Hi, I'm Molly John Fast and this is Fast Politics, where we discussed the top political headlines with some of today's best minds. We're on vacation this week, but that doesn't mean we don't have an amazing show for you. Today, Florida House Representative Anna Eskimani talks to us about the realities of living in desantiss Fascist, Florida. But first we have Ken Martin, the chairperson of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party. Welcome to Fast Politics, Ken.
Thanks so much for having me. I'm glad to be here.
We're delighted to have you. Tell us a little bit about what your title is, what you do, and how you got this job.
Well, my day job, so to speak, is as the chair of the Minnesota DFL, which I've served in for the last thirteen years. I also serve as the president of the Association of State Democratic Committees, which I've served in since twenty seventeen, as well as a vice chair of the Democrat National Committee.
You know, I'll tell you in terms of the day job.
My paying job as chair of the DFL thirteen years ago after helping to elect Governor Dayton as he's handing out great jobs in the administration. He asked me to come over and be party chair. My first response was, held, I.
Want a job.
You know, no one really aspires to these types of positions. In fact, I'd spent most of my career working on campaigns, running presidential campaigns here Minnesota to US Senate, gubernatorial, congressional.
Et cetera.
And you know, again, never thought about coming over to do this important work. But Governor Dateon asked me to do it. I said, hell no. I went back to my wife at the time, who's still my wife, I should say. I went back to her and she said, look, you just told the incoming governor. Know you better to get back and tell him. Yes, I will tell you.
You know.
I immediately came in and started to build out a ten year plan right, a sense.
Of what we needed to do to rebuild.
And I never thought I'd still be here after those ten years, or even up to those ten years. I thought it was going to be a quick sort of two year gig. And here I am, I'm still doing this.
You are still doing this, but you're doing it quite well. And I mean we have had other state party chairs on from Wisconsin.
We love ben Ricklair. Yes, the words, Yeah.
The best. So I was curious. This seems like, or at least we're hoping, this is sort of a new generation of state chairs who really understand the stakes. Yeah.
Well, I think every state party understands the stakes and have for years. The reality what we're seeing now is people within the ecosystem understand the importance of state parties and.
That hasn't been there in some time.
And the reality is is state parties are probably one of the most important pieces of the infrastructure that is also, at the same time one of the most forgotten and underfunded and under resourced. And the fact of the matter is this is, you know, when you think about the democratic ecosystem, state parties are the one entity, or one of the few entities that's really focused on building long lasting,
endurable political infrastructure. Most of the committees, and one of my complaints about the committees in DC is that they are myopically focused on just this upcoming election. And that's true of the DNC as well, and I will say that, you know, that's been to their own detriment in peril just focusing on this upcoming election. You know, Wayne Gretzky a famous hockey player.
And I may not know a lot about sports, but I do know who Wayne Gretzky is.
There you go well as a Minnesota and I have to use some sort of hockey analogy here, But what you know, he said famously once is that you have to skate to where the puck will be, and not where the puck is.
And that's really what state parties have to do.
We have to have an eye not only on this upcoming election cycle but future election cycles, but really are superpower within the ecosystem. And the one thing we do that no one else can do is that we are uniquely situated to raise both soft dollars and hard dollars, co mingle those together and coordinate directly with our candidates and build campaigns around that. And there's no other entity for pack, no national committee, no independent expenditure group that
can do what state parties can do. And so I think folks are starting to realize now that you know, in the past where they would steal from Peter to pay Paul, that they can't do that anymore.
They have to do both.
They have to make sure that the candidate campaigns are independent and expenditure groups and state parties are well funded and equally funded so we can win.
So what does that look like.
Well, I think there's a lot of different ways that looks. And let me be very clear, there's no one way to run a state party. Every state is uniquely different with different set of a sort of cultural electoral expectations. The reality is is every state has unique challenges and opportunities. But what I would say is, you know, clearly the Minnesota DFL is probably, if not one of the strongest
state parties, the strongest state party in the nation. And people look to this as a model, including Ben Wickler, who spent a lot of time over here before he was elected, learning from what we've been able to.
Do successfully here in this state.
And so you know, for us, it is an understanding that you know, it's a three legged stool. You need well funded and good candidate campaigns. You need a very robust, well developed and thought out independent expenditure side of the equation, and then you need a strong state party, which is by the way, when Governor Dayton asked me to come and do this, why I decided to do it because we didn't have a strong party went into that twenty ten election cycle. And so since I've been elected, we
haven't lost a state wide election. We've won two triflectors. You know, we've won a lot more than we've lost. And we've built a permanent and durable infrastructure that are candidates and progressive organizations on the ground here rely on.
