WEBVTT - Chipping Away At Democracy 0:00:11.760 --> 0:00:14.600 Good morning, peeps, and welcome to wokep Daily with me 0:00:14.760 --> 0:00:19.160 your girl, Danielle Moody recording from the Home Bunker. Folks, 0:00:19.520 --> 0:00:27.080 we are getting into the last weeks of the presidential 0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:32.000 election and I am filled with so many emotions, as 0:00:32.040 --> 0:00:37.400 I'm sure all of you are, and there is just 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:39.760 so much at stake. There is so much at stake, 0:00:39.760 --> 0:00:43.400 and I know that you all already know. This today's episode, 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:47.159 I am bringing on Natasha Sutherland, who is a senior 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:51.479 advisor to the Yes on Four campaign, and we've had 0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:55.160 folks from Yes on four join us on wok F 0:00:55.280 --> 0:01:02.440 Daily before and their entire mission is to return abortion 0:01:02.680 --> 0:01:07.080 access and rights to the people of Florida. They have 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:11.600 secured over a million signatures to have this ballot measure 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:17.880 appear on election day in Florida, despite all of the 0:01:18.360 --> 0:01:22.240 underhanded tactics that Ron DeSantis has tried to use in 0:01:22.400 --> 0:01:27.600 order to disqualify this amendment from being on the ballot, 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:31.720 and the people of Florida having their voices heard. In 0:01:31.760 --> 0:01:35.600 this conversation, Natasha talks about, you know how currently while 0:01:35.640 --> 0:01:41.440 Florida is dealing with the impact of Hurricane Helene, how 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:46.880 Ron DeSantis has diverted taxpayer dollars that could be going 0:01:46.959 --> 0:01:53.720 towards AID in order to fight against abortion access. It's wild, folks, 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:56.800 it's wild that this man is in office and people 0:01:56.920 --> 0:02:01.760 voted for him. He's a disgrace to the state of Florida, 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:05.040 and I pray that the people come to their senses soon. 0:02:05.560 --> 0:02:08.959 But this is an important conversation because there is still 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:11.360 so much work to do. As I said, you know, 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:13.480 and I've been saying since the beginning, we need to 0:02:13.560 --> 0:02:15.880 run through the tape on this. We can leave no 0:02:16.000 --> 0:02:19.920 conversation left unsaid. We can leave no rock left unturned, 0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:23.080 no money, nothing on the table. I want us to 0:02:23.120 --> 0:02:26.520 wake up after the election with no regrets, knowing that 0:02:26.560 --> 0:02:29.800 we've done everything that we can do in order to 0:02:29.880 --> 0:02:34.840 restore democracy in all fifty states of this country. So 0:02:35.040 --> 0:02:41.600 coming up next, my conversation with Natasha Sutherland on Yes 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:49.639 On four Folks. I am very happy to be joined 0:02:49.919 --> 0:02:54.799 on WOKF Daily with Natasha Sutherland, who is a senior 0:02:54.840 --> 0:02:58.840 advisor to the Yes On For campaign. We have had 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:03.240 folks from Yes On For join us before on this show, 0:03:03.560 --> 0:03:09.760 but now coming to us after Hurricane Helene has hit Florida. 0:03:10.320 --> 0:03:12.880 Natasha I just want to give you an opportunity to 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:16.120 kind of talk to us about the state of where 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:20.519 you are in Florida right now and how how how 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:24.640 Yes On four is kind of involved in what is 0:03:24.680 --> 0:03:30.000 happening as repair efforts and clean up efforts are happening 0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:30.799 in Florida. 0:03:31.360 --> 0:03:33.320 Yeah, first of all, Danielle, thank you so much for 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:36.320 having us back on your program. It's it's always an 0:03:36.320 --> 0:03:38.600 honor to have a wonderful opportunity to talk to your 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:43.000 to your listeners. You know, I was very fortunate, I 0:03:43.040 --> 0:03:45.560 am very fortunate to live here in Tallahassee where we 0:03:45.680 --> 0:03:48.080 had kind of a near miss with with the hurricane. 