RIGHT NOW ON NEWS CHANNEL 8
TODAY.
GOOD MORNING.
I'M PAUL MUELLER.
LIKE MANY OTHER LOCAL AND STATE
POLITICIANS, DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR IN
TALLAHASEE HIT THE ROAD TO TOUR
PARTS OF THE STATE, THOSE
HARDEST HIT BY THE HURRICANE
IRMA.
BUT CLOUDS OF CONTROVERSY
CONTINUE TO SURROUND HIS OWN
GUBERNATORIAL RUN, SO I SAT
DOWN WITH THE CANDIDATE FOR
THIS WEEK'S SUNDAY ONE ON ONE.
ALL RIGHT.
SO ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, YOU
HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED AS
MAGNETIC.
YOU TALK ABOUT BASICALLY HOW
YOU WERE BROUGHT UP POOR, AND
HOW YOU HAVE BECOME A SELF-MADE
MAN.
YOU'RE GENERATING A LOT OF
ENTHUSIASM AT THE FORUMS AND
YOU WON A LOT OF ENDORSEMENTS.
HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU IN THE
CAMPAIGN RIGHT NOW?
YES, I FEEL GOOD.
WE'RE ABOUT A YEAR OUT FROM
ELECTION DAY FOR THE DEMOCRATIC
PRIMARY SO STILL A LOT OF
GROUND TO COVER.
AS I TELL MY TEAM, WE'LL LIVE
AND DIE NINE MORE DEATHS AND
RESERVATIONS BEFORE THIS IS
OVER, BUT THE BEST PART HAS
BEEN MOVING AROUND THE STATE
GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE, MEETING
FOLKS.
JUST YESTERDAY OVER IN ST. PETE
AS FOLKS WERE STILL RECOVERING
FROM THE STORM, THIS MORNING
TALKING WITH LOCAL RADIO, AND
THIS AFTERNOON DOING A TOUR OF
A NUMBER OF LOCAL BUSINESSES AS
FOLKS STRUGGLE GETTING BACK TO
NORMAL.
YOU TALK ABOUT THE STORM.
GOVERNOR SCOTT, DO YOU THINK HE
HAS DONE ENOUGH FOR FLORIDIANS
AND IF NOT WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
I HAVE TO GIVE THE GOVERNOR
CREDIT.
PRIOR TO THE STORM, HE WAS
CRISSCROSSING THE STATE OF
FLORIDA AND EVERY PART OF THE
STATE HELPING TO GET PEOPLE
READY AND PREPARED FOR THE
STORM.
POST, OBVIOUSLY THE STORM IS A
DIFFERENT STORY.
IT IS RECOVERY BEING A
CHALLENGE, ALWAYS.
THE DEATHS OF THOSE EIGHT
SENIOR CITIZENS IN THE NURSING
FACILITY OBVIOUSLY A HAUNTING
FOR THOSE FAMILIES.
WE ALL WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
HAPPENED.
THE NEWS THAT THERE WERE THREE
CALLS I GUESS MADE TO THE
GOVERNOR'S POINT OF CONTACT TO
KNOW ANSWER ARE VERY CONCERNING
WHICH IS WHY WE CALL FOR AN
INVESTIGATION TO FIND OUT WHAT
HAPPENED THERE.
PRIOR TO THIS STORM IRMA, I
PULLED TOGETHER ALL OF THE
NURSING HOMEOWNERS, DIRECTORS,
THE FOLKS WHO RAN THOSE
PROGRAMS, GAVE THEM A POINT OF
CONTACT FOR OUR UTILITIES.
AND ARE YOU SAYING THAT THE
GOVERNOR HERE SHOULD BEHOLDING
THESE PEOPLE MORE ACCOUNTABLE,
THAT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN
AVOIDED?
WE DON'T KNOW THAT AND WE
SHOULDN'T GET AHEAD OF THE
FACTS.
WHAT WE SHOULD KNOW IS EXACTLY
WHAT HAPPENED.
GIVEN FLORIDA IS HOME TO SO
MANY SENIORS, WE NEED TO KNOW
FOLKS ARE PROTECTED IN THIS
STATE.
WHEN THEY GO TO OUR SENIOR CARE
FACILITIES, WE HAVE TO ENSURE
THEY ARE TAKEN CARE OF.
THE CONFEDERATE
CONTROVERSY.
YOU KNOW, THE DEADLY
CONFRONTATION IN
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA.
LET'S SEE.
THE CALLS TO REMOVE THE STATUES
AND MONUMENTS.
