October 1, 2024 • 25 mins
Natasha Sutherland, senior advisor to the Yes On 4 campaign, joins Danielle for a timely conversation about how the Republican party in Florida is diverting funds from emergency relief in order to fight abortion rights.
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
Good morning, peeps, and welcome to wokep Daily with me
your girl, Danielle Moody recording from the Home Bunker. Folks,
we are getting into the last weeks of the presidential
election and I am filled with so many emotions, as
(00:32):
I'm sure all of you are, and there is just
so much at stake. There is so much at stake,
and I know that you all already know. This today's episode,
I am bringing on Natasha Sutherland, who is a senior
advisor to the Yes on Four campaign, and we've had
folks from Yes on four join us on wok F
(00:55):
Daily before and their entire mission is to return abortion
access and rights to the people of Florida. They have
secured over a million signatures to have this ballot measure
appear on election day in Florida, despite all of the
(01:18):
underhanded tactics that Ron DeSantis has tried to use in
order to disqualify this amendment from being on the ballot,
and the people of Florida having their voices heard. In
this conversation, Natasha talks about, you know how currently while
Florida is dealing with the impact of Hurricane Helene, how
(01:41):
Ron DeSantis has diverted taxpayer dollars that could be going
towards AID in order to fight against abortion access. It's wild, folks,
it's wild that this man is in office and people
voted for him. He's a disgrace to the state of Florida,
(02:02):
and I pray that the people come to their senses soon.
But this is an important conversation because there is still
so much work to do. As I said, you know,
and I've been saying since the beginning, we need to
run through the tape on this. We can leave no
conversation left unsaid. We can leave no rock left unturned,
no money, nothing on the table. I want us to
(02:23):
wake up after the election with no regrets, knowing that
we've done everything that we can do in order to
restore democracy in all fifty states of this country. So
coming up next, my conversation with Natasha Sutherland on Yes
On four Folks. I am very happy to be joined
(02:49):
on WOKF Daily with Natasha Sutherland, who is a senior
advisor to the Yes On For campaign. We have had
folks from Yes On For join us before on this show,
but now coming to us after Hurricane Helene has hit Florida.
(03:10):
Natasha I just want to give you an opportunity to
kind of talk to us about the state of where
you are in Florida right now and how how how
Yes On four is kind of involved in what is
happening as repair efforts and clean up efforts are happening
in Florida.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Yeah, first of all, Danielle, thank you so much for
having us back on your program. It's it's always an
honor to have a wonderful opportunity to talk to your
to your listeners. You know, I was very fortunate, I
am very fortunate to live here in Tallahassee where we
had kind of a near miss with with the hurricane.
But all of the folks to the east of us,
you know, have faced a lot of significant damage, particularly
(03:54):
those that have been hit the hardest with direct hit,
but also folks in other areas of the state that
didn't even see a direct hit from the hurricane, Like
I'm thinking of the Tampa Bay and Saint Pete areas
where they saw and like insane amounts of flooding, you know,
and and and damage. And so you know, really at
our campaign, you know, because we're we're all over the state,
(04:16):
you know, we we pivoted, we adapted to the challenges
that were brought on by the hurricane, you know, and
so instead of just out canvassing like normally, we we
paused our efforts, we paused some of our events to
really support, you know, recovery efforts locally. I'm thinking about
one of our coalition partners, you know, Voices of Southwest Florida,
that immediately they pivoted to to serving meals, you know,
(04:39):
and just making sure that that folks have what they need,
you know, whether that's clean up efforts, whether that's a
hot meal, you know. And so we're we're just doing
everything we can to be a part of those efforts
in all of our different communities in the state.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Can you talk to us about what Ron DeSantis isn't
doing in in the state of Florida right now, which
and I'm certain could probably take us to time, but
but but you know, you talk about the ways in
which you know, and and folks are watching and seeing
the images right on their screens of the devastation that
(05:15):
has been caused in Florida, in the Carolina's you know,
and and throughout the kind of impacted region, and it's
it's extraordinary right, And you would think that the governor
of one of the most impacted states would be focusing
his energy, right and resources on relief. But that's not
(05:38):
what Ron DeSantis is doing, is it.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
No, not really. I mean, you know, we can even
go even further back before all of this to the
fact that he hasn't addressed, you know, the property insurance
crisis in the state of Florida, which is only going
to be exacerbated by this and more, and where people
are not going to be able to secure any insurance
on their homes to cover these kinds of damages, right,
(06:02):
And so that's number one. Number two. He also you know,
directed you know, lawmakers to ensure that we do not
talk about climate change at all in any of our laws.
So just sort of ignoring the root cause of the problem.
But now, you know, he's you know, he's out there,
he's doing his press conferences, but he doesn't miss an
opportunity to seem like he's just basically in campaign mode, right,
(06:25):
taking all kinds of hits on different different things, like
I don't know, he was getting upset about Tesla's or something.