And that's ultimately, I think what we need every state party to be doing, which is to build an organization that serves as a center of gravity within each of their states of driving electoral strategy and providing value and service to all of our progressive partners and stakeholders in each of our states.
And we're certainly doing that here.
I've been very grateful to be able to do this work and to build it the way we have. But again, you know, it's not possible in every state, but it needs to be.
Some of the stuff you're doing is pretty amazing in the state. Can you explain to us about some of the more progressive stuff that's happening in Minnesota.
Well, there's a lot.
And look, there's been no state in the country that's used the power that they had in this last legislative session to pass an agena that's working for their state like Minnesota has and you know, I would say this one of the things that I was most disappointed and ten years ago on the last trifecta, was that there was so much that was left on the cutting room floor.
Right, my older agent politics.
Now and someone who's been doing this since the early nineties when I started with Paul Wellstoney, is that you know, this really isn't about candidates. It's not even frankly about our party anymore. It's about our values. Issues we care deeply about. Those are on the ballot every single Psycleary election.
And what has been disappointing to me over the years is when we work our tails off to get people elected office in our party and then of course tho so books disappoint you because they're moving so slowly and not using the power that they have when they have it to make the biggest difference they can. And you know, shortly after the election in November or this past November, I sat down with the legislative leaders and the governor and all of us agree that there's been such a pent.
Up demand for action in this state. We were one of the.
Few divided legislatures in the nation, as you remember, and there was such a pent up demand to actually break through a lot of the gridlock that the Republicans created and get something done, and that we had to I wouldn't even say throw caution to the wind, but we had to move. We had to use the power we had, and we had to be bold about that. And that's what our elected officials did. I mean, I want you
to think about this. We passd the Paid Family in Medical Leave Bill, which is the largest paid family in medical leave in the nation, twenty weeks of paid leave.
We have the largest child tax credit in the nation right now, which will cut childhood poverty by a third in our state, Free college for low income families, free school meals for all Minnesota children, three billion dollars worth of tax cuts for working families and low wealth communities, the largest investment ever in our school system over four billion dollars over the next four years. Got significant gun violence prevention measures that passed.
We codified abortion.
Right, transgender rights.
Protection, carbon free energy by twenty forty.
Driver's license for undocumented, restoration of voting rights.
That's right.
I mean, you know, we made Juneteenth the state holiday. We banned conversion therapy. We've legalized adult use cannabis. I mean, you can go down the list of things that were accomplished here, automatic voter registration.
There's so much that was done right.
One billion dollar investment, affordable has in.
That's right.
It's funny you're listing some of these because in some ways a governor and I were just sort of laughing the other day because you oftentimes forget all the things we did. Open scale of it is just tremendous. And really what drove that, to be honest with you, was a not only an alignment amongst our legislative leaders and our rank and file legislators, but frankly, this again, this notion that power is fleeting and if we don't now in new years, we could be out of power and
have missed the opportunity. And I don't say this in a cavalier way, but sometimes if you lose, you still win. And that's something I said, which is if we lose because we passed all this legislation, which by the way, I don't think we will, but if we lose, we still win because generations of Minnesota's are going to feel the positive impacts of this legislation for years to come.
In should you be talking to National Democrats.
I do all the time. I'm a vice nial the DNC.
So you know, we're in June July, which are the peak. You know, will have just finished all of these insane Supreme Court decisions, many of which were not as insane as they could have been, but still quite out of what everybody seems to want it? Does hearing you say this teams really relevant, especially because there's such anxiety about Democrats messing with the courts.
Yeah, well, let me just say this.
I mean, you know, clearly I would say President Biden and Vice President Harris also have taken the same sort of zeal to their work. Right, There's been no president president who's done more in their first two and a half years in terms of legislation and significant legislation passing and improve people's lives and than Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
So I think Americans overall are just frustrated with inauthentic politicians who promised them the world and then get into office and don't do anything to really push to deliver on that.
Right.
And you know, I'm often reminded of my friend and mentor Paul Wellstone, who people Minnesota didn't agree with him on every issue, but one of the reasons they supported him is because he always stood up and fought for what he believed in. Right, even when they disagreed with them on those issues, they gave him the benefit of the doubt because they knew that he believed in what he was doing and he was willing to fight for it.
