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David Pakman: Republican Congressman from Florida Allen West has called Debbie Wasserman-Schultz,
Democrat from Florida, "vile". He's also said she has proven she isn't "a lady". To figure
it all out is Franco Ripple, Vice President of Communications for the Florida Young Democrats.
Hey, Franco, thanks for joining us.
Franco Ripple: David, thanks for having me on the show.
David: So what's going on down in Florida? My sense is we should not be surprised that
Allen West appears to be a misogynist, of course, just one more think onto his incredible
list of quotes that we've seen over the last couple of years. He's not apologizing for
the time being, Republicans basically saying let's talk about the debt ceiling instead
of fights between members of Congress. What is it like on the ground in Florida?
Ripple: Well, first of all, you're absolutely right that the list of insane, crazy, very
quotable statements by Congressman West goes well back to his time as a candidate, including
his 2006... I'm sorry, his 2008 campaign to unseat former Congressman Ron Klein.
I think the sense here is that, you know, there's no hiding that there's long been a
rift between these two. This actually goes back as far as the end of last year's campaign,
when Congresswoman Wasserman-Schultz attended, some say organized, others say attended, we'll
go with attended, a rally, a protest outside then-candidate Allen West's campaign office,
the reason being he had some articles or interviews in a biker magazine that had what many considered
to be misogynistic photos and language directed towards women.
And so... and he referenced that, Congressman West, in his email that he sent to Congresswoman
Wasserman-Schultz copying I believe it was Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor about going
back to his offense that he took at her organizing or attending this rally. So this is a longstanding
disagreement that finally boiled over into the public arena.
David: You know, I don't think it would be out of line just to ask Congressman West to
clarify his position on having women in Congress, period. I mean, am I crazy just to want to
hear a clear statement on that from him?
Ripple: No, you're not crazy on that, and here's the reason why. You know, I was talking
with a conservative earlier today who was saying well, you know, she's been goating
him in public for his entire time both as a candidate and a member of Congress, and
he's been private about his feelings, and now it's finally spilled over, but you know
what? This isn't about... at the heart of it, it's not about even who said what to whom,
although certainly the things that he had to say were pretty disgusting, that you shouldn't
say to any woman, let alone the member of Congress not only in your neighboring district,
but who actually represents you, because funny twist to this is that Allen West does not
live in the district that he represents, the 22nd District, he actually lives in the 20th,
which, of course, is Congresswoman Wasserman-Schultz's.
So, you know, the bigger point here is that no one should be talked to this way, but more
importantly, it's his votes. It's how he's voted on women's issues, from limiting access
to responsible family planning to cutting college grants when we know more women than
ever are going to college. So it's, really, it's his awful voting record more than anything
else.
David: Yeah, I think if the Democrats were smart, and they often aren't, it would be
time to just ask for a full statement from his office on his position on women serving
in high elected office. I think it would be interesting to see that. Obviously he would
never release one, but if... just him releasing one in and of itself would just be a big story.
You know, the broader thing here that I'm also thinking of is this idea that when there's
a topic that comes up that's just inconvenient for Republicans, they say listen, the debt,
we should only be talking about the debt, because that's unresolved.
We're seeing it with Michele Bachmann. It turns out that she may be involved... she's
a partner in a clinic in Minnesota that is practicing reparative therapy, basically saying
you can pray away the gay.
Ripple: Right.
David: And when she's asked about it, she says you know, I'm running for president,
and the debt and jobs are a problem. And we're hearing the same thing anytime something inconvenient
for Republicans comes up. Could this be an effective strategy through 2012, or eventually
will Republicans have to address issues other than the debt?
Ripple: Well, you know, that's a really excellent point. And these current crop of contenders,
I hate to even call Michele Bachmann and the like presidential contenders...
David: Yeah.
Ripple: ... it's boggling to the mind, but this goes well back to, you know, you go to
Rudy Giuliani, who Joe Biden famously said about him in debate, Rudy Giuliani is a noun,
a verb, and 9/11.
David: Right.
Ripple: So this goes well back to the Southern Strategy and so on, really focusing on, harping,
in fact, on one issue to the exclusion of all others.
But I think independent voters, we know that both parties are going to get their bases
out. We know that. And I think that the president's fundraising numbers in this first quarter
that we just saw really I think should allay a lot of fears about the base not showing
up. Donors and voters are very different, obviously, but to have five times the number
of voters... or, donors that Bush/Cheney did in the same quarter in 2003 should really
say an awful lot. So that means...
David: No, those are huge numbers. Those are huge numbers, and Florida will be a big part
of it, so we'll definitely check in with you again as we close in on the election. Franco
Ripple, Vice President of Communications for the Florida Young Democrats. Talk to you soon,
Franco.
Ripple: David, thanks very much.
Transcript provided by Alex Wickersham and www.Subscriptorium.com. For transcripts, translations,
captions, and subtitles, or for more information, visit www.Subscriptorium.com, or contact Alex
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