He's just all over the place, right, But then recently,
you know, actually, yesterday one of the local Florida reporters
was talking about how he was handing out plates of food,
and as he was handing out plates of food, he
(06:48):
was asking people to help him with Amendment four. In
other words, saying, I'm going to hand you this plate
of food. Your your destitute, You don't have a place
to eat, probably don't have a home. But hey, if
I give you this food, will you help me defeat
Amendment four? I mean, so you know, then there's that
(07:09):
I mean. And then in the meantime, you know, there's
the weaponization of our state agencies, right, so you know,
redirecting millions and you know, at least thirteen to fifteen
million dollars of taxpayer dollars to purchasing TV ads, which,
mind you, as I was here in Tallahassee watching the
(07:29):
coverage for the hurricane to decide whether or not I
needed to leave my home, I'm seeing ad after ad
still airing against our amendment, paid for by taxpayer dollars,
right sponsored by the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration or
the Department of Children and Families. These are agencies that Floridians,
you know, should be able to trust to give them good,
(07:50):
helpful information to provide services, right, and instead they're being
weaponized to mislead folks to put out disinformation about an amendment.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Is just unbelievable, so believable, right, Like it just it
just is so on brand for Ron DeSantis to like
everything with him is a quid pro quo, right, Like
that's what that was. Like, here's some food. Like, I
know that you're devastated, you've lost your home, you've lost everything,
and you're starving, But do me a favor though, right, Like,
(08:23):
I mean, it just echoes of the of the transactional
nature of the entire Trump presidency that we witnessed over
four years. You all have done the work of getting
how many signatures did you need in order to get
(08:43):
this amendment on the ballot, But.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
We surpassed the minimum requirement and we actually were able
to solidify nearly a million verified petition signatures to qualify
for the ballot.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
So you need and how many did you actually need?
It was like seven hundred and so yeah, yeah, a little.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Over seven hundred thousand, and so we got almost a million.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
And DeSantis tried to take you all to court again,
right to say that the signatures that were verified well
over three hundred thousand over what was needed for you
to have that they weren't valid.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Right, that's absolutely right. And it's interesting because the deadline
for all of that, for the approvals process that has
since passed. Right, you know, it's interesting that he is
suing us for a job that his own government did.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Right.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
It's not our job, you know, to go through and
verify every single seaure. That's why the government exists, right
to go through that process, an year long process to
verify every single signature. In fact, we paid the state
over a million dollars to help them do their jobs
and make sure that everything was above board and could qualify.
(09:53):
And then the Supreme Court, which is packed with the
Santus appointees, said that our amendment is valid enough to
be on the ballot. Right, they approved it. So they've
had multiple and by by they, the government, politicians ron whoever,
have had multiple opportunities to say, you know, hey, we
can't have amendment for but we've managed to pass every
(10:16):
hurdle and and we're qualified. The language is sound, it
has you know, legal precedent with you know, the definitions,
the terms that are used, and so there's nothing wrong
with this amendment. Floridians want it. They overwhelmingly support abortion access.
And so now he's desperate, and he's handing out plates
of food and begging people to to do something about
(10:37):
amendment for and and he's not able to fundraise, and
so what's happening. He's you know, using state tax pay
dollars now to to try to, you know, do something
against our amendment. You know, it's it's been, it's been
an interesting thing to be a part of, to say
the least.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
You know, for those million people that that you know,
you were able to knock on and get these signatures collected.
What is the overall sentiment of folks in Florida that
you've been able to engage with, because I think that
you know, for those of us living outside of the state,
(11:16):
we have a particular view and vision, right like y'all voted,
you know, you know, for rond de Santis, like you
have these Republican representatives that do the state an extraordinary disservice.
But what was once like a toss up right for
the country a purple state, has gone you know, completely read.
(11:40):
And so you know, what is the sentiment from people
inside of Florida about this amendment, but also about Ron
de Santis.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Well, first I would say that, you know, labeling Florida's
completely read isn't correct. You know, back in twenty twenty two,
what we saw was a collapse, a historic collapse in
democratic turnout. So democrats that are here but for whatever reason,
either felt that you know, there was an inevitability to
(12:12):
to you know, a goobernatorial candidate that was the most
well funded in US history winning, you know. So I
think that what people need to understand nationally is that
Florida is a very diverse state in a lot of
different ways. Politically, a lot of folks are now independent,
you know, we have folks, you know, racially, a lot
(12:33):
of differences there. We have three you know, primary languages
that are spoken, and so a lot of for example,
in Spanish language, miss and disinformation. We have jerrymandering. I mean,
we still have you know, a redistricting case that that's
ongoing here in the state of Florida. That's that's cut
Black representation in Congress in half in the state of Florida.