0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:50.600 But all of the folks to the east of us, 0:03:51.200 --> 0:03:54.200 you know, have faced a lot of significant damage, particularly 0:03:54.280 --> 0:03:56.440 those that have been hit the hardest with direct hit, 0:03:56.880 --> 0:03:59.240 but also folks in other areas of the state that 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:01.680 didn't even see a direct hit from the hurricane, Like 0:04:01.680 --> 0:04:04.080 I'm thinking of the Tampa Bay and Saint Pete areas 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:09.680 where they saw and like insane amounts of flooding, you know, 0:04:09.800 --> 0:04:12.400 and and and damage. And so you know, really at 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:15.320 our campaign, you know, because we're we're all over the state, 0:04:16.040 --> 0:04:18.960 you know, we we pivoted, we adapted to the challenges 0:04:19.000 --> 0:04:21.920 that were brought on by the hurricane, you know, and 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:25.159 so instead of just out canvassing like normally, we we 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:28.400 paused our efforts, we paused some of our events to 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:31.720 really support, you know, recovery efforts locally. I'm thinking about 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:35.520 one of our coalition partners, you know, Voices of Southwest Florida, 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:39.640 that immediately they pivoted to to serving meals, you know, 0:04:39.680 --> 0:04:42.080 and just making sure that that folks have what they need, 0:04:42.640 --> 0:04:44.760 you know, whether that's clean up efforts, whether that's a 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:47.680 hot meal, you know. And so we're we're just doing 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:50.200 everything we can to be a part of those efforts 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:52.200 in all of our different communities in the state. 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:56.520 Can you talk to us about what Ron DeSantis isn't 0:04:56.560 --> 0:04:59.960 doing in in the state of Florida right now, which 0:05:00.080 --> 0:05:04.600 and I'm certain could probably take us to time, but 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:08.120 but but you know, you talk about the ways in 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:11.000 which you know, and and folks are watching and seeing 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:15.080 the images right on their screens of the devastation that 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:19.160 has been caused in Florida, in the Carolina's you know, 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:22.680 and and throughout the kind of impacted region, and it's 0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:28.520 it's extraordinary right, And you would think that the governor 0:05:28.920 --> 0:05:33.280 of one of the most impacted states would be focusing 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:38.120 his energy, right and resources on relief. But that's not 0:05:38.240 --> 0:05:40.560 what Ron DeSantis is doing, is it. 0:05:41.600 --> 0:05:44.240 No, not really. I mean, you know, we can even 0:05:44.279 --> 0:05:47.479 go even further back before all of this to the 0:05:47.520 --> 0:05:50.679 fact that he hasn't addressed, you know, the property insurance 0:05:50.720 --> 0:05:52.640 crisis in the state of Florida, which is only going 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:55.040 to be exacerbated by this and more, and where people 0:05:55.480 --> 0:05:59.040 are not going to be able to secure any insurance 0:05:59.040 --> 0:06:02.240 on their homes to cover these kinds of damages, right, 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:06.080 And so that's number one. Number two. He also you know, 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:09.960 directed you know, lawmakers to ensure that we do not 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:12.760 talk about climate change at all in any of our laws. 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:16.800 So just sort of ignoring the root cause of the problem. 0:06:16.800 --> 0:06:19.640 But now, you know, he's you know, he's out there, 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:21.680 he's doing his press conferences, but he doesn't miss an 0:06:21.680 --> 0:06:25.600 opportunity to seem like he's just basically in campaign mode, right, 0:06:25.680 --> 0:06:28.680 taking all kinds of hits on different different things, like 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:32.040 I don't know, he was getting upset about Tesla's or something. 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:35.960 He's just all over the place, right, But then recently, 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:41.200 you know, actually, yesterday one of the local Florida reporters 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:44.560 was talking about how he was handing out plates of food, 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:48.359 and as he was handing out plates of food, he 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:52.880 was asking people to help him with Amendment four. In 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:55.200 other words, saying, I'm going to hand you this plate 0:06:55.200 --> 0:06:58.240 of food. Your your destitute, You don't have a place 0:06:58.320 --> 0:07:00.720 to eat, probably don't have a home. But hey, if 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:02.719 I give you this food, will you help me defeat 0:07:02.760 --> 0:07:09.200 Amendment four? I mean, so you know, then there's that 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:12.120 I mean. And then in the meantime, you know, there's 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:15.840 