>>When a woman or a girl had no choice, no choice.
I had no choice.
We shouldn't be restricting anyone's ability
to make a decision and to have more time.
I believe that we're more than this.
And I know that we're better than this.
>>Welcome back.
That was State Senator Lauren Book pleading
with her colleagues to accept an amendment
to allow for an abortion after 15 weeks
if the woman or girl was the victim of rape or incest.
Her amendment failed and the bill banning abortions
after 15 weeks will soon land on the governor's desk
where he said he'll sign it.
This has been a legislative year filled
with red meat social issues conservative voters love.
I spoke about this year's session
with Democratic State Senator Gary Farmer
but we started by discussing his interest
in running for Ted Deutch's congressional seat.
>>I think we all owe a great debt of thanks to Ted Deutch.
He's been an exemplary public servant
for 15 years now, 16 years.
I remember meeting him when he ran in 2006
for the Florida Senate.
Knocked on doors for him I think six or seven weekends.
You know, as I said earlier this week,
some people leave big shoes to fill.
We've got a crater size hole
to fill here replacing Ted Deutch.
But yeah it's something I'm certainly considering, Jim.
It'd be a tremendous honor to serve in Congress
and one way or the other, you know,
I still feel the need and the desire
to serve the people of south Florida.
And I've just gotta try to get through this session
and finish out and try to stop some of the harm
that the Republicans are trying to bring our way.
And I'll be making a decision shortly after session ends.
>>Okay, so let's talk about the legislative session then.
Let's take a step back and talk big picture for a second.
What do you think defines
this year's legislative session so far?
>>Yeah, unfortunately it's like a new 4H Club
that the Republicans and Ron DeSantis have started.
It's a series of harmful, hurtful, hateful,
and homophobic pieces of legislation on the social front.
Just a few days ago in one day in the rules committee,
we banned books, we gutted solar energy,
we term limited school board members,
we stopped teaching racism
because it makes white people feel guilty,
and we eliminated alimony retroactively.
You know, there's just one common theme there
and it's really a nasty, hateful theme.
And it's just red meat politics for Ron DeSantis
and his Trumpian base.
And, ya know, the carnage continues day
after day after day up here.
Yesterday, we took up the terrible abortion bill,
you know, modeled after Texas's bill.
15 weeks is just patently unreasonable.
A young woman facing the toughest decision
of her life needs more time to make that decision.
She needs to get counseling and help.
She may have to save up money.
And with no exception for rape and incest?
It hurts my heart to think
that the Senate rejected an amendment
that would make an exception for women
who are the victims of rape, incest, or human trafficking.
>>Let me just jump in here for a second
and I just one point of clarification.
The bill seems more aligned with a bill,
or a law that was passed, in Mississippi than Texas.
Texas I think is down to eight weeks
so it's Mississippi is the 15 week one.
But I guess, you know, you talk about Ron DeSantis
doing all this red meat politics for his base.
I'm wondering if this is just what Florida is today?
I mean, Ron DeSantis seems to be exceptionally popular.
His approval rating in the state is very high.
Maybe this is just who we are in Florida now.
>>I can't believe that, Jim.
That's not my Florida.
That's not the Florida I know, the Florida I grew up in.
I think that's what they're trying to make Florida.
I think they're passing or trying to pass
these horrific pieces of legislation
to drive reasonable, moderate minded people out
of the state of Florida.
They don't want gays in the state of Florida.
They don't want minorities.
They don't want people with progressive social views.
And so they're doing all these things to drive us out
but you know, for me, and for many others,
it strengthens my resolve and makes me wanna fight more
because this is not the Florida I grew up in.
>>While the legislature has been dealing with a lot
of these social issues, what issues have gone unmet?
In other words, what problems that we are experiencing here
in the state of Florida that we should be dealing with
that you don't think the legislature
has dealt with this year?
>>Yeah, and there are social issues
that we should be dealing with.
Things like Medicaid expansion.
I mean any way you slice it
there is no legitimate policy reason
to not do Medicaid expansion.
