Morning Joe tried to get viewers’ tears flowing for democracy on Tuesday by bringing on Florida state attorney, Democrat, and lefty-caterer Andrew Warren. Warren was recently suspended by Governor Ron DeSantis for refusing “to enforce Florida's 15-week ban on abortion and gender-affirming care.” Warren’s response? Acting like a free-speech martyr and calling DeSantis a “wannabe dictator,” and the MSNBC cast was fine with it.
Co-host Mika Brzezinski started this pity-fest off by reading a piece of Warren’s recent op-ed in the Miami Herald:
DeSantis suspended me for no greater cause than blind political ambition. The governor's illegal action is unwarranted and unconstitutional, it is a blatant abuse of power by a Republican governor, intent on governor intent on gaining national attention from the most extreme members of his own party as he looks to run for president in 2024. For DeSantis this is all political theater—let's look tough and kick out of office a prosecutor who is a Democrat and who has embraced effective criminal justice policies he doesn't like.
She then asked him, “is Ron DeSantis a threat to democracy overall? And how do you make this not personal between the two of you?” Warren responded by wildly accusing DeSantis of “waging a war on free speech,” and everyone should be “worried.”
“Think about the groups that DeSantis has already attacked for speaking out against him,” Warren cried out. “First it was businesses, then teachers, now public servants? Who is next?” he nervously questioned, concluding that the “so-called free state of Florida” does not “feel very free to a lot of us.”
So, Warren and the minority of people he is clearly kissing up to do not feel free, all because they cannot kill unborn children, or groom young and impressionable children by encouraging them to (seemingly) change their gender.
Host of MSNBC’s Way Too Early Jonathan Lemire added more fuel to this tiny fire by asking Warren how he’s going to combat this “unlawful” suspension and was concerned DeSantis would “get away with this.”
Warren stated that he will fight “vigorously in the courts and in the Senate.” He even warned that what DeSantis did to him can happen to anyone in the “years to come," and tried to portray himself as a selfless hero by saying “again, keep in mind it is not just about me, this is about democracy.” And because this is about democracy, he and his team have “had so many people come to our aid.” He even hawked his website.
He also had fighting words to conclude his monologue, saying “this is a fight for democracy, a fight to preserve the integrity of our elections, a fight for free speech, to make sure that we have the freedoms in Florida and are not subject to the tyrannical rule of a wannabe dictator.”
This example of lefty-catering was proudly sponsored by Trivago and The Farmer's Dog.
Click "expand" for the full transcript of this segment.
MSNBC’s Morning Joe
August 9, 2022
9:49:17 a.m. EasternMIKA BRZEZINSKI: Our next guest is a twice-elected state attorney who was suspended by Governor Ron DeSantis after he refused to enforce Florida's 15-week ban on abortion and gender affirming care. He's now vowing not to go down without a fight. Taking aim at the Florida governor's actions and speaking out against these laws that aren't even on the books yet, including criminalizing gender affirming health care. Joining us now, the recently suspended State Attorney for Hillsborough County, Florida, Andrew Warren. Thanks for joining us this morning.
ANDREW WARREN: Of course, thanks for having me.
BRZEZINSKI: Let me start by reading part of your op-ed for the Miami Herald. You do not mince words here. You say, “DeSantis suspended me for no greater cause than blind political ambition. The governor's illegal action is unwarranted and unconstitutional, it is a blatant abuse of power by a Republican governor, intent on governor intent on gaining national attention from the most extreme members of his own party as he looks to run for president in 2024. For DeSantis this is all political theater—let's look tough and kick out of office a prosecutor who is a Democrat and who has embraced effective criminal justice policies he doesn't like.”
You go on to write, “As DeSantis plays presidential politics, he is playing with fire in undermining democracy in Florida by trampling over constitutional rights and the will of the voters.” Is Ron DeSantis a threat to democracy overall? And how do you make this not personal between the two of you?
WARREN: Well it's not personal, I mean—and this is about many more people than me. This isn't about one elected official being suspended, this is the overthrow of democracy in Hillsborough County and in Florida.
I mean, let’s look at what he did. He’s waging a war on free speech, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican or neither, everybody should be outraged, and everybody should be worried too. Think about the groups that DeSantis has already attacked for speaking out against him. First it was businesses, then teachers, now public servants? Who is next? I mean, the Governor likes to brag about the so-called free state of Florida, but it sure doesn't feel very free to a lot of us.
BRZEZINSKI: Jonathan Lemire?
JONATHAN LEMIRE: Andrew, good morning, thanks for being here. So walk us through—what are the next steps here? Obviously you’ve more than registered the disapproval in the op-ed but what are the concrete— legal options, political ones that you can use in the days ahead?
WARREN: Well we are going to fight this illegal order, and we’re going to fight vigorously in the courts and in the Senate where this is likely to end up as well. But, again, keep in mind it is not just about me, this is about democracy. This has the potential to affect every single elected official, Democrat and Republican in Florida, not just today, for years to come.
And that's why we’ve had so many people come to our aid and support us at andrewwarrenfl.com. Because they know that this is a fight for democracy, a fight to preserve the integrity of our elections, a fight for free speech, to make sure that we have the freedoms in Florida and are not subject to the tyrannical rule of a wannabe dictator.
LEMIRE: Alright, well those are certainly strong words there, and obviously Governor DeSantis running for reelection, but widely rumored to have wider and larger political ambitions eyeing the White House, potentially as soon as 2024. So, talk to us about what sort of template this would set for him and the rest of the country, were he able to get away with this.
WARREN: Well it is just a blatant abuse of power. And he is abusing his power to further his own political ambitions, because he has this obsession with running for president, to out-Trumping Trump or both, but he’s abusing his power in a way to violate the most fundamental sacred aspect of our democracy, the fact that people's vote matters, that the people get to elect their elected officials. I mean—even my 8-year-old understands that, that’s how democracy works.
So what DeSantis is doing here is undermining the fabric and the framework of our democracy.