the weaponization of our state agencies, right, so you know, 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:19.560 redirecting millions and you know, at least thirteen to fifteen 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:25.800 million dollars of taxpayer dollars to purchasing TV ads, which, 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:29.440 mind you, as I was here in Tallahassee watching the 0:07:29.520 --> 0:07:31.840 coverage for the hurricane to decide whether or not I 0:07:31.880 --> 0:07:36.040 needed to leave my home, I'm seeing ad after ad 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:41.480 still airing against our amendment, paid for by taxpayer dollars, 0:07:41.560 --> 0:07:44.440 right sponsored by the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration or 0:07:44.440 --> 0:07:47.720 the Department of Children and Families. These are agencies that Floridians, 0:07:47.760 --> 0:07:50.520 you know, should be able to trust to give them good, 0:07:50.600 --> 0:07:54.880 helpful information to provide services, right, and instead they're being 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:59.080 weaponized to mislead folks to put out disinformation about an amendment. 0:07:59.840 --> 0:08:05.400 Is just unbelievable, so believable, right, Like it just it 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:11.320 just is so on brand for Ron DeSantis to like 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:14.400 everything with him is a quid pro quo, right, Like 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:16.640 that's what that was. Like, here's some food. Like, I 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:19.720 know that you're devastated, you've lost your home, you've lost everything, 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:23.600 and you're starving, But do me a favor though, right, Like, 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:28.760 I mean, it just echoes of the of the transactional 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:34.320 nature of the entire Trump presidency that we witnessed over 0:08:34.360 --> 0:08:41.320 four years. You all have done the work of getting 0:08:41.360 --> 0:08:43.920 how many signatures did you need in order to get 0:08:43.960 --> 0:08:46.040 this amendment on the ballot, But. 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:49.200 We surpassed the minimum requirement and we actually were able 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:54.400 to solidify nearly a million verified petition signatures to qualify 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:54.960 for the ballot. 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:58.520 So you need and how many did you actually need? 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:01.800 It was like seven hundred and so yeah, yeah, a little. 0:09:01.600 --> 0:09:04.280 Over seven hundred thousand, and so we got almost a million. 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:08.280 And DeSantis tried to take you all to court again, 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:14.080 right to say that the signatures that were verified well 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:18.040 over three hundred thousand over what was needed for you 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:19.959 to have that they weren't valid. 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:23.280 Right, that's absolutely right. And it's interesting because the deadline 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:25.959 for all of that, for the approvals process that has 0:09:26.000 --> 0:09:29.440 since passed. Right, you know, it's interesting that he is 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:32.400 suing us for a job that his own government did. 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:32.640 Right. 0:09:32.720 --> 0:09:36.840 It's not our job, you know, to go through and 0:09:36.920 --> 0:09:39.480 verify every single seaure. That's why the government exists, right 0:09:39.559 --> 0:09:43.000 to go through that process, an year long process to 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:46.240 verify every single signature. In fact, we paid the state 0:09:47.240 --> 0:09:50.559 over a million dollars to help them do their jobs 0:09:50.720 --> 0:09:53.880 and make sure that everything was above board and could qualify. 0:09:53.960 --> 0:09:57.000 And then the Supreme Court, which is packed with the 0:09:57.040 --> 0:10:01.200 Santus appointees, said that our amendment is valid enough to 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:04.440 be on the ballot. Right, they approved it. So they've 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:08.760 had multiple and by by they, the government, politicians ron whoever, 0:10:09.320 --> 0:10:12.960 have had multiple opportunities to say, you know, hey, we 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:15.960 can't have amendment for but we've managed to pass every 0:10:16.040 --> 0:10:20.200 hurdle and and we're qualified. The language is sound, it 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:23.240 has you know, legal precedent with you know, the definitions, 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:25.800 the terms that are used, and so there's nothing wrong 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:30.760 with this amendment. Floridians want it. They overwhelmingly support abortion access. 