AND FORMER REPRESENTATIVE DAVID
JOLLY.
HE IS ALSO AN MSNBC POLITICAL
ANALYST.
ITS WHOS WHO OF FLORIDA.
DR. PASHASHBY, I WANT TO START W
YOU.
IT HITS A RECORD FOR DAILY
CASES.
I AM NOT IN FLORIDA, BUT THAT IS
INCREDIBLY ALARMING FOR ME.
CAN YOU TALK ME THROUGH WHAT
THAT LOOKS LIKE ON THE GROUND?
>> ALARMING IS AN
UNDERSTATEMENT.
WHERE DO I START?
WE ARE FWHURNLNUMBER ONE IN
HOSPITALIZATIONS IN THE U.S.
WE ARE NUMBER TWO IN
HOSPITALIZATIONS AMONG CHILDREN
IN THE U.S.
WERE NUMBER ONE IN BROWARD
COUNTY FOR CRITICAL CARE IN THE
U.S.
AND NOW WE HAVE BROKE OUR
SEVERAL-DAY RECORD AT 21,683
INFECTIONS WITH THE POSITIVITY
RATE ABOVE 50%.
ALL TOLD, FLORIDA IS SURGING AND
OUR LEADERSHIP IS NOT HELPING US
AT ALL.
OUR HOSPITALS ARE GETTING
OVERWHELMED.
WERE STARTING TO ZHOUNTSHUT DOW
ELECTIVE CASES AS A RESULT OF
THAT, AND THAT IMPACTS OTHER
ISSUES LIKE HEART DISEASE,
CANCER, COLON CANCER, AND SO ON
AND SO FORTH.
SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE STRUGGLING
TO DEAL WITH THE SURGE, AND WE
HAVE ZERO LEADERSHIP FROM OUR
GOVERNMENT, AND THEYRE
LEGITIMATELY PUTTING POLITICS
OVER PEOPLES LIVES.
AND ITS TRAGIC.
AND I DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO
SAY, EXCEPT THAT SOMETHING NEED
TO BE DONE NOW.
BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE DYING AND
PEOPLE WILL DIE AS A RESULT OF
WHATS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW WITH
REGARD TO THE LEADERSHIP.
>> DEBBIE, WHAT IS YOUR GOVERNOR
THINKING?
>> LOCKOK, ALICEA.
LET ME JUST SAY THAT RIGHT NOW,
IT SEEMS LIKE THE BIGGEST HEALTH
TO THE HEALTH OF FLORIDIANS IS
NOT THE DELTA VARIANT, BUT
GOVERNOR DeSANTIS.
HE IS COMPLETELY DISCONNECTED
AND TURNING HIS BACK ON
TEACHERS, ON FAMILIES, ON OUR
NURSES AND OUR DOCTORS WHO ARE
OVERWHELMED IN OUR HOSPITALS
HERE IN FLORIDA, WHO ARE
EXHAUSTED.
WHO ARE SEEING ABSOLUTELY NO
LEADERSHIP.
ALL HE CARES ABOUT IS HIS
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.
AND I THINK THAT HE IS GOING TO
PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE IN 2022.
CAN I TELL YOU THAT JUST TODAY,
I WAS TALKING TO SOMEONE WHO HAD
VOTED FOR RON DeSANTIS.
AND SHE WAS SAYING THAT HIS
LATEST STANCE ON TRYING TO TAKE
AWAY LOCAL CONTROL ON MASK
MANDATES IS REALLY MAKING HER
THINK TWICE.
SHE IS VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT
THIS GOVERNOR IS LAUGHING A TO
THE FACT THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE
THAT ARE DYING RIGHT NOW IN OUR
STATE.
IT IS SHAMEFUL AND HE NEEDS TO
BE VOTED OFF -- OUT.
AND I MEAN, AND ALL OF THE
REPUBLICANS HERE IN THE STATE
ARE FOLLOWING HIS LEAD.
SO ITS NOT JUST GOVERNOR
DeSANTIS.
LIKE YOU SAID, ALICIA, ITS ALL
OF THE REPUBLICANS HERE IN THE
STATE OF FLORIDA AND ALL ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
AND IT HAS TO STOP.
WE HAVE TO STOP POLITICIZING
THIS.
THIS IS A DANGER TO OUR CHILDREN
AND TO OUR FAMILIES.
>> I MEAN, DAVID, THE NUMBERS
THAT I READ AT THE TOP OF THIS
ARE SHOCKING.
AND IT IS SHOCKING WHEN YOU LOOK
AT IT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE
ENTIRETY OF THIS PANDEMIC.
WHY MAKE MASK MANDATES
SPECIFICALLY THE HILL THAT YOU
DIE ON, ESPECIALLY WHEN THESE
NUMBERS DONT LIE.
>> BECAUSE OF THE RISE OF
IGNORANCE IN AMERICAN CULTURE
AND AMERICAN POLITICAL
LEADERSHIP, PARTICULARLY ON THE
RIGHT SIDE OF THE AISLE.
THATS WHY.