And that's what people are starting to see with the Democratic Party again, right president and vice president who are standing up and willing to fight for what they believe in. And here in Minnesota a governor and our legislative leaders and others who are willing to stand up and fight and use the power they have to actually help make
a difference in communities throughout this state. I think in the end that's so not only the right thing to do right, it's always the right time to do the right thing, but it's also politically the right thing to do. I think we will win because we're actually making a difference in people's lives.
So I want to ask you about this carbon free electrical grid. Hottest summer ever. It's June, and Texas and Florida are both experiencing the beginning of a malaria outbreak. Hopefully the end too, but we are having malaria in this country for the first time and whatever long time and or maybe ever. I'm not a malaria historian, but obviously there's that there's this extreme heat wave, we've got fires. You know, we can't go for walks outside I live
in New York because of the air quality. So talk to me a little bit about this carbon free electric grid by twenty forty. How does that work?
Well, it's really important because what you're referencing there are all symptoms of the problem we have in this world right now, which is we have had such a negligence to pollution into greenhouse gas and to climate change and aversion to actually addressing this the right way that you know, we're seeing many parts of this country becoming uninhabitable right in many parts of the world, and so there is an urgency of now, right at this moment, that we
actually address this, and that requires every state to do their part right. And when I'm proud about Minnesota is that, you know, we put forward this proposal to have all of our public utilities be carbon free by twenty forty and we're well on our way to doing that.
This comes on the heels of Governor Walls.
Last year signing one of the largest electric vehicle requirements in the country. You know, Minnesota, of course is a climate refuge place as well, because we don't have the type of extreme weathers. Albeit our winters are pretty extreme, but we don't know the type of extreme weather patterns that other parts of the nation are having. But that doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility to be leaders on clean energy and making sure we're doing our part
to address climate change in this world. And so Governor Walls, our legislative leaders made it a priority to once again lead. And you know, one thing that folks are referring to this legislative agenda Minnesota as as a Minnesota miurclob part two right and part one was really in the fifty years ago, in the early seventies, Minnesota was really leading the way on so many quality life pieces, really leading
the way in terms of progressive policy. And now once again, I would say, based on the last two legislative sessions here in Minnesota, Minnesota once again is a national leader on so many different issues, including on addressed and climate change in this world.
Why do you think Minnesota I mean, I live in a blue state of New York State. We don't have these kind of progressive things past. I'm a Democratic senators, democratic governor, Democratic mayor. Why do you have that? And I don't.
Well, I think there's a couple of pieces here. One is I think culturally Minnesota. You know, we have a lot of Scandinavians, We have a lot of folks from Eastern European countries who came over here in their late eighteen hundreds to mine in northern Minnesota.
It's a very progressive state. It always has been.
Even the Republican Party here over the years, not in recent years, but over the years was fairly independent and progressive. And so culturally, I think that's one thing that contributes to Minnesota being a state that's led on these issues. Right, we believe in government. We always have the highest voter turnout in the nation. Right, people participate in our civically
engaged and so you start with the cultural peace. I think the second piece is and I was just talking to someone about this, because you do have long standing blue states like New York and Illinois and California as examples, who I think because they have baked in try effect as and maked in power. It's created a reverse effect of people not feeling an urgency of moving.
Quickly to address these issues.
And so, you know, in some ways, you know in New York, people just believe, look, we can take this up at some other point. Why do we need to ruffle people's feathers now? Why don't we take a more incremental approach on this? And that's fine. You know, our government was set up to take an incremental approach, right, that's the founders of this country structured it in such a way that you want a deliberative thought, you know.
But what I would say is sometimes that sort of mentality allows gridlock to set in even in states where you have pretty well established democratic control. And I don't sense a type of urgency in a state like California or New York or Illinois like you do in a state like Minnesota.
California has done a lot of really progressive stuff. Yes, and Illinois also that governor is pretty like I would say New York that we are actually sort of the least well off in that crew. And remember our state lost Democrats the House this election cycle.
Yeah, I think there's a larger point about New York that is definitely distinct and unique from Illinois and California. Part of it is the role and function of the party there, right, And I've talked a lot.
About this day and Jay Jacob should resign. I'm sorry I can say that because I'm an opinion writer.
Yeah, Here's what I would say, which is true, is that for years the Democratic Party in New York has been run out of the Capitol.
In Albany, and it's been sort of fake liberal. I'm going to say that.
No, I'm not going to say, But what I would say is this is that the party has been somewhat of the state. Party has been somewhat of a instead of being a center of driving electoral strategy, right, it's really beat on the sidelines trying to peek in, and so you don't have a statewide operation as a Resultually, one of the reasons you have a very strong Working Family Party and others is because that party, instead of bringing people in, has pushed people out right to try.