0:10:31.120 --> 0:10:34.000 And so now he's desperate, and he's handing out plates 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:37.280 of food and begging people to to do something about 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:40.800 amendment for and and he's not able to fundraise, and 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:45.360 so what's happening. He's you know, using state tax pay 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:48.840 dollars now to to try to, you know, do something 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:51.640 against our amendment. You know, it's it's been, it's been 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:54.760 an interesting thing to be a part of, to say 0:10:54.760 --> 0:10:55.199 the least. 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:58.720 You know, for those million people that that you know, 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:04.920 you were able to knock on and get these signatures collected. 0:11:05.559 --> 0:11:09.240 What is the overall sentiment of folks in Florida that 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:11.679 you've been able to engage with, because I think that 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:16.320 you know, for those of us living outside of the state, 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:21.360 we have a particular view and vision, right like y'all voted, 0:11:21.400 --> 0:11:24.200 you know, you know, for rond de Santis, like you 0:11:24.320 --> 0:11:31.360 have these Republican representatives that do the state an extraordinary disservice. 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:34.880 But what was once like a toss up right for 0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:39.920 the country a purple state, has gone you know, completely read. 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:44.280 And so you know, what is the sentiment from people 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:50.040 inside of Florida about this amendment, but also about Ron 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:50.800 de Santis. 0:11:51.920 --> 0:11:55.160 Well, first I would say that, you know, labeling Florida's 0:11:55.160 --> 0:11:59.199 completely read isn't correct. You know, back in twenty twenty two, 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:03.200 what we saw was a collapse, a historic collapse in 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:07.880 democratic turnout. So democrats that are here but for whatever reason, 0:12:08.559 --> 0:12:12.040 either felt that you know, there was an inevitability to 0:12:12.040 --> 0:12:14.880 to you know, a goobernatorial candidate that was the most 0:12:14.920 --> 0:12:19.679 well funded in US history winning, you know. So I 0:12:20.320 --> 0:12:23.120 think that what people need to understand nationally is that 0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:26.880 Florida is a very diverse state in a lot of 0:12:26.880 --> 0:12:29.559 different ways. Politically, a lot of folks are now independent, 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:33.480 you know, we have folks, you know, racially, a lot 0:12:33.480 --> 0:12:36.880 of differences there. We have three you know, primary languages 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:38.440 that are spoken, and so a lot of for example, 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:42.120 in Spanish language, miss and disinformation. We have jerrymandering. I mean, 0:12:42.160 --> 0:12:45.040 we still have you know, a redistricting case that that's 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:47.640 ongoing here in the state of Florida. That's that's cut 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:51.440 Black representation in Congress in half in the state of Florida. 0:12:52.160 --> 0:12:54.000 So there are just a lot of different things that 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:55.559 are going on here. And you also have to think 0:12:55.640 --> 0:12:58.800 like this is a sort of a Republican party that 0:12:59.040 --> 0:13:02.560 is probably one of them most well funded in the country. Right, 0:13:02.600 --> 0:13:03.920 I mean, this is sort of like the home of 0:13:03.960 --> 0:13:05.800 that and so it's a kind of a day of 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:06.520 It and Goliath. 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:06.760 Right. 0:13:06.800 --> 0:13:09.360 It's not really an apples to apples comparison between the 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:11.600 two parties in the state, and so it just requires 0:13:11.640 --> 0:13:14.880 that much more work. Florida is also a very expensive state, 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:17.840 and so we can have you know, we can have 0:13:17.880 --> 0:13:20.640 a good message right on one side, but if you 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:24.280 don't have the money to actually share that message with 0:13:24.320 --> 0:13:26.480 Florida voters, you're not going to do that. And I 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:29.880 think that in the past, you know, for my observations, 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:32.080 I