THE SUNSHINE STATE.
RICK SCHAEFER, LIVE IN THE
SUNSHINE STATE, CBS4 NEWS.
THE PANDEMIC DEFINITELY
AFFECTS HOW PEOPLE VOTE.
REPUBLICANS ARE PRESSING
THEIR CASE MAY HAVE BEEN BETTER
ORGANIZED AND DEMOCRATS ACROSS
SOUTH FLORIDA AND BELIEVE THEY
ARE POISED TO WIN BACK THE
STATE.
PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL BE IN
SOUTH FLORIDA TONIGHT FOR THE
11:30 P.M.
AT THE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT.
THAT RALLY IS EXPECTED TO DRAW
AS MANY AS 10,000 PEOPLE.
IT WOULD VIOLATE THE MIAMI-DADE
CURFEW.
NOT JUST THE CURFEW.
MIAMI-DADE ALSO REQUIRES
EVERYBODY ATTENDING THE RALLY
TO WEAR A FACEMASK AND TO
REMAIN SOCIALLY DISTANT FROM
ONE ANOTHER.
YET, WE ALL KNOW THE PRESIDENT
WILL PACK PEOPLE TOGETHER AND
THE VAST MAJORITY WILL NOT WEAR
A FACEMASK.
WHAT WILL THE MIAMI-DADE MAYOR
DO ABOUT THAT?
THE DAY BEFORE HE GRANTED THE
PRESIDENT HIS RALLY SAYING WE
ARE NOW SEEING A RISE IN
CORONAVIRUS CASES AND
HOSPITALIZATIONS AND VENTILATOR
USE WAS ALSO ON THE RISE.
THERE IS TALK ABOUT LIFTING
I DON'T THINK THAT IS THE MOVE.
I WILL NOT DO IT UNTIL WE ARE
SURE WE HAVE CLEARED THIS
HURDLE AND TRY TO KEEP THIS
CONTAGION AS LOW AS POSSIBLE.
I SEE NOW I AM LOOKING AT MY
TWITTER AND THERE IS A BIG
HALLOWEEN THING GOING ON IN THE
CITY OF MIAMI AND THEY ARE
GOING TO GO FROM 8:00 UNTIL YOU
KNOW, I HOPE THE CITY OF I AM
HE ENFORCES THE CURFEW.
IF NOT, I THINK WE WILL HAVE TO
DO IT.
BECAUSE WE KNOW THESE KIND OF
EVENTS ARE SUPER SPREADER
EVENTS WE NEED TO LIMIT THAT.
TAKE A SECOND, DID YOU HEAR
WHAT HE SAID?
HE WAS THREATENING TO BUST UP A
HALLOWEEN PARTY BECAUSE IT
COULD POTENTIALLY BE A SUPER
SPREADER EVENTS.
GETS, WE DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY
WHAT HE IS DOING.
HE IS REMAINING SILENT THAT
WILL ALLOW THE PRESIDENT TO
PACK THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
TOGETHER AT THE OPA LOCKA
AIRPORT.
GIMENEZ IS CHALLENGING HER IN
THE RACE FOR THE 26
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING
US, CONGRESSWOMAN.
I WANT TO GET YOUR REACTION.
YOUR REACTION TO THE RALLY PLAN
TONIGHT AT 11:30 AT OPA LOCKA.
LOOK.
THE HYPOCRISY THE MAYOR HAS
ABSOLUTELY NO LIMITS.
WE KNOW NOW THERE WAS A STUDY
RELEASED YESTERDAY AT STANFORD
UNIVERSITY RELEASING A STUDY
TYING THOUSAND CASES TO THE
RALLIES THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN
HOLDING ANDY FEW HUNDRED
DEATHS.
I CAN TELL YOU HE HAS
THREATENED SMALL BUSINESSES,
SMALL RESTAURANTS THAT HE WOULD
FINE THEM IF THEY DID NOT ABIDE
BY THE CURFEW, YET WE HEAR
NOTHING FROM THE MAYOR ON A
RALLY IN A PLACE WE ALREADY
KNOW MIAMI-DADE COUNTY WAS THE
EPICENTER OF CORONAVIRUS IN THE
SUMMER.
WE CANNOT LET THAT HAPPEN
AGAIN.
IT IS IRRESPONSIBLE, DANGEROUS,
PUTS HEALTHCARE WORKERS AT RISK
AS WELL.