So there are just a lot of different things that
(12:54):
are going on here. And you also have to think
like this is a sort of a Republican party that
is probably one of them most well funded in the country. Right,
I mean, this is sort of like the home of
that and so it's a kind of a day of
It and Goliath.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
It's not really an apples to apples comparison between the
two parties in the state, and so it just requires
that much more work. Florida is also a very expensive state,
and so we can have you know, we can have
a good message right on one side, but if you
don't have the money to actually share that message with
Florida voters, you're not going to do that. And I
think that in the past, you know, for my observations,
(13:29):
I think that Florida, because of how expensive it is,
because of how much work it is, you know, it
becomes strategically defunded because you have to go to other
states that potentially, you know, it's a little bit easier
to get over that mark. So you know, I wonder
about you know, what that means for you know, moving
forward politically as it being a purple state. I did
see you know recently, you know, the presidential campaign talking
(13:53):
about investing in Florida. So you know, I don't know
it's it's happening. But what I can tell you is
that when it comes to abortion specifically, you know, and
healthcare overall, Floridians do not like politicians telling them what
to do. It's really that simple. We saw that with
other healthcare related issues in the state in the past, right,
(14:18):
and I think that it's no different with abortion. You know,
we have you know, had the right to abortion access
for over fifty years until the fall of Row, and
Amendment four is only seeking to restore that access back
to where it was, you know, allowing abortion through viability
and to protect the other's health afterwards. Right. And when
(14:40):
we go around and we talk to Florida voters about this,
because it's beyond just the petition signatures, right, it's also
the you know, nearly sixty million dollars that we've been
able to raise a majority of that from here in
the state. It's the you know, it's the one point
one million voter contact attempts we've made as of today, actually,
and every sort of door knock that we've made. Folks
(15:02):
are first of all shocked in appalled that there's an
abortion ban to begin with, and how extreme and unrelenting,
it is, but then they're also surprised and excited to
find out that there's a way to stop the abortion ban,
and that's the vote. Yes, I'm Amendment four.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I mean, I just think that it is, like, it's
just terrifying when you hear the stories like I know,
the two high profile stories of the women that died
in Georgia that didn't need to the mothers that died
in Georgia because they didn't receive the abortion care that
they needed, and I know that there must be countless
(15:37):
stories inside of Florida. It just is so alarming that
for people to be able to fight to have their
rights restored. Ron DeSantis just does not want people in
Florida to be heard period, right Like he You know,
it's one thing to pass legislation and say that you
(15:59):
have the right to do so you're a governor. Then
to put in these parameters, these obstacles to allow the
voters to actually have their say, and not just in
your election, but like in the access to bodily autonomy,
and then to do every devious thing in the book
in order to deny the people of Florida that opportunity.
(16:23):
What do you think Natasha is going to be. I mean,
obviously you hope for a win, right, and what we've
seen is that when abortion is on the ballot, even
in presumably red states, that it wins. So how are
you feeling, you know, with thirty some odd days to
go until the election, about your chances.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Yeah, I think that everything that you point out is
absolutely right. The idea of not passing this would be
absolutely devastating. It already is devastating for the people that
are the paties that are already directly impacted, like Candy Miller,
you know, in Georgia, with those pre existing health conditions,
like Anya Cook here in the state of Florida, who
under the fifteen week ban lost nearly half the blood
(17:09):
in her body due to a miscarriage because she wasn't
able to get abortion that she needs. You know, I
think that you're spot on in that the government Florida
politicians do not want direct democracy. They do not want
Florida voters to be able to make decisions for themselves.
They want to be the middlemen between us and what
we actually want. And I think that one of the
(17:30):
best illustrators of that is the Citizens' Initiative process with
these amendments to the Constitution in Florida, they raise the
threshold to a sixty percent approval in order for it
to pass. Right, we are the only state that has
to meet that. We are the only state that will
ever have to meet that, because every other state has
done it with fifty percent. I think Colorado this year
(17:52):
is fifty five. You know, this was a bill that
was put forward by the Florida legislature many many years
ago because they didn't like the idea that Floridians were
able to pass with a simple majority whatever policies they wanted.
And so we're thinking about policies like, you know, raising
the minimum wage in the past, policies like restoring the
voting rights of returning citizens, policies that protect the environment.
(18:15):
So you know, it's really interesting to see because you know,
when I used to work in the legislature, I worked
there for a few years as a legislative policy analyst.
I remember the bill being filed every single year to
raise that threshold even higher to sixty six percent. So
this isn't something that they're going to stop chipping away at,
(18:36):
chipping away at direct democracy. I mean, that's just what
happens here in Florida, and so we really only have
this one shot. Imagine if we get close, imagine we
get to fifty nine point five or something, you know what,
I mean, something super close, but don't make it. I
will bet money that next legislative session there will be
a bill that will raise the threshold even higher so
(18:56):
that we can never do this again. And then we're
looking at deck before women and girls in the state
of Florida have access to abortion care like they deserve.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
I mean, I just you know, I commend all of
the things that you have been doing in the state.