think that Florida, because of how expensive it is, 0:13:32.120 --> 0:13:34.720 because of how much work it is, you know, it 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:36.959 becomes strategically defunded because you have to go to other 0:13:37.000 --> 0:13:40.720 states that potentially, you know, it's a little bit easier 0:13:41.280 --> 0:13:43.800 to get over that mark. So you know, I wonder 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:46.920 about you know, what that means for you know, moving 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:49.439 forward politically as it being a purple state. I did 0:13:49.480 --> 0:13:53.640 see you know recently, you know, the presidential campaign talking 0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:56.360 about investing in Florida. So you know, I don't know 0:13:56.480 --> 0:13:59.360 it's it's happening. But what I can tell you is 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:03.720 that when it comes to abortion specifically, you know, and 0:14:03.840 --> 0:14:10.120 healthcare overall, Floridians do not like politicians telling them what 0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:13.360 to do. It's really that simple. We saw that with 0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:17.600 other healthcare related issues in the state in the past, right, 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:21.040 and I think that it's no different with abortion. You know, 0:14:21.120 --> 0:14:27.440 we have you know, had the right to abortion access 0:14:27.480 --> 0:14:30.440 for over fifty years until the fall of Row, and 0:14:30.560 --> 0:14:33.880 Amendment four is only seeking to restore that access back 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:36.800 to where it was, you know, allowing abortion through viability 0:14:37.040 --> 0:14:40.360 and to protect the other's health afterwards. Right. And when 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:42.560 we go around and we talk to Florida voters about this, 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:45.320 because it's beyond just the petition signatures, right, it's also 0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:48.480 the you know, nearly sixty million dollars that we've been 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:52.000 able to raise a majority of that from here in 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:55.160 the state. It's the you know, it's the one point 0:14:55.160 --> 0:14:58.680 one million voter contact attempts we've made as of today, actually, 0:14:59.640 --> 0:15:02.440 and every sort of door knock that we've made. Folks 0:15:02.440 --> 0:15:04.480 are first of all shocked in appalled that there's an 0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:08.600 abortion ban to begin with, and how extreme and unrelenting, 0:15:08.640 --> 0:15:11.160 it is, but then they're also surprised and excited to 0:15:11.200 --> 0:15:13.160 find out that there's a way to stop the abortion ban, 0:15:13.200 --> 0:15:14.600 and that's the vote. Yes, I'm Amendment four. 0:15:15.760 --> 0:15:19.480 I mean, I just think that it is, like, it's 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:22.840 just terrifying when you hear the stories like I know, 0:15:22.920 --> 0:15:27.000 the two high profile stories of the women that died 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:30.200 in Georgia that didn't need to the mothers that died 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:33.040 in Georgia because they didn't receive the abortion care that 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:37.280 they needed, and I know that there must be countless 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:44.040 stories inside of Florida. It just is so alarming that 0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:47.680 for people to be able to fight to have their 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:52.640 rights restored. Ron DeSantis just does not want people in 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:56.400 Florida to be heard period, right Like he You know, 0:15:56.480 --> 0:15:59.320 it's one thing to pass legislation and say that you 0:15:59.360 --> 0:16:01.880 have the right to do so you're a governor. Then 0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:06.280 to put in these parameters, these obstacles to allow the 0:16:06.360 --> 0:16:09.280 voters to actually have their say, and not just in 0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:13.680 your election, but like in the access to bodily autonomy, 0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:16.600 and then to do every devious thing in the book 0:16:16.960 --> 0:16:22.720 in order to deny the people of Florida that opportunity. 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:26.600 What do you think Natasha is going to be. I mean, 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:29.400 obviously you hope for a win, right, and what we've 0:16:29.440 --> 0:16:33.560 seen is that when abortion is on the ballot, even 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:40.360 in presumably red states, that it wins. So how are 0:16:40.400 --> 0:16:43.480 you feeling, you know, with thirty some odd days to 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:46.560 go until the election, about your chances. 