It saves us money in the long run.
We're just rejecting money from the federal government
simply because it comes from Democrats.
And affordable housing.
We have an affordable housing crisis
in the state of Florida.
We've had it for some time.
We keep kicking the can down the road.
We keep rating the Sadowski Fund.
That's supposed to be there specifically
to deal with affordable housing
and fund affordable housing initiatives.
It is just becoming harder and harder
and harder for Floridians to achieve the American dream.
And we need to be doing policy
that will help them achieve that.
Our teachers and firefighters and police officers
are having to work two jobs just to make ends meet.
And other things we can do.
Ya know, common sense gun legislation.
We continue to lead the country in gun deaths.
Things like assault weapons ban and background checks.
These are concepts that are supported
by 70% or more of Floridians and we don't do 'em.
Legalization of recreational marijuana.
The social cost in the criminal justice system
from what is essentially a victimless crime is massive.
And the funds we could generate,
the revenue we could generate,
from marijuana legalization would be massive.
So those are just a couple of things
we should be doing, but, you know,
Ron Desantis likes to talk about the free state of Florida.
I don't see greater freedoms.
I see restrictions on people's freedoms.
I see a lot of inconsistency.
On the one hand they wanna say
you can't make me wear a mask but on the other hand,
they wanna say you can't have that abortion.
There is just no logical reason for those inconsistencies.
And both are just so dismissive
of people's individual rights
of privacy and decision making.
I'm just aghast at some of these policy ideas
that Ron DeSantis keeps bringing forward.
>>I'm assuming you've seen the video of governor DeSantis
at the University of South Florida scolding really
I think is the word to use, scolding those high school kids
who were standing behind him going to be wearing a mask
>>You do not have to wear those masks.
I mean, please take 'em off.
Honestly, it's not doing anything.
We gotta stop with this.
If you wanna wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.
>>What was your reaction to that?
>>Oh, I was appalled.
What an embarrassment he has become as a governor.
Why does he care that those young people
were wearing a mask?
How does that affect Ron DeSantis in any way?
He doesn't know what their personal situation is.
Do they have somebody at home
that's a particularly high risk for infection?
It shouldn't bother him at all.
And this is unfortunately indicative of this,
and it's not all Republicans, 'cause I hear so much
from so many Republicans privately,
but they don't come out publicly chastising him
for these actions.
This is not the type of leadership that we want
from our governor and for him to just lecture them
like that and tell 'em they don't need to wear those masks.
Well, it's not hurting him for them to wear those masks.
It's not hurting anyone for people to take a precaution
that they find reasonable.
And then to walk off the stage and not even say good-bye
to them or thank you.
He's just become an incredible embarrassment
to the state of Florida.
And we gotta vote him out of office.
>>You realize that this one incident points out
the true divide between not just within Florida
but across the country.
While Democrats have been universal in chastising him,
he's gotten a lotta bad press,
a lot of outlets on the right, you know,
RedState, others, they are praising him.
They see this as a rallying cry moment
that they're celebrating what Ron DeSantis did
to those high school kids.
You know, when we're this separated
on something like that,
how do we ever come together on any issues?
>>Well, you know, I think it's a very loud minority
but it's a minority and to most (mumbles)
>>See that's where I'm not so sure.
I mean, you know?
>>I think so because I talk to people up here,
both sides of the aisle, and most do not ascribe
to the extreme policies that he is advocating.
He's an outlier, I believe, when it comes to the big picture
and what the majority of Americans want,
and the majority of Floridians want,
in their governor, in their country, in their government.
To make the mask a political statement
says you don't really care about the health
and wellbeing of Floridians.
You just care about getting elected.
And you know, that's not the type
of leadership we want or need.
And the same people that are espousing
these things are the ones that are going
on stage and cheering Vladimir Putin.
So I think you gotta consider the source.
The RedStates, the Tucker Carlsons,
these are echo chambers for extreme conservatism
but I do not believe they espouse the views
of the majority of Floridians or Americans.
>>We'll be right back.