You know, it's so sometimes it's so easy for those
of us that are outside of the state. You know,
you've heard people say, well, why don't you just move
right as if moving to a different state, picking up
leaving your family, your loved ones behind is something that
(19:28):
is easy to do or economically feasible for a majority
of people. And so, you know, as we close out today,
I just want to give you an opportunity to tell
folks like what it has been like personally right for
you all to do this kind of work in such
a hostile state, and what it's taken to get to this,
(19:50):
to get to this point, it.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Has been beyond exhausting. It has been probably one of
the most difficult efforts I think any of us at
the campaign has ever had to undergo. As somebody speaking personally,
you know, I really connect with the Georgia woman who
died because of a lack of care, Candy Miller, who
had pre existing conditions. You know, for me living in
(20:15):
the state of Florida, should this ban remain in place,
it could be potentially life threatening as well due to
health concerns, and so you know, you mentioned things like moving. Yes,
that has been a consideration for me personally, right of
can I move? Is it a good idea, you know,
just to be safe? But then, Danielle, where where would
we move to?
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Right?
Speaker 2 (20:36):
There are so many states since the fall of Row
that do not have access to care. We are seeing
these stories of women dying or having to carry the
child of their rapist in so many states, right, victims
of incest, you know, that kind of thing. And so
at a certain point, it's not about us having to move.
It's about the fact that we deserve to live where
(20:56):
we live and have the same rights as every other American.
So we have stopped at nothing We have done anything
in everything that we can at this campaign to ensure success.
That has meant you know, twelve to fifteen hour days,
that has meant working seven days a week. That has
meant when I was fleeing the hurricane and sitting in
my hotel in Alabama, still taking calls and still doing
(21:17):
work and still making sure that you know, the press
release goes out, around the commercials that we're putting out right,
it means like doing anything and everything all the time.
You know, our campaign manager, Lauren Bronzel, who is on
your on your program, you know they have their schedule
is unbelievable. The amount of you know, meetings and places
they are and things they're doing. And you know, our
(21:38):
organizing team is working around the clock. Taylor Aguilera, you
know who's leading that department. You know when she reported
the one point one million contact attempts, that's impressive when
they've started as of ballot qualifying, which was in May.
You know, so I think that you know, the yeah,
we're exhausted, but you know, I think it's it's a
life or death situation and so the energy behind that
(22:01):
is there to give it everything we've got, and I
think that we do have a shot. I think that
you know, Florida voters are smart. They're not going to
fall for you know, the dirty tricks of certain politicians
in our state, of the miss and disinformation campaigns. If
we simply have these conversations with anyone and everyone that
(22:21):
is eligible to vote, which is about thirteen million of
us here in the state, that it's winnable. But it's
just going to take us doing everything we can and
you know, making sure that on the day after election
day none of us has a regret like, well, did
we make every call we could have made, did we
text everybody could have texted? Did we send every postcard
we could have sent?
Speaker 1 (22:40):
You know, well, Natasha, I just you know, I send
you all so much strength and energy as you make
it into the final stretch to November fifth, And I'm
just so grateful for the Yes un for campaign, for
you know, all of the effort, all of the sleeplessness,
(23:04):
you know, nights, and everything that you've endured in order
to get Floridians to this point. So I hope to
have you guys back on when it's all said and done,
and you know, hopefully it will be a victory conversation.
But thank you so much for everything that you've continued
to do. And please tell people how, with the days left,
(23:27):
how they can continue to help.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Yeah, so folks can go to our website, Floridians Protecting
Freedom dot com, or they can go and follow us
on all of the social platforms. Yes for Florida is
the handle. Please if you can talk to your friends, neighbors,
anyone that you know that might have any connection to
Florida and Florida voting, so that folks understand what's at
stake this November. We can either maintain Florida's near total
(23:52):
abortion band with no real exceptions for rape, incest, or
the health of the mother, or we can vote yes
on Amendment four and stop does abortion band once and
for all. I really appreciate the time.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Appreciate you, Thank you so much, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Folks.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
And just a reminder again that I have launched a
brand new show called The Danielle Moody Show over on YouTube.
That is live, Yes, that is right, It is live
five pm Eastern Monday through Thursday. Head over to YouTube
(24:29):
and subscribe. Subscribe subscribe to my channel. Just type in
daniel Moody channel into your YouTube search and there I
will be, and hit subscribe and hit notify so that
you never miss an episode of The Danielle Moody Show.