0:16:47.960 --> 0:16:49.640 Yeah, I think that everything that you point out is 0:16:49.640 --> 0:16:53.040 absolutely right. The idea of not passing this would be 0:16:53.080 --> 0:16:56.040 absolutely devastating. It already is devastating for the people that 0:16:56.120 --> 0:16:59.920 are the paties that are already directly impacted, like Candy Miller, 0:17:00.680 --> 0:17:03.400 you know, in Georgia, with those pre existing health conditions, 0:17:03.480 --> 0:17:05.520 like Anya Cook here in the state of Florida, who 0:17:05.600 --> 0:17:09.520 under the fifteen week ban lost nearly half the blood 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:11.320 in her body due to a miscarriage because she wasn't 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:13.280 able to get abortion that she needs. You know, I 0:17:13.320 --> 0:17:16.919 think that you're spot on in that the government Florida 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:21.280 politicians do not want direct democracy. They do not want 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:24.800 Florida voters to be able to make decisions for themselves. 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:27.639 They want to be the middlemen between us and what 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:30.320 we actually want. And I think that one of the 0:17:30.359 --> 0:17:35.000 best illustrators of that is the Citizens' Initiative process with 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:39.240 these amendments to the Constitution in Florida, they raise the 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:43.159 threshold to a sixty percent approval in order for it 0:17:43.280 --> 0:17:46.160 to pass. Right, we are the only state that has 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:48.040 to meet that. We are the only state that will 0:17:48.119 --> 0:17:50.120 ever have to meet that, because every other state has 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:52.280 done it with fifty percent. I think Colorado this year 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:54.720 is fifty five. You know, this was a bill that 0:17:54.800 --> 0:17:57.560 was put forward by the Florida legislature many many years 0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:01.240 ago because they didn't like the idea that Floridians were 0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:04.639 able to pass with a simple majority whatever policies they wanted. 0:18:04.680 --> 0:18:07.359 And so we're thinking about policies like, you know, raising 0:18:07.359 --> 0:18:10.520 the minimum wage in the past, policies like restoring the 0:18:10.640 --> 0:18:14.159 voting rights of returning citizens, policies that protect the environment. 0:18:15.320 --> 0:18:18.439 So you know, it's really interesting to see because you know, 0:18:18.440 --> 0:18:20.280 when I used to work in the legislature, I worked 0:18:20.280 --> 0:18:22.800 there for a few years as a legislative policy analyst. 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:26.960 I remember the bill being filed every single year to 0:18:27.119 --> 0:18:32.359 raise that threshold even higher to sixty six percent. So 0:18:32.480 --> 0:18:36.080 this isn't something that they're going to stop chipping away at, 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:38.639 chipping away at direct democracy. I mean, that's just what 0:18:38.760 --> 0:18:41.679 happens here in Florida, and so we really only have 0:18:41.880 --> 0:18:45.480 this one shot. Imagine if we get close, imagine we 0:18:45.560 --> 0:18:47.800 get to fifty nine point five or something, you know what, 0:18:47.840 --> 0:18:50.600 I mean, something super close, but don't make it. I 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:54.040 will bet money that next legislative session there will be 0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:56.919 a bill that will raise the threshold even higher so 0:18:56.960 --> 0:18:59.160 that we can never do this again. And then we're 0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:02.320 looking at deck before women and girls in the state 0:19:02.320 --> 0:19:04.879 of Florida have access to abortion care like they deserve. 0:19:06.080 --> 0:19:09.240 I mean, I just you know, I commend all of 0:19:09.280 --> 0:19:12.160 the things that you have been doing in the state. 0:19:12.240 --> 0:19:15.240 You know, it's so sometimes it's so easy for those 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:17.080 of us that are outside of the state. You know, 0:19:17.119 --> 0:19:19.840 you've heard people say, well, why don't you just move 0:19:20.320 --> 0:19:23.920 right as if moving to a different state, picking up 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:28.359 leaving your family, your loved ones behind is something that 0:19:28.480 --> 0:19:32.639 is easy to do or economically feasible for a majority 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:35.800 of people. And so, you know, as we close out today, 0:19:35.840 --> 0:19:38.080 I just want to give you an opportunity to tell 0:19:38.119 --> 0:19:41.440 folks like what it has been like personally right for 0:19:42.280 --> 0:19:45.520 you all to do this kind of work in such 0:19:45.520 --> 0:19:50.400 a hostile state, and what it's taken to get to this, 0:19:50.640 --> 0:19:54.000 to get to this point, it. 0:19:53.920 --> 0:20:00.399 Has been beyond exhausting. It