THERE ARE SEVERAL CONFEDERATE
MONUMENTS.
ONE IS IN DOWNTOWN.
IT IS SITTING ON THE GROUNDS
OF STATE'S CAPITAL.
WE ASKED THE GOVERNOR THAT HE
WOULD TAKE SOME LEADERSHIP AND
REMOVING THAT MONUMENT, ONE IT
HAS SOME MISSPELLINGS ON IT.
FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS IT
MAKES SENSE BUT CHARLOTTESVILLE
CHANGED OUR LIVES.
I DON'T BELIEVE IN WHITE
WASHING HISTORY.
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER WHAT
HAPPENED.
WE OUGHT TO KNOW THE NAMES OF
THE FOLKS WHO WERE INVOLVED BUT
PUT INTO ITS PROPER CONTEXT.
THEY BELONG IN MUSEUMS, IN OUR
HISTORY BOOKS AND LESSONS WE
TEACH EACH OTHER.
I DON'T WANT MY KIDS'
GENERATION HAVING TO FIGHT THE
SAME BATTLE WE'RE FIGHTING
TODAY, SYMBOLS THAT SEND THEM
SIGNALS THAT THEY ARE LESS THAN
OR REMIND THEM OF SOME IN
ADEQUACY THAT EXIST.
THEY HAVE STOOD THERE SO
LONG.
AND THEY HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN
WEAPONIZED AS RECENT.
NOW, YOU HAVE THEM AS BATTLE
CRIES FOR WHITE SUPREMACIST AND
NEO-NAZIS AND FUELING IN MY
OPINION AND NOTED OF NEONAZIISM
A FAR GONE ERA IN THIS COUNTRY.
WE NEED THE PRESIDENT TO STAND
UP.
WE NEED THE GOVERNOR TO STAND
UP.
WE NEED ALL LEADERS, ITS TIME
HAS COME AND WE OUGHT TO
REMEMBER THEM IN THEIR PROPER
CONTEXT IN HISTORY AND NOT IN
PLACES OF FLOOR RIF FICKCATION.
THE GOVERNOR SAID HE HAS
IGNORED IT.
NOW WE HAVE SEEN IRMA, WE HAVE
SEEN HARVEY IN TEXAS.
WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON THIS?
HE SAID HE IS NOT ASSIGNED
SO HE CAN'T SAY WHETHER GLOBAL
WARNING IS REAL.
I'M NOT A SCIENTIST BUT I
BELIEVE SIGNS MATTERS.
IT IS REAL AND SEA LEVEL RISE
IS COMPLETELY REAL AND
SOMETHING THAT WE IN THIS STATE
HAVE TO CONFRONT PROBABLY MORE
THAN ANY OTHER STATE OF THE
TOTAL 50 BECAUSE THE MAJORITY
OF THE STATE IS BELOW SEA
LEVEL.
RISING SEAS MEANS THREATS TO
PEOPLE AND TO PROPERTY.
WE NEED A GOVERNOR WHO SAYS
ONE, THAT THEY BELIEVE IN
SCIENCE AND TWO, CREATES THE
KIND OF COMMITMENT FROM THIS
STATE THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
IN FACT, WE SHOULD BE TEACHING
THE REST OF THE WORLD WHAT IT
MEANS TO DEAL WITH RISING SEA
LEVEL AND THERE IS AN ECONOMY
WITH IT AS WELL.
LAST TIME WE HAD A
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR IN 1998,
AND REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN IN
OFFICE EVER SINCE.
YOU'RE OFFERING SOMETHING
DIFFERENT, WHAT IS IT?
I HAVE AN AUTHENTIC STORY
AND GROWING UP IN THIS STATE.
TWO, I'M IN TOUCH WITH THE
EVERYDAY EXPERIENCES THAT
PEOPLE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA
AND WE DESERVE A GOVERNOR WHO
ISN'T JUST GOING TO WRITE THEIR
OWN CHECK TO BECOME GOVERNOR
AND I BELIEVE I AM THAT
CANDIDATE.
LABSLY, FORMER FLORIDA
DEMOCRATIC CHAIRWOMAN, A LONG
TIME FRIEND OF YOURS OF 15
YEARS.
SHE SAID HE IS GENUINE, WHAT
ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE?
46% CANNOT MAKE ENDS MEET AT
THE END OF THE MONTH.
THEY CAN'T PAY THEIR BILLS.
WE NEED AN ECONOMY THAT STARTS
TO WORK AGAIN IN THE STATE OF
FLORIDA.
IT REQUIRES A GOVERNOR WITH A