That is it for me today, Here, dear friends, As always,
(24:51):
Power to the people and to all the people. Power,
get woke and stay woke as fuck.
Good morning, peeps, and welcome to wokep Daily with me
your girl, Danielle Moody recording from the Home Bunker. Folks,
we are getting into the last weeks of the presidential
election and I am filled with so many emotions, as
(00:32):
I'm sure all of you are, and there is just
so much at stake. There is so much at stake,
and I know that you all already know. This today's episode,
I am bringing on Natasha Sutherland, who is a senior
advisor to the Yes on Four campaign, and we've had
folks from Yes on four join us on wok F
(00:55):
Daily before and their entire mission is to return abortion
access and rights to the people of Florida. They have
secured over a million signatures to have this ballot measure
appear on election day in Florida, despite all of the
(01:18):
underhanded tactics that Ron DeSantis has tried to use in
order to disqualify this amendment from being on the ballot,
and the people of Florida having their voices heard. In
this conversation, Natasha talks about, you know how currently while
Florida is dealing with the impact of Hurricane Helene, how
(01:41):
Ron DeSantis has diverted taxpayer dollars that could be going
towards AID in order to fight against abortion access. It's wild, folks,
it's wild that this man is in office and people
voted for him. He's a disgrace to the state of Florida,
(02:02):
and I pray that the people come to their senses soon.
But this is an important conversation because there is still
so much work to do. As I said, you know,
and I've been saying since the beginning, we need to
run through the tape on this. We can leave no
conversation left unsaid. We can leave no rock left unturned,
no money, nothing on the table. I want us to
(02:23):
wake up after the election with no regrets, knowing that
we've done everything that we can do in order to
restore democracy in all fifty states of this country. So
coming up next, my conversation with Natasha Sutherland on Yes
On four Folks. I am very happy to be joined
(02:49):
on WOKF Daily with Natasha Sutherland, who is a senior
advisor to the Yes On For campaign. We have had
folks from Yes On For join us before on this show,
but now coming to us after Hurricane Helene has hit Florida.
(03:10):
Natasha I just want to give you an opportunity to
kind of talk to us about the state of where
you are in Florida right now and how how how
Yes On four is kind of involved in what is
happening as repair efforts and clean up efforts are happening
in Florida.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Yeah, first of all, Danielle, thank you so much for
having us back on your program. It's it's always an
honor to have a wonderful opportunity to talk to your
to your listeners. You know, I was very fortunate, I
am very fortunate to live here in Tallahassee where we
had kind of a near miss with with the hurricane.
But all of the folks to the east of us,
you know, have faced a lot of significant damage, particularly
(03:54):
those that have been hit the hardest with direct hit,
but also folks in other areas of the state that
didn't even see a direct hit from the hurricane, Like
I'm thinking of the Tampa Bay and Saint Pete areas
where they saw and like insane amounts of flooding, you know,
and and and damage. And so you know, really at
our campaign, you know, because we're we're all over the state,
(04:16):
you know, we we pivoted, we adapted to the challenges
that were brought on by the hurricane, you know, and
so instead of just out canvassing like normally, we we
paused our efforts, we paused some of our events to
really support, you know, recovery efforts locally. I'm thinking about
one of our coalition partners, you know, Voices of Southwest Florida,
that immediately they pivoted to to serving meals, you know,
(04:39):
and just making sure that that folks have what they need,
you know, whether that's clean up efforts, whether that's a
hot meal, you know. And so we're we're just doing
everything we can to be a part of those efforts
in all of our different communities in the state.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Can you talk to us about what Ron DeSantis isn't
doing in in the state of Florida right now, which
and I'm certain could probably take us to time, but
but but you know, you talk about the ways in
which you know, and and folks are watching and seeing
the images right on their screens of the devastation that
(05:15):
has been caused in Florida, in the Carolina's you know,
and and throughout the kind of impacted region, and it's
it's extraordinary right, And you would think that the governor
of one of the most impacted states would be focusing
his energy, right and resources on relief. But that's not
(05:38):
what Ron DeSantis is doing, is it.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
No, not really. I mean, you know, we can even
go even further back before all of this to the
fact that he hasn't addressed, you know, the property insurance
crisis in the state of Florida, which is only going
to be exacerbated by this and more, and where people
are not going to be able to secure any insurance
on their homes to cover these kinds of damages, right,
(06:02):
And so that's number one. Number two. He also you know,
directed you know, lawmakers to ensure that we do not
talk about climate change at all in any of our laws.
So just sort of ignoring the root cause of the problem.
But now, you know, he's you know, he's out there,
he's doing his press conferences, but he doesn't miss an
opportunity to seem like he's just basically in campaign mode, right,
(06:25):
taking all kinds of hits on different different things, like
I don't know, he was getting upset about Tesla's or something.