To hold on to power.
And you know, when you look at the DFL makes us unique is that the nature of the DFL, the Democratic Farmer Labor Party, right, we are a coalition party, and we believe that you win through addition, not through subtraction. And when you create a tent that's big enough for everyone's voice, guess what, you don't have people from the outside trying to take you on and challenge you. You have a zeal of working together. We are a very
big tent in our state. I've got ilhan Omar in the fifth district, and i had Colin Peterson, one of the most conservative Democrats in the district over right.
It's a very diverse and unique state.
But one of the things we do here is we play well together because we realize this is about building power around the issues we care about, and to do that, we have to be smart and strategic, and most importantly, we have to work together.
What you're saying is this is all Andrew Cuomo's fault.
I am not saying that.
What I am say saying is is that the party there, there's there's great upside and an opportunity right for the party to play that role.
They would have to actually do it right.
And some of the elected officials there don't want the party to have that much power or to be that central to the operations because they want to control it, and you know I don't.
I don't blame j Jacobs or anyone necessarily.
But you should, though I will say culturally, something's got to change there because it's not working.
Thank you so much, So Minnesota nice and I'm just New York in trying to get you to be New York mean, we're working on it. Thank you. And Eskamani is a member of the Florida House of Representatives. Welcome to Fast Politics, Anna.
Thanks so much for having me. It's good to be here.
Explain to our listeners who you are and what you do well.
My name is Representative Ana Viskamani.
I'm a State House rep here in the Sunshine State in Florida, and today I feel like the line between freedom and fastistom in our state as we've seen erosion of our democracy and laws that have stripped away our bodily autonomy and individual freedoms. But I'm border raised in Orlando and grew up as a daughter of working class immigrants. I went to public schools and University of Central Florida.
I have a background and not just community organizing, but I actually worked at Planned Parenthood of Southwest Central Florida for six years. Before I ran for office. I was a planned parented patient before that. And when I made the decision to run for office as a first time candidate, I was a part of that wave of women running at twenty eighteen, and I flipped my seat from Republican to Democrat.
Who've kept it that way since.
So your state has been sort of like used by your governor as a kind of testing ground for all. He's sort of pansased your state past all the conservative legislation he can in order to try to run to the right of Is your state going to have a Kansas like backlash? Are you seeing that or are people unhappy with it? Or are they delighted with fascism?
Well, to echo your point, you know, Florida has been grad zero for a lot of fascism, and I'm sure folks have seen the images of Nazis outside Walt Disney World and just the rise in homophobia and trisphobia. But I will say that overwhelmingly the people of Florida do not like the direction that our state is going. It's not even just on social issues, it's also on the
economic issues. I mean, we have a foble housing crisis here in this state, We've seen homelessess increase dramatically, especially in our cities.
We have property insurance crisis where folks can't afford.
Their homes, are losing their loans because they can't afford the proper insurance rates. And of course, on top of all of that, you know, we don't see mitigation when it comes to the effects of climate change, that it comes to the exodus of educators from our schools, and so so we're starting to see, you know, more and more a political people get involved, and especially more moderate Republican voters express opposition to Destantus, especially as it pertains
to corporate decision making. His attacks of what Disney Worlds have really turned off a lot of people.
I mean, Disney's one of the most popular brands in this state.
The happiest place on Earth right and one of the largest employers correct.
And I'm someone who definitely challenges corporations, especially context of corporate greed. Like I don't raise money for corporations. I want to see corporations pay their taxes. But even I know that it's foolish to demonize and belittle and attack a company like Walt Disney World. It just does not make sense. So there are backlashes. Now, will that translate
to electorate wis? That's my goal, right, I need to make sure this energy is sustained, that people ren to themselves to vote, that young people are engaged in the process, and that we see a shift in the electorate when
it comes to voting. Because if we can't translate the energy in that direction, then we are going to be stuck with the SaaS quo, which at this point is a super majority Republican legislature that has no spine and advocates their responsibilities to the governor, who then uses the state for his bully pulpit to appeal to an extreme base of conservative voters in other states.
And that is why Florida is where it is today.
I'm committed to shifting that direction and getting us to a place of collective prosperity.
Let's talk about abortion. Your state had a pretty it was restrictive, but not insanely restrictive. Desantus went in and change that. Can you talk to us about that?
Yeah, you got it.