SO, I MEAN, HE NEEDS TO, UP AND
TELL THE PRESIDENT THAT HE
ABIDES BY THE CURFEW AND
ENFORCES FACE MESS.
THE LAST THING I WOULD LIKE TO
SEE, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF THE
PEOPLE I REPRESENT IN THIS
COMMITTEE WHO ARE THE FRONT-
LINE WORKERS THAT CONTINUE TO
GO AND TAKE CARE OF PATIENTS
THAT ARE GETTING COATED, TO
ENFORCE FACEMASKS AND MAKE SURE
THAT'S THE RALLY IS NOT OUT OF
CONTROL LIKE WHAT WE HAVE SEEN
IN OTHER CITIES ACROSS AMERICA.
CONGRESSWOMAN, LET ME ASK
YOU.
I DISCUSSED THIS WITH A NUMBER
OF PEOPLE AND BY THE WAY I
SHOULD ALSO SAY, WE INVITED
MAYOR GIMENEZ TO COME ON THIS
MORNING TO EXPLAIN EXACTLY HIS
THINKING ALLOWING THE RALLY TO
CONTINUE, TO OFFER SOME SORT OF
EXPLANATION FOR HOW HE WILL
ENFORCE COUNTY RULES AND
REGULATIONS.
HE HAS NOT COME ON.
AS FAR AS I KNOW HE REFUSED TO
ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT
THIS..
BUT IN TALKING TO A NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT PEOPLE I HEAR FROM
FOLKS THAT SAY, YES, BUT IT'S
THE PRESENT.
YOU CANNOT REALLY SAY NO TO THE
PRESIDENT IF HE WANTS TO HOLD A
RALLY HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
LOOK.
THE PRESIDENT HAS LIED ABOUT
THE THREAT OF COPING.
WE KNOW THAT.
WHEN THE PRESIDENT LIES, IT'S
COSTS LIVES.
FOR THE SAFETY OF THE COMMUNITY
IN SOUTH FLORIDA, WE HAVE A
VULNERABLE POPULATION.
WE HAVE AN ELDERLY POPULATION
AT RISK.
WE ALSO HAVE A HIGH NUMBER OF
LATINO COMMUNITIES WHICH WE NOW
KNOW HERE, HISPANICS ARE
DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY
COPING.
SO WE NEED TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL
HOW WE MAINTAIN SAFETY MEASURES
THROUGH THE PANDEMIC.
WE ARE STILL IN A PANDEMIC.
UNFORTUNATELY THE PRESIDENT
CONTINUED TO LAG AND THE MAYOR
FOLLOWS HIM.
HE DOES WHATEVER IS CONVENIENT
FOR HIM POLITICALLY.
THAT IS NOT THE LEADERSHIP THAT
WE NEED.
WE KNOW.
WE KNOW THE PRESIDENT --
THE PRESIDENT TWEETED THE
ENDORSEMENT OF CARL AS A MAN
IS.
AND CARLOS GIMENEZ IS COUNTING
ON TRUMP SUPPORTERS IN YOUR
DISTRICT TO TURN OUT IN LARGE
NUMBERS TO SUPPORT HIM.
DO YOU THINK THAT IS PART OF
THE CLINICAL RATIONALIZATION?
THAT HE IS MAKING?
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, I CAN
TELL YOU I HAVE BEEN IN SO MANY
DIFFERENT ELECTIONS, EARLY
VOTING ELECTION SITES AND
KNOCKING ON DOORS.
I CANNOT TELL YOU THE NUMBER OF
REPUBLICANS AND ACTUALLY TRUMP
SUPPORTERS SAYING YOU KNOW
WHAT?
I WILL VOTE FOR YOU, I HAVE
BEEN EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED
WITH THE MAYOR.
THEY DO NOT LIKE THE MAYOR OR
RESPECT THEY KNOW THE MAYOR
DOES NOT DESERVE A PROMOTION.
I KNOW THAT HE IS TERM LIMITED
OUT AND HE DOES NOT KNOW WHAT
HE IS GOING TO DO.
HE HAS BEEN LIVING OFF OF
GOVERNMENT FOR DECADES NOW.