He's just all over the place, right, But then recently,
you know, actually, yesterday one of the local Florida reporters
was talking about how he was handing out plates of food,
and as he was handing out plates of food, he
(06:48):
was asking people to help him with Amendment four. In
other words, saying, I'm going to hand you this plate
of food. Your your destitute, You don't have a place
to eat, probably don't have a home. But hey, if
I give you this food, will you help me defeat
Amendment four? I mean, so you know, then there's that
(07:09):
I mean. And then in the meantime, you know, there's
the weaponization of our state agencies, right, so you know,
redirecting millions and you know, at least thirteen to fifteen
million dollars of taxpayer dollars to purchasing TV ads, which,
mind you, as I was here in Tallahassee watching the
(07:29):
coverage for the hurricane to decide whether or not I
needed to leave my home, I'm seeing ad after ad
still airing against our amendment, paid for by taxpayer dollars,
right sponsored by the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration or
the Department of Children and Families. These are agencies that Floridians,
you know, should be able to trust to give them good,
(07:50):
helpful information to provide services, right, and instead they're being
weaponized to mislead folks to put out disinformation about an amendment.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Is just unbelievable, so believable, right, Like it just it
just is so on brand for Ron DeSantis to like
everything with him is a quid pro quo, right, Like
that's what that was. Like, here's some food. Like, I
know that you're devastated, you've lost your home, you've lost everything,
and you're starving, But do me a favor though, right, Like,
(08:23):
I mean, it just echoes of the of the transactional
nature of the entire Trump presidency that we witnessed over
four years. You all have done the work of getting
how many signatures did you need in order to get
(08:43):
this amendment on the ballot, But.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
We surpassed the minimum requirement and we actually were able
to solidify nearly a million verified petition signatures to qualify
for the ballot.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
So you need and how many did you actually need?
It was like seven hundred and so yeah, yeah, a little.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Over seven hundred thousand, and so we got almost a million.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
And DeSantis tried to take you all to court again,
right to say that the signatures that were verified well
over three hundred thousand over what was needed for you
to have that they weren't valid.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Right, that's absolutely right. And it's interesting because the deadline
for all of that, for the approvals process that has
since passed. Right, you know, it's interesting that he is
suing us for a job that his own government did.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Right.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
It's not our job, you know, to go through and
verify every single seaure. That's why the government exists, right
to go through that process, an year long process to
verify every single signature. In fact, we paid the state
over a million dollars to help them do their jobs
and make sure that everything was above board and could qualify.
(09:53):
And then the Supreme Court, which is packed with the
Santus appointees, said that our amendment is valid enough to
be on the ballot. Right, they approved it. So they've
had multiple and by by they, the government, politicians ron whoever,
have had multiple opportunities to say, you know, hey, we
can't have amendment for but we've managed to pass every
(10:16):
hurdle and and we're qualified. The language is sound, it
has you know, legal precedent with you know, the definitions,
the terms that are used, and so there's nothing wrong
with this amendment. Floridians want it. They overwhelmingly support abortion access.
And so now he's desperate, and he's handing out plates
of food and begging people to to do something about
(10:37):
amendment for and and he's not able to fundraise, and
so what's happening. He's you know, using state tax pay
dollars now to to try to, you know, do something
against our amendment. You know, it's it's been, it's been
an interesting thing to be a part of, to say
the least.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
You know, for those million people that that you know,
you were able to knock on and get these signatures collected.
What is the overall sentiment of folks in Florida that
you've been able to engage with, because I think that
you know, for those of us living outside of the state,
(11:16):
we have a particular view and vision, right like y'all voted,
you know, you know, for rond de Santis, like you
have these Republican representatives that do the state an extraordinary disservice.
But what was once like a toss up right for
the country a purple state, has gone you know, completely read.
(11:40):
And so you know, what is the sentiment from people
inside of Florida about this amendment, but also about Ron
de Santis.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Well, first I would say that, you know, labeling Florida's
completely read isn't correct. You know, back in twenty twenty two,
what we saw was a collapse, a historic collapse in
democratic turnout. So democrats that are here but for whatever reason,
either felt that you know, there was an inevitability to
(12:12):
to you know, a goobernatorial candidate that was the most
well funded in US history winning, you know. So I
think that what people need to understand nationally is that
Florida is a very diverse state in a lot of
different ways. Politically, a lot of folks are now independent,
you know, we have folks, you know, racially, a lot
(12:33):
of differences there. We have three you know, primary languages
that are spoken, and so a lot of for example,
in Spanish language, miss and disinformation. We have jerrymandering. I mean,
we still have you know, a redistricting case that that's
ongoing here in the state of Florida. That's that's cut
Black representation in Congress in half in the state of Florida.
