VETERAN FOR HIS CROSS PARTY VOTE
>> WHEN ARE YOU THE INCUMBENT, WHEN YOU HOLD AN ELECTED OFFICE THE CHANCES GENERALLY ARE
EXCELLENT THAT YOU WILL KEEP
THAT OFFICE UNLESS YOU DO
SOMETHING THAT ANGERS YOUR
CONSTITUENTS OR YOUR PARTY
COLLEAGUES.
>> SOUTH FLORIDA’S VETERAN,
STATE REPRESENTATIVE JAMES BUSH
A DEMOCRAT FINDS HIMSELF IN THE
CROSS HAIRS OF HIS OWN STATE
PARTY BECAUSE HE’S CROSS PARTY
LINES ON SOME SOCIAL AND SCHOOL
ISSUES TO VOTE WITH REPUBLICANS.
HIS PRIMARY CHALLENGER NOW IS A
MIAMI ATTORNEY, ASHLEY GANT
RIGHT THERE, A FIRST TIME
CANDIDATE WITH THE SUPPORT OF
PROMINENT STATE DEMOCRAT,
REPRESENTATIVE BUSH ACTUALLY
DECLINED TO JOIN US, HE IS A
PASTOR AND SAYS HE HAS OTHER
SUNDAY OBLIGATIONS, SO ASHLEY IT
IS ALL YOU.
AND WE ARE SO HAPPY THAT YOU ARE
JOINING US.
>> ASHLEY, WELCOME, GREAT TO SEE
YOU BEGIN.
SAW YOU IN OVERTOWN A COUPLE OF
WEEKS AGO.
WELL, WE REGRET AS GLENNA SAID
THAT REPRESENTATIVE BUSH IS NOT
HERE TO DEBATE YOU, TO PRESENT
YOU KNOW HIS SIDE OF THE
ARGUMENT.
WHAT IS YOUR SIDE OF THE
ARGUMENT.
WHY ARE YOU THE BETTER CANDIDATE
HERE?
>> WELL, FIRST I WILL SAY THANK
YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THIS
OPPORTUNITY TODAY.
I’M THE BETTER CANDIDATE BECAUSE
I WANT TO REPRESENT THE
INTERESTS OF ALL OF MY
COMMUNITY.
AS YOU STATED EARLIER, THE
INCUMBENTS HAS CROSSED PARTY
LINES AND WHEN HE CROSSED THOSE
PARTY LINES IT WAS TO
DISENFRANCHISE FLORIDIANS AND TO
TAKE AWAY OUR RIGHTS.
AND WE LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY AND
WE LIVE IN A COUNTRY THAT BOASTS
TO BE THE COUNTRY OF FREEDOM.
AND THAT IS WHAT I WANT TO HOLD
HIM AND THE GOVERNMENT
ACCOUNTABLE TO THOSE VALUES THAT
WE PURPORT ARE AMERICAN VALUES,
AND SO BEING THAT WE LIVE IN A
DEMOCRACY, I HAVE DECIDED THAT
I’M GOING TO EXERCISE NIE RIGHT,
MY FREEDOM TO HOLD MY ELECTED
OFFICIAL ACCOUNTABLE AND
CHALLENGE HIM AND SO THAT MY
COMMUNITY, I GREW UP IN THIS
DISTRICT, WE CAN HAVE SOMEONE
WHO NOT ONLY IS PRESENT, IS
TRANSPARENT, WHO ANSWERS TO
THEIR RECORD, BUT ALSO WHO ADD
VOIT-- ADVOCATES FOR RIGHTS TO
BE GIVEN AND FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE
FREEDOM INSTEAD OF HAVING RIGHTS
ROLLED BACK.
>> SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE
SPEAKING ABOUT THOSE, WHAT
PEOPLE ARE CALLING THE CULTURE
WAR VOTES THAT WERE TAKEN DURING
SESSION, A BOSSER RESTRICTIONS
AND ONE OF THEM OR CURRICULUM
SCHOOL RESTRICTIONS, AMONG THEM.
ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SERVING
THE COMMUNITY, SO YOU KNOW, I’M
NOT HERE TO DEFEND ANYBODY BUT I
CERTAINLY AM HERE TO MAKE THINGS
FAIR AND TO CHALLENGE THE
NARRATIVE.
SO LET ME ASK YOU, IN DISTRICT
10 -9D,-- 109, REPRESENTATIVE
BUSH HAS BEEN SERVING THESE
COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, 30
YEARS.
>> HIS VOTE FOR ABORTION
RESTRICTIONS THIS TIME, HE ALSO
VOTED FOR VOUCHER EXPANSION,
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT
REPUBLICANS ARE VERY MUCH
BEHIND.
AND HIS REASON AS HE TOLD ME WAS
THAT HE WAS REPRESENTING HIS
CONSTITUENTS, SO MANY
POLITICIANS GET CRITICIZED FOR
TOWING THE PARTY LINE, AND HE
SAYS HE VOTED BECAUSE HE COMES
FROM A VERY DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT
BUT A SOCIALLY CONSERVATIVE
DISTRICT WHO IS ANTIABORTION,
WHO VALUES SCHOOL CHOICE.
SO WOULDN’T THAT BE SERVING HIS
COMMUNITY?
>> I THINK THAT HE PROBABLY
BELIEVES THAT.
BUT I GREW UP IN THIS COMMUNITY.
I AM A CONSTITUENT.
AND WE HAVE A VERY DIVERSE
COMMUNITY IN DISTRICT 109.
IT INCLUDES NEIGHBORHOODS FROM
DOWNTOWN TO OPEN LACKA.