AND I THINK WE HAVE TO TAKE A
STEP BACK, ALICIA, AND BEGIN TO
RECOGNIZE -- AND I SAY THIS NOT
TO TRY TO GET A CHEAP SHOT, BUT
WE MAY BE ENTERING ONE OF THE
GREAT FAILURES IN AMERICAN
HISTORY.
NOT A FAILURE OF SCIENCE, BUT A
FAILURE OF CULTURE.
OVER THE LAST 230 YEARS, WE HAVE
BEEN PROVIDED ALL OF THE TOOLS
THAT HAVE MADE AMERICA GREAT FOR
SACRIFICE AND PATRIOTISM.
ALL OF THOSE TOOLS WE HOLD RIGHT
IN THE PALM OF OUR HANDS.
WE COULD END THIS PANDEMIC.
AND WERE SQUANDERING IT, WERE
SQUANDERING IT BECAUSE OF THE
EXAMPLES WERE SEEING IN
FLORIDA.
WE HAVE A POLITICAL CLASS LED BY
RON DeSANTIS WHO IS DETERMINED
TO BUILD HIS POLITICAL RISE ON
THE NOTION OF FREEDOM.
AND IGNORE THE FACT THAT AS JOE
BIDEN RECENTLY SAID, WITH
FREEDOM COMES RESPONSIBILITY.
SO FLORIDA HAS ENTERED A VERY
DARK CHAPTER IN AMERICAN
HISTORY, IN THE HISTORY OF THIS
PANDEMIC.
AND IT IS A RESULT OF OF A
GOVERNOR WHO REFUSES TO
RECOGNIZE THAT VERY SIMPLE
MEASURES CAN BE TAKEN.
AND IF THERE WAS A POLITICAL
CALCULUS TO THIS FOR RON
DeSANTIS, I THINK THE PART THAT
SHOULD WORRY MUCH OF AMERICA,
PARTICULARLY IN BLUE STATES, AS
DEBBIE SAID, HIS WILLINGNESS TO
ATTACK LOCAL CONTROL, RIGHT?
THIS PRINCIPLE THAT USED TO BE
THE BEDROCK OF REPUBLICAN
POLITICS.
THAT DECISIONS MADE CLOSEST TO
THE PEOPLE ARE MADE BEST.
THIS SUGGESTS WHAT WERE SEEING
NOW, IF RON DeSANTIS BECAME
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
HE WOULD EVISCERATE STATE RIGHTS
IN BLUE STATE, SIMPLY FOR HIS
OWN IDEOLOGICAL AGENDA.
UNFORTUNATELY FOR RON DeSANTIS,
THIS IS ABOUT PRESIDENTIAL
POLITICS, NOT ABOUT PUBLIC
HEALTH.
>> DR. ASHBY, ALL OF THIS BOILS
DOWN TO YOU ACTUALLY END UP
EXPERIENCING THIS AS IT RELATES
TO YOUR PATIENTS.
WE TALK ABOUT TWO THINGS.
WE TALK ABOUT DISINFORMATION,
AND DISINFORMATION IS A BIG
PIECE OF THIS, AND WE TALK ABOUT
THE CUES THAT PEOPLE TAKE FROM
LEADERSHIP, VERY OFTEN, THOSE
TWO THINGS INTERSECT.
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU HEAR FROM
YOUR PATIENTS?
>> ITS UNFORTUNATE THAT THIS
DISTRUST AND THIS DISINFORMATION
HAS ACTUALLY PERMEATED TO
PATIENTS IMPACTING THEIR OWN
HEALTH.
AND I ACTUALLY DO HAVE PATIENTS
THAT BELIEVE THAT THE VACCINE
HAS TRACKING DEVICES AND MAGNETS
IN IT.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THATS
BEING SUPPORTED BY PEOPLE THAT
THEY TRUST.
THESE ARE LEADERS WHO ARE NOT
[ INAUDIBLE ] PERPETUATING IT.
AND THE THING IS, THE SPEAKER
MENTIONED EARLIER THAT RON
DeSANTIS IS ACTUAL CIRCUMVENTING
THE MUNICIPALITIES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS, BUT HES ACTUALLY
CIRCUMVENTING US.
I CAME OUT WITH A STATEMENT
URGING HIM TO FIGURE OUT A WAY
TO GET THIS UNDER CONTROL.
NOT MENTIONING MASKS OR
LOCKDOWNS.
BUT INSTEAD OF WORKING WITH US,
HE TOOK A POLITICAL STANCE AND
ATTACKED US.
AND SAID THAT WE WANT LOCKDOWNS.
IT WOULDNT EFFECT US.
IM A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER.
IM A FATHER, OF COURSE IT WOULD
AFFECT ME.
HE SAID THAT WE WERE NOT
KNOWLEDGEABLE, WHICH IS ABSURD,
GIVEN THAT THIS IS OUR FIELD OF
STUDY AND WHAT WE DO EVERY DAY.
AND FOR HIM JUST TO BRUSH US OFF
AND FOCUS ON BEING POLITICAL
ABOUT THIS WHEN PEOPLE ARE
LITERALLY DYING IS -- TO ME, IS