So there are just a lot of different things that
(12:54):
are going on here. And you also have to think
like this is a sort of a Republican party that
is probably one of them most well funded in the country. Right,
I mean, this is sort of like the home of
that and so it's a kind of a day of
It and Goliath.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
It's not really an apples to apples comparison between the
two parties in the state, and so it just requires
that much more work. Florida is also a very expensive state,
and so we can have you know, we can have
a good message right on one side, but if you
don't have the money to actually share that message with
Florida voters, you're not going to do that. And I
think that in the past, you know, for my observations,
(13:29):
I think that Florida, because of how expensive it is,
because of how much work it is, you know, it
becomes strategically defunded because you have to go to other
states that potentially, you know, it's a little bit easier
to get over that mark. So you know, I wonder
about you know, what that means for you know, moving
forward politically as it being a purple state. I did
see you know recently, you know, the presidential campaign talking
(13:53):
about investing in Florida. So you know, I don't know
it's it's happening. But what I can tell you is
that when it comes to abortion specifically, you know, and
healthcare overall, Floridians do not like politicians telling them what
to do. It's really that simple. We saw that with
other healthcare related issues in the state in the past, right,
(14:18):
and I think that it's no different with abortion. You know,
we have you know, had the right to abortion access
for over fifty years until the fall of Row, and
Amendment four is only seeking to restore that access back
to where it was, you know, allowing abortion through viability
and to protect the other's health afterwards. Right. And when
(14:40):
we go around and we talk to Florida voters about this,
because it's beyond just the petition signatures, right, it's also
the you know, nearly sixty million dollars that we've been
able to raise a majority of that from here in
the state. It's the you know, it's the one point
one million voter contact attempts we've made as of today, actually,
and every sort of door knock that we've made. Folks
(15:02):
are first of all shocked in appalled that there's an
abortion ban to begin with, and how extreme and unrelenting,
it is, but then they're also surprised and excited to
find out that there's a way to stop the abortion ban,
and that's the vote. Yes, I'm Amendment four.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I mean, I just think that it is, like, it's
just terrifying when you hear the stories like I know,
the two high profile stories of the women that died
in Georgia that didn't need to the mothers that died
in Georgia because they didn't receive the abortion care that
they needed, and I know that there must be countless
(15:37):
stories inside of Florida. It just is so alarming that
for people to be able to fight to have their
rights restored. Ron DeSantis just does not want people in
Florida to be heard period, right Like he You know,
it's one thing to pass legislation and say that you
(15:59):
have the right to do so you're a governor. Then
to put in these parameters, these obstacles to allow the
voters to actually have their say, and not just in
your election, but like in the access to bodily autonomy,
and then to do every devious thing in the book
in order to deny the people of Florida that opportunity.
(16:23):
What do you think Natasha is going to be. I mean,
obviously you hope for a win, right, and what we've
seen is that when abortion is on the ballot, even
in presumably red states, that it wins. So how are
you feeling, you know, with thirty some odd days to
go until the election, about your chances.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Yeah, I think that everything that you point out is
absolutely right. The idea of not passing this would be
absolutely devastating. It already is devastating for the people that
are the paties that are already directly impacted, like Candy Miller,
you know, in Georgia, with those pre existing health conditions,
like Anya Cook here in the state of Florida, who
under the fifteen week ban lost nearly half the blood
(17:09):
in her body due to a miscarriage because she wasn't
able to get abortion that she needs. You know, I
think that you're spot on in that the government Florida
politicians do not want direct democracy. They do not want
Florida voters to be able to make decisions for themselves.
They want to be the middlemen between us and what
we actually want. And I think that one of the
(17:30):
best illustrators of that is the Citizens' Initiative process with
these amendments to the Constitution in Florida, they raise the
threshold to a sixty percent approval in order for it
to pass. Right, we are the only state that has
to meet that. We are the only state that will
ever have to meet that, because every other state has
done it with fifty percent. I think Colorado this year
(17:52):
is fifty five. You know, this was a bill that
was put forward by the Florida legislature many many years
ago because they didn't like the idea that Floridians were
able to pass with a simple majority whatever policies they wanted.
And so we're thinking about policies like, you know, raising
the minimum wage in the past, policies like restoring the
voting rights of returning citizens, policies that protect the environment.
(18:15):
So you know, it's really interesting to see because you know,
when I used to work in the legislature, I worked
there for a few years as a legislative policy analyst.
I remember the bill being filed every single year to
raise that threshold even higher to sixty six percent. So
this isn't something that they're going to stop chipping away at,
(18:36):
chipping away at direct democracy. I mean, that's just what
happens here in Florida, and so we really only have
this one shot. Imagine if we get close, imagine we
get to fifty nine point five or something, you know what,
I mean, something super close, but don't make it. I
will bet money that next legislative session there will be
a bill that will raise the threshold even higher so
(18:56):
that we can never do this again. And then we're
looking at deck before women and girls in the state
of Florida have access to abortion care like they deserve.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
I mean, I just you know, I commend all of
the things that you have been doing in the state.