I mean Florida was an outlier in the South because we have a strong right privacy in our state constitution that's been there around nineteen eighty that voters approved in a bipartisan way, and then nineteen eighty nine a Spring Court case in Florida deed that right to privacy apply to abortion rights. So with that president, we were able to fight back against a nonslaught of anti abortion policies
over the years. But of course, with the Kotas decision overruling Row and the ripple effect across the country has come to Florida. So our legislature has since banned abortion six weeks. That abortion ban is not effect yet because it's privy on ligation impacting the previous fifteen week abortion ban. And of course we are very concerned that due to the Spring Core United States overruling president, that our say Supreme Court will do the same, especially since they're now
majority appointed by Descantus. With that said, we are on the path of codifying abortion rights and our state constitution. We can't wait for the courts to save us. We sorely can't wait for legislature to change. So we are taking this battle or astly to the voters this coming November in twenty twenty four.
What does that look like? Taking the vote to the voters in twenty four.
It's a huge grassrooms operation.
We need to collect upwards of one point three million signatures and of course go through approval of the Florida.
State Supreme Court.
They have to look at your language and approve it to go to print, which is always an uncertain process. But we have already collected enough petitions to start that process. We've actually collected this point close to two hundred and fifty thousand petitions.
And keep in mind this campaign.
Only went live on May eighth, so we're doing incredibly well with huge momentum. But it's also going to cost us money, millions of dollars, not only in collecting the petitions, but then in leading a persuasive campaign to get voters to vote yes, because we have to actually reach sixty percent threshold for this to happen. Fifty percent will not be enough, and of course the legislators try to change that the sixty six percent.
Of course, Republicans not so big democracy, Yes, yeah.
I guess not.
You know, from insurrection to you a voter suppression to make changing the goalpost.
Yeah, that is a cut of theme for us in Florida too.
With that said, though, we're excited for something proactive only because you know, as you've seen, especially the context of Florida the South in general, so many of our fights are defensive, right, we're fighting back against something or responding to something. This is the first time in a lot of time. Well, we're giving our community something to fight for, not again. So we're really excited about that and our full speed ahead and trying to make this a reality exactly.
Think about this twenty twenty election where Ron DeSantis, he has advertised that he swept the electorate, he killed it, so to speak. But a lot of people think, including myself, that what really happened was the Democratic Party the wheels kind of came off in Florida. So can you explain to us what that looked like and why this Desanta's victory is is really not actually what he's pretending it.
Is, absolutely Well, the first thing you have to realize is just the huge disparity among infrastructure and among resources. But as you noted, there really is no Democratic Party. I mean, we are the process of rebuilding, but as of the twenty twenty two cycle, no Democratic Party whatsoever. I mean, I look at you know, my district, of my neighborhoods, I mean, the only Democrats out there were part of my team, right, and of course actual process
team during the primary. But really was I kind of a fend for your self environment, which is why you know, as a state house candidate, like I raised the funds, I run the campaign, we do the field, we do everything ourselves. And we saw an eleven percent greater turnout in my district compared to the rest of Orange Kint Florida because of the work and what do we put into it. But that was the case across the state
of Florida. Across the state of Florida, you saw all of these hot Democratic voters, voters who typically vote during election seasons not come out.
Right.
You also heard folks say, well, the only as I see are DeSantis ads, Like where all the Democrats?
And the answer is there's no money, right, and candidly the.
Funding deficit, I should say, the spending deficit.
Right, it's not even funding.
How much money was spent between the Republican Party and their political arms compared to the same infrastructure of Democrats was upwards of two hundred fifty million dollars. So in a state the size of Florida, if you have a spending deficit between you and your opponent two hundred fifty million dollars.
There's just no competition, right.
I also want to make sure folks know that if you were in Florida seeing the ads, DeSantis was never campaigning on banning abortion. He never campaigned on his most extreme policies. I mean, his ads were about his military background. He was taking credit for the diaper tax break, which is a Democratic bill, by the way, that's my bill.
But he never.
Campaigned on those extreme positions because he knows that's not popular if that's what you lead on. Right, So of course we should take responsibility for police losses, right. I mean, it is the lack of democratic infrastructure, which is ten twenty years in the making of why we're in this current situation. But I'm very hoping for the future and especially just seeing the activation where everyday people we need good leaders to plug the energy into constructive steps, and
that's what I do every single day. But we definitely are trying to scale that up so other people can do the same.
