other research.
Who are so dependent on government. And I don't mean just welfare queens. I mean jobs. No. Right.
Yeah. So when there's a class of people that has successfully risen above, and I say successful, as in they have more money. Right. Reason above, like the working class, the people who produce something in society. Right.
When that class becomes so big that it can no longer be sustained, you also get revolutions.
“And I think we're at that tipping point as well.”
We have a government going broke supporting foreigners through all kinds of Medicaid programs that are fraudulent that are being taken advantage of fraudulently. Um, and by the way, distorting the market even when it's not fraudulent. And they're living in a way that hardworking Americans for the most part don't live. Right. And their children feel entitled to the same.
It's unsustainable. Absolutely. Right. So that's why we are where we are. Yeah.
And people are saying give us anything but this. Right. And unless these people, and I've had some conversations with some leaders in this state and what I've said is, unless you are willing to come out. Because by the way, Utah is being targeted by Democrats. Yeah.
Successfully. It looks like. Right. And unless you are willing to stand up and buck against the establishment. And say, me and Colby here, we made a mistake.
We understand what we did wrong. We're going to fix it and change it. And the response I get is, oh, yeah, we totally realize there's a problem. I'm going to do this little reform nibbling around this edge. And this little reform nibbling around this edge.
They don't say it that way. Right. That's what it is.
“That's what the Democrats are going to walk right in.”
And the socialists and take right over from you. Yeah. Yeah. I great. Well, you've built like this great audience on social media telling the stories that you feel like matter.
And that, you know, trying to get the truth out there and helping educate and inform, you know, how do you decide the which story is worth telling? And what there seems like there's so much. Yes. Yes.
Right now, how do you like get to what is most important cut through the noise and say, this is what I need to share?
Yes. See, that's hard because I could do 50 a day. And I really could, right? And I keep on like a minute and a half. I try to bring it in half or so.
Right. I honestly could do easily 20 legitimate, shocking things every single day. And so it's almost just like close your eyes and point to something. Like, I, I save all kinds of stories that I come across. Yeah.
And then, of course, I research and it turns out some aren't quite what you think they are. Right. So I try to be really careful about that. Like, sometimes you can tell. I've read enough and subscribe.
I've subscribed to leftist newspapers my whole life until about 10 years ago. When I was tired of supporting them when they became blatantly. Right.
“I think, in many ways, just blatantly ridiculous.”
Yeah. I'm just like, dishonest and not really. Like, not really sharing any truth. Yeah. So I've read enough to know even when my own side is saying things that I guarantee there's more to this.
You know.
So I always try to look into things.
And then, literally, it's like, oh, what should I talk about today? I have stashes of information. Wow. Well, for the person listening, that feels like they have something to say. And they want, you know, like, what would, what advice or they don't know where to start?
They don't know. Yeah. They don't know how to get what they have to say out there. What advice do you have for them for? Well, I think there are a number of ways.
Like, things can be done on social media. But things can also be done in their own community, right? So I am president of the Women's Republican Club of Salt Lake, which is the oldest women's organization in the nation, 1899. It was founded.
And I say, I see that organization as a place where women, an unintimidating place where women can come meet other people, meet elected officials and decide how they, how and what they want to do in their own communities. Because I think that's a lot of it. Like, we all have different skills.
Yeah. We all have different knowledge and experience and context.
I think when we come together.
So I think finding ways to connect with other people.
Yes. In order to find what your avenue is. Absolutely. I think that's a great way to get started. Yes.
And it's very, you're right.
Like, I mean, I've been part of those.
“I mean, that's how we kind of got to start it, too,”
as attending some of those groups. Yeah. And just getting involved in local politics.
And volunteering and just showing up.
Yeah. And then it's like, good luck getting out of it once you, once you get in. It's just really, yeah. These are good about road. And it's like, good luck.
“Well, Carolyn, thank you so much for being with us today.”
Really appreciate it. Really appreciate all you're doing to get, yeah, to get good real stories out there to help people get educated and informed. And hopefully we'll take action and make it start making more of a difference. I mean, here in Utah, especially because it's
definitely needed. Yes. Absolutely. We'll so good to see you today. Thanks for having me.
Thank you. All right. Well, if you enjoyed this episode and want to stay connected, do us a favor, like and subscribe to the channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
“And always remember, Liberty and Freedom are not to be taken for granted.”
Get out, defend them. Thanks for joining us, and we'll see you next time. Thank you for listening to American Potential. You may listen to more stories from Americans working every day to expand freedom and opportunity in their communities by visiting AmericanPotential.com.