You know, it's so sometimes it's so easy for those
of us that are outside of the state. You know,
you've heard people say, well, why don't you just move
right as if moving to a different state, picking up
leaving your family, your loved ones behind is something that
(19:28):
is easy to do or economically feasible for a majority
of people. And so, you know, as we close out today,
I just want to give you an opportunity to tell
folks like what it has been like personally right for
you all to do this kind of work in such
a hostile state, and what it's taken to get to this,
(19:50):
to get to this point, it.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Has been beyond exhausting. It has been probably one of
the most difficult efforts I think any of us at
the campaign has ever had to undergo. As somebody speaking personally,
you know, I really connect with the Georgia woman who
died because of a lack of care, Candy Miller, who
had pre existing conditions. You know, for me living in
(20:15):
the state of Florida, should this ban remain in place,
it could be potentially life threatening as well due to
health concerns, and so you know, you mentioned things like moving. Yes,
that has been a consideration for me personally, right of
can I move? Is it a good idea, you know,
just to be safe? But then, Danielle, where where would
we move to?
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Right?
Speaker 2 (20:36):
There are so many states since the fall of Row
that do not have access to care. We are seeing
these stories of women dying or having to carry the
child of their rapist in so many states, right, victims
of incest, you know, that kind of thing. And so
at a certain point, it's not about us having to move.
It's about the fact that we deserve to live where
(20:56):
we live and have the same rights as every other American.
So we have stopped at nothing We have done anything
in everything that we can at this campaign to ensure success.
That has meant you know, twelve to fifteen hour days,
that has meant working seven days a week. That has
meant when I was fleeing the hurricane and sitting in
my hotel in Alabama, still taking calls and still doing
(21:17):
work and still making sure that you know, the press
release goes out, around the commercials that we're putting out right,
it means like doing anything and everything all the time.
You know, our campaign manager, Lauren Bronzel, who is on
your on your program, you know they have their schedule
is unbelievable. The amount of you know, meetings and places
they are and things they're doing. And you know, our
(21:38):
organizing team is working around the clock. Taylor Aguilera, you
know who's leading that department. You know when she reported
the one point one million contact attempts, that's impressive when
they've started as of ballot qualifying, which was in May.
You know, so I think that you know, the yeah,
we're exhausted, but you know, I think it's it's a
life or death situation and so the energy behind that
(22:01):
is there to give it everything we've got, and I
think that we do have a shot. I think that
you know, Florida voters are smart. They're not going to
fall for you know, the dirty tricks of certain politicians
in our state, of the miss and disinformation campaigns. If
we simply have these conversations with anyone and everyone that
(22:21):
is eligible to vote, which is about thirteen million of
us here in the state, that it's winnable. But it's
just going to take us doing everything we can and
you know, making sure that on the day after election
day none of us has a regret like, well, did
we make every call we could have made, did we
text everybody could have texted? Did we send every postcard
we could have sent?
Speaker 1 (22:40):
You know, well, Natasha, I just you know, I send
you all so much strength and energy as you make
it into the final stretch to November fifth, And I'm
just so grateful for the Yes un for campaign, for
you know, all of the effort, all of the sleeplessness,
(23:04):
you know, nights, and everything that you've endured in order
to get Floridians to this point. So I hope to
have you guys back on when it's all said and done,
and you know, hopefully it will be a victory conversation.
But thank you so much for everything that you've continued
to do. And please tell people how, with the days left,
(23:27):
how they can continue to help.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Yeah, so folks can go to our website, Floridians Protecting
Freedom dot com, or they can go and follow us
on all of the social platforms. Yes for Florida is
the handle. Please if you can talk to your friends, neighbors,
anyone that you know that might have any connection to
Florida and Florida voting, so that folks understand what's at
stake this November. We can either maintain Florida's near total
(23:52):
abortion band with no real exceptions for rape, incest, or
the health of the mother, or we can vote yes
on Amendment four and stop does abortion band once and
for all. I really appreciate the time.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Appreciate you, Thank you so much, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Folks.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
And just a reminder again that I have launched a
brand new show called The Danielle Moody Show over on YouTube.
That is live, Yes, that is right, It is live
five pm Eastern Monday through Thursday. Head over to YouTube
(24:29):
and subscribe. Subscribe subscribe to my channel. Just type in
daniel Moody channel into your YouTube search and there I
will be, and hit subscribe and hit notify so that
you never miss an episode of The Danielle Moody Show.
That is it for me today, Here, dear friends, As always,
(24:51):
Power to the people and to all the people. Power,
get woke and stay woke as fuck.
Host
Danielle Moodie
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