has been probably one of 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:02.760 the most difficult efforts I think any of us at 0:20:02.760 --> 0:20:06.879 the campaign has ever had to undergo. As somebody speaking personally, 0:20:06.920 --> 0:20:10.320 you know, I really connect with the Georgia woman who 0:20:10.359 --> 0:20:12.560 died because of a lack of care, Candy Miller, who 0:20:12.600 --> 0:20:15.440 had pre existing conditions. You know, for me living in 0:20:15.480 --> 0:20:17.879 the state of Florida, should this ban remain in place, 0:20:18.400 --> 0:20:21.520 it could be potentially life threatening as well due to 0:20:21.560 --> 0:20:25.800 health concerns, and so you know, you mentioned things like moving. Yes, 0:20:25.840 --> 0:20:29.119 that has been a consideration for me personally, right of 0:20:29.560 --> 0:20:31.720 can I move? Is it a good idea, you know, 0:20:31.840 --> 0:20:35.040 just to be safe? But then, Danielle, where where would 0:20:35.040 --> 0:20:35.520 we move to? 0:20:35.680 --> 0:20:35.840 Right? 0:20:36.000 --> 0:20:38.920 There are so many states since the fall of Row 0:20:39.359 --> 0:20:41.560 that do not have access to care. We are seeing 0:20:41.600 --> 0:20:45.280 these stories of women dying or having to carry the 0:20:45.400 --> 0:20:49.240 child of their rapist in so many states, right, victims 0:20:49.240 --> 0:20:51.240 of incest, you know, that kind of thing. And so 0:20:51.840 --> 0:20:54.760 at a certain point, it's not about us having to move. 0:20:54.800 --> 0:20:56.880 It's about the fact that we deserve to live where 0:20:56.880 --> 0:20:59.280 we live and have the same rights as every other American. 0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:02.919 So we have stopped at nothing We have done anything 0:21:02.960 --> 0:21:06.200 in everything that we can at this campaign to ensure success. 0:21:06.600 --> 0:21:09.520 That has meant you know, twelve to fifteen hour days, 0:21:09.600 --> 0:21:11.359 that has meant working seven days a week. That has 0:21:11.440 --> 0:21:13.679 meant when I was fleeing the hurricane and sitting in 0:21:13.720 --> 0:21:17.240 my hotel in Alabama, still taking calls and still doing 0:21:17.280 --> 0:21:19.720 work and still making sure that you know, the press 0:21:19.760 --> 0:21:22.000 release goes out, around the commercials that we're putting out right, 0:21:22.000 --> 0:21:25.080 it means like doing anything and everything all the time. 0:21:25.640 --> 0:21:28.600 You know, our campaign manager, Lauren Bronzel, who is on 0:21:28.640 --> 0:21:31.879 your on your program, you know they have their schedule 0:21:32.560 --> 0:21:36.200 is unbelievable. The amount of you know, meetings and places 0:21:36.200 --> 0:21:38.239 they are and things they're doing. And you know, our 0:21:38.359 --> 0:21:41.639 organizing team is working around the clock. Taylor Aguilera, you 0:21:41.640 --> 0:21:44.399 know who's leading that department. You know when she reported 0:21:44.400 --> 0:21:47.520 the one point one million contact attempts, that's impressive when 0:21:47.720 --> 0:21:51.280 they've started as of ballot qualifying, which was in May. 0:21:52.640 --> 0:21:55.240 You know, so I think that you know, the yeah, 0:21:55.320 --> 0:21:58.200 we're exhausted, but you know, I think it's it's a 0:21:58.280 --> 0:22:01.199 life or death situation and so the energy behind that 0:22:01.359 --> 0:22:04.600 is there to give it everything we've got, and I 0:22:04.640 --> 0:22:07.400 think that we do have a shot. I think that 0:22:07.520 --> 0:22:11.000 you know, Florida voters are smart. They're not going to 0:22:11.040 --> 0:22:14.800 fall for you know, the dirty tricks of certain politicians 0:22:14.800 --> 0:22:18.000 in our state, of the miss and disinformation campaigns. If 0:22:18.000 --> 0:22:21.800 we simply have these conversations with anyone and everyone that 0:22:21.880 --> 0:22:23.760 is eligible to vote, which is about thirteen million of 0:22:23.840 --> 0:22:27.040 us here in the state, that it's winnable. But it's 0:22:27.040 --> 0:22:29.000 just going to take us doing everything we can and 0:22:29.119 --> 0:22:31.479 you know, making sure that on the day after election 0:22:31.640 --> 0:22:34.760 day none of us has a regret like, well, did 0:22:34.760 --> 0:22:36.879 we make every call we could have made, did we 0:22:36.920 --> 0:22:39.840 text everybody could have texted? Did we send every postcard 0:22:39.840 --> 0:22:40.440 we could have sent? 0:22:40.560 --> 0:22:44.560 You know, well, Natasha, I just you know, I send 0:22:44.600 --> 0:22:48.160 you all so much strength and energy as you make 0:22:48.200 --> 0:22:53.560 it into the final stretch to November fifth, And I'm 0:22:53.600 --> 0:22:58.840 just so grateful for the Yes un for campaign, for 0:22:59.359 --> 0:23:03.960 you know, all of the effort, all of the sleeplessness, 0:23:04.400 --> 0:23:08.640 you know, nights, and everything that you've endured in order 0:23:08.680 --> 0:23:11.679 to get Floridians to this point. So I hope to 0:23:11.720 --> 0:23:16.160 have you guys back on when it's all said and done, 0:23:16.280 --> 0:23:20.120 and you know, hopefully it will be a victory conversation. 0:23:20.560 --> 0:23:23.960 But thank you so much for everything that you've continued 0:23:24.000 --> 0:23:26.720 to do. And please tell people how, with the days left, 0:23:27.000 --> 0:23:28.600 how they can continue to help. 0:23:29.600 --> 0:23:32.840