AND THE MAJORITY OF THE
POPULATION IN THE DISTRICT IS
WOMEN, BLACK WOMEN, HISPANIC
WOMEN AND WHITE WOMEN AND SO
WHEN YOU-- I DON’T KNOW WHAT
CONSTITUENTS HE IS REFERRING TO
IN REGARDS TO A CONSERVATIVE
BASE BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF YOUNG
VOTEDDERS WHO WHEN I GET OUT,
KNOCK ON DOORS, OR GO TO
DIFFERENT EVENTS AND JUST MEET
PEOPLE, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
ANGRY IN THEIR CONSTITUENTS, IN
THEIR ALL AGES.
AND SO AFTER ROE V. WADE WAS
OVERTURNED, FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE
BEEN KNOCKING ON DOORS FOR
MONTHS.
AND WITH THE OLDER POPULATION IN
THE COMMUNITY, THAT HAS BEEN A
TOUCH AND GO CONVERSATION
BECAUSE WHILE SOME PEOPLE ARE
PROLIFE AND SOME PEOPLE ARE
PROCHOICE, WHAT I HAVE GOTTEN, A
RESOUNDING SENTIMENTS FROM
PEOPLE OF ALL AGINGS, THE
GOVERNMENT SHOULD STILL NOT TELL
SOMEONE WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR
BODIES.
>> LET ME MOVE ON TO ANOTHER
SORT OF RELATED TOPIC.
YOU ARE A GRADUATE OF THE UNITED
OF FLORIDA.
AFTER THAT YOU WENT OFF AND YOU
WERE A MEMBER OF TEACH FOR
AMERICA.
YOU HAVE BEEN A PUBLIC SCHOOL
TEACHER.
SO IF YOU WERE IN THE CLASSROOM
NOW WOULD YOU FIND IT WRONG THAT
YOU COULD NOT TALK ABOUT RACIAL
HISTORY IN FLORIDA OR ANYWHERE
ELSE, YOU KNOW, THE WAY THAT YOU
WOULD LIKE TO?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SO I ACTUALLY STARTED OFF WITH
TEACH FOR AMERICA AS A HISTORY
TEACHER.
AND WHEN I CAME BACK HOME TO
FLORIDA TO TEACH, I STARTED WITH
HISTORY AND THEN I GOT MY
ENGLISH CERTIFICATION.
BUT YES, I WOULD.
NOT ONLY BECAUSE THAT IS THE
TRUTH OF THIS COUNTRY AND TO
CREATE PROGRESSIVE LEADERS WE
HAVE TO HAVE A MYRIAD OF
THOUGHTS AND THOSE THOUGHTS
START WITH THE TRUTH, BUT THAT’S
A PART OF MY HERITAGE.
I GOT THE LAST NAME BECAUSE CAN
I TRACE BACK TO THE LAST
GENERATION OF ENSLAVED IN MY
FAMILY, MY GREAT GREAT GREAT
GRANDFATHER AND THAT SHOW I GOT
THE NAME, AND SO TO THINK THAT I
CANNOT TELL THE TRUTH OR TELL
THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY, I
THINK IT’S ABSURD.
AND I THINK IT IS DOING A GREAT
DISSERVICE TO OUR CHILDREN AND
THE FUTURE GENERATIONS OF
FLORIDIANS AND AMERICANS.
>> BECAUSE HISTORY IS VERY
IMPORTANT AND IT INFORMS US ON
HOW TO PROGRESS AS A COMMUNITY
AND AS A NATION.
>> WHAT WE YOU KNOW, WELCOME TO
TELEVISION TIME, WE HAVE ABOUT A
MINUTE LEFT, AND I WANTED TO ASK
I, DISTRICT 109 IS ONE DISTRICT
BUT ELECTING DEMOCRATS IS SO
IMPORTANT TO THE PARTY BECAUSE
THE NUMBERS ARE, THEY JUST DON’T
HAVE THE MATH IN TALLAHASSEE AND
NOTHING CAN GET DONE.
SO STATE WIDE THE DEMOCRATS ARE
VERY IMPORTANT.
AND SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS IN
AN EFFORT TO SUPPORT YOU, THERE
HAS BEEN SOME STUFF FLYING
AROUND AND YOU KNOW, SOME
TWEETS, SENATOR JASON PIZZO LETS
IT FLY REGULARLY AND HE HAS
BEEN.
AND THERE HAS BEEN SOME BACKLASH
AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WOULD
WEIGH IN ON THE STATE OF THE
ATMOSPHERE OF THIS RACE AND IF
YOU CONDONE THINGS LIKE THAT AND
SUPPORT THINGS LIKE THAT.
>> WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO FIRST
SAY I’M VERY GRATEFUL FOR
SENATOR PIZZO’S SUPPORT.
HE HAS BEEN VERY SPRORTIVE FROM
THE VERY BEGINNING.
AND AS FAR AS YOU KNOW WHAT WENT
ON LAST WEEK WITH THE PRESS
CONFERENCES AND WHAT YOU ARE
REFERRING TO, THE COMMENTS IN
THE POLITICAL ARTICLE, I THINK
THAT’S A CONVERSATION BETWEEN
TWO COLLEAGUES.
AND I THINK THERE ARE TWO GROWN
MEN THAT CAN HAVE THIS
CONVERSATION ABOUT THEIR
FEELINGS ABOUT EACH OTHER
BECAUSE I DON’T WANT IT TO
DISTRACT FROM THE FACT THAT WE
NEED SOMEONE IN OUR COMMUNITY TO
REPRESENT OUR COMMUNITY.
>> MISS GANT, THAT WILL BE THE
FINAL WORD.
WE ARE SO GLAD YOU WERE ABLE TO