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS MY
CONSTITUENTS KNOW I HAVE BEEN
WORKING FOR THEM PROTECTING
THEIR HEALTHCARE, WORKING AT
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT,
MAKING SURE FISHERMEN,
FARMWORKERS GETS THE ECONOMIC
RELIEF THAT THEY NEED AND WE
KNOW CARLOS GIMENEZ DOES NOT
WANT TO SUPPORT ANY FURTHER
ECONOMIC RELIEF.
WE KNOW CARLOS GIMENEZ SUPPORTS
THE REPEAL OF THE AFFORDABLE
CARE ACT IN AN AREA WE HAVE THE
SECOND LARGEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE
GETTING THEIR HEALTHCARE
THROUGH THE ACA.
WE ARE WORKING HARD.
LET ME START OF ASK YOU.
A COUPLE THINGS I WANT TO ALSO
TOUCH ON REALLY QUICK WITH YOU.
WE SAW THE VIDEO THAT WENT
VIRAL NATIONALLY AT A POST
OFFICE IN YOUR DISTRICT WHERE
PILES AND PILES OF MAIL WERE
JUST SORT OF SITTING IN BOXES
AND CARTONS AND THE REST OF IT.
WE NOW KNOW FROM THE POST
OFFICE OFFICIALS THERE WERE
ABOUT 40 BALLOTS FOUND, ONLY 10
OR FEWER FILLED OUT AND THE
REST WERE SUPPOSED TO BE
DELIVERED TO FOLKS.
YOU KNOW, YOU ACCEPT THE POST
OFFICE EXPLANATION THERE ONLY A
HANDFUL OF BALLOTS?
AND HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU WE
MAY BE SEEING SOMETHING LIKE
THIS AND OTHER POST OFFICES
AROUND THE COUNTY AND AROUND
THE COUNTRY FOR THAT MATTER?
THE MINUTE I FOUND OUT THERE
WAS AN ISSUE, I THOUGHT TO
MEDIALLY GO THERE AND CALL
OFFICIALS, NOT JUST THE
POSTMASTER GENERAL IN THE IG
BUT OTHER OFFICIALS IN
WASHINGTON DC.
I CALLED A CONGRESS MEMBER TO
CONDUCT OVERSIGHT AT THE POSTAL
SERVICE.
SO, I CAN TELL YOU YESTERDAY
CONFIRMED ACTUALLY WERE IF YOU
DOESN'T BALLOTS BEING HELD AND
JUST A FEW NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAD
ALREADY VOTED.
BUT, ANY HOLDUP OF ANY BALLOT,
EVEN ONE, IT'S COMPLETELY
UNACCEPTABLE.
TOMORROW MORNING I WILL HAVE A
BRIEFING FROM THE POSTMASTER
INSPECTOR GENERALS OFFICE TO
ENSURE, FIRST TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT HAPPENED.
AND SECONDS TO ENSURE THEY ARE
SUPERVISING ALL OF THE
DIFFERENT POSTAL SERVICE IS.
AGAIN, THIS IS A PATTERN, THE
FACT DEJOY WILL NOT REVERSE --
CONGRESSWOMAN -- LET ME JUST
JUMP IN.
CONGRESSWOMAN, WE ONLY HAVE
ABOUT 30 SECONDS.
WE SEE BARACK OBAMA COMING BACK
TO THE STATES.
WE SAW KAMALA HARRIS MAKING A
PLEA AS WELL.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DEMOCRATS
AND SOME OF YOUR CONGRESSIONAL
COLLEAGUES CONCERNED THAT'S THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTE IS NOT
COMING OUT IN NUMBERS
SUFFICIENT TO HELP THEM,
WHETHER IT'S ME GARDENS OR DOWN
IN YOUR DISTRICT IN FLORIDA
CITY.
HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU AFRICAN-
AMERICANS WILL TURN OUT?
WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT 20 SECONDS.
SO IF YOU COULD BE BRIEF.
WE HAVE THE SUPPORT OF
PASTORS, COMMUNITY LEADERS,
RIGHT NOW WORKING TO ENSURE WE
HAVE GREAT TURNOUT.
I'M EXCITED AND FEELING
OPTIMISTIC AND GLAD TO WELCOME
BACK PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.
THAT ONLY WILL HELP US.
SO WORKING THROUGH NOVEMBER
3rd, I'M FEELING CAUTIOUSLY
OPTIMISTIC, BUT OPTIMISTIC.
ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.