So you have a new head of the Democratic Party in Florida, Niki Freed. I think of like twenty twenty as a time when Florida Democrats, they made some bad choices, right. The winner of the primary was a guy who had run as a Republican, Charlie Chris, who lost, and Nicki Freed was right there, you know. But it seems in my mind like putting Nicki Freed in charge of the party in Florida was a good move.
I mean, I will say it was pretty contentious is that election in general, because we had some really strong options, which is a good problem to have, right. But I'm hopeful not just with Cherylwin Freed, but also then our new executive director. He actually comes from the Trial christ campaign, because there are a lot of political spaces and he's a really smart young man, and so I'm hopeful too
with that kind of combination. We can't move on from like past tensions right in the state of Florida among Democratic spaces. But I will say, like our biggest challenge, candidly art consultants. We have been a state that is so reliant on the consultant culture. Somebody's consultants they work for the other side, right, I mean, you just you have to be really thoughtful and who your vendors are and do a competitive process, not just pick your friends.
And we've had a huge problem in Florida of the same consultants getting the same contracts and not winning. But they win because they get paid, right, and we just we contract out. And of course, you know when you're talking to vendors, their specialties usually communications, not field. There's also been this emphasis on ads or media and nothing
on field. And if we're just not on the ground talking to voters, building relationships, regi people to vote, helping them come out to town halls and direct actions and you know, and helping them with their lives, like helping address their economic challenges. Right, if we're not doing that all the time, then we're not going to win. Because
the Republican Party is doing that. They have so many all the time, like they're hosting a kid you not citizenship trainings and small business workshops like I mean, it's so insidious, right because they're popping up in places without wearing the GOP label, if you will.
But that's their angle, right.
And at the same time, we have had this farsation with so many my local Democratic Party folks and you know, other elect officials. It's like those are a reason why we can't do that same type of community outreach right, my office does every single day. But I get frustrated because you know, we see what they're doing. It's not not a secret. And yet the ability to you know, glap back and out works.
It's it hasn't been there.
So I am hopeful moving forward that you know, we can establish that type of presence and infrastructure.
That's why it takes to win.
Right, And I think that's a really good point. So just talk to me a little bit about what you're seeing on the ground.
On the ground, folks are struggling. That's so important to remember. I mean, you have families that can afford run so you have folks that are becoming homeless, house and secure. You have students that are LGBTQ that are scared to be themselves.
You have trans people can access healthcare.
So you know, a lot of what I end up doing every single day, honestly, is just responding to this right, Like I we have so much propaganda be spewed everywhere, from union busting to Nazis you know, throwing their garbage on people's lawns like it's it's it's pretty bad on the ground, just day to day, right, and responding to community crises. But I will say that when it comes to organizing and the political realm, there's a.
Lot of good momentum.
You know.
I mentioned already the abortion bou initiative for the for the one year mark of the fall Row. Instead of hosting a typical protest like a lot of people do, we actually hosted the largest canvass ever. We had one hundred people come out to go collect petitions, and that is so exciting because we can't just have people hold a sign, so gis you got to put that signed down and pick up a clipboard and get to work courts. I've been so excited to team up with Congress and
Maxwell Hendra Frost, who's my congressman. I endorse him and his race, and we work really closely together because we both believe the same philosophy of not did twenty four seven organizing, but of the inside outside strategy, where you
fight like hell inside your chamber. You do what you can to defend your community, but then you also invite people to join you and you find opportunities to engage with your constituents in a more meaningful way, to show up at a neighborhood level, to get folks side to build efficacy. So you know, we're finding those partnerships everywhere, whether it's with the faith based community, you know, the business community.
So many small businesses have put a.
Clipboard, you know, in their register at the front desk from folks who buy coffee to also get abortion on the ballot.
So we're just seeing so much.
Really exciting momentum on the ground of folks who want to fight back and they just need guideos on how to fight back. But honestly, I think our biggest challenge is when folks are struggling economically, they don't have the capacity.
To do anything else.
And I think that's part of the republic employee right, because if they keep people low wealth, that they keep people strapped to a middle wage job and they don't have the ability to get engaged or to change their economic stars right to achieve mobility. So we are also up against a really broken system that has failed people. That makes it even more challenging to build political efficacy. But with those obstacles in mind, we're not slowing down.
We're focused long term and very very hopeful for the future.
I hope you will come back talk to us about what you guys need in Florida and the way you're rebuilding the Democratic Party there.
Absolutely thanks so much for having me.
That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to hear the best minds in politics makes sense of all this chaos. If you enjoyed what you've heard, please send it to a friend and keep the conversation going. And again, thanks for listening.