Woman who yelled at Gov. Rick Scott explains her actions
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A video has gone viral after a woman’s heated coffee shop confrontation with Florida Governor Rick Scott in downtown Gainesville.
A man named Stephen Bender posted the video on both Facebook and YouTube Tuesday, saying the woman, named Cara Jennings, let the governor know how she felt about his opposition to Medicaid expansion and his stance on women’s health care.
“You cut Medicaid, so I couldn’t get Obama Care. You’re an a**hole. You don’t care about working people,” she’s heard yelling in the middle of the busy Starbucks. “You don’t care about working people. You should be ashamed to show your face around here.”
Gov. Scott replied by saying the state has gained a million jobs, but she wasn’t impressed.
“A million jobs? Great. Who here has a great job, or is looking forward to finishing school?,” she scoffed, questioning the quality of the opportunities he spoke of.
"In the moment, I was feeling the anger, the upsetment, the frustration that women across this state feel with the passage of this horrible bill," Jennings told FOX 35.
In the video, Jennings went on to mention her feelings on House Bill 1411, which he signed into law last month. The law, which goes into effect July 1, will bar the sale or transfer of fetal tissue, and increase the penalty for improperly disposing of fetal tissue. It will also require annual inspections of abortion clinics and doctors who perform abortions to maintain admitting privileges at a local hospital.
"I yelled at the governor, because his bill is impacting my life, and the lives of other women in the state," she later explained.
The governor didn’t say anything else, and instead, left the shop without even waiting for his coffee. His aides tried to diffuse the situation. “You’re an embarrassment to the state,” Jennings said as his people followed him out the door.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Scott sent a statement to FOX 35, which read, "A self-proclaimed anarchist rudely yelled and cursed at the Governor. It's a free country, but its not at all surprising that an anarchist doesn't like government leaders and prefers shouting over conversation."
Jennings - who identifies herself online as a community activist and a former City Commissioner of Lake Worth, Florida, later posted a link to the video on her Facebook timeline.
The YouTube video had nearly 100,000 views within hours.
Information taken from WTVT-TV, http://www.fox13news.com/