Latest / Breaking The Meta / Jail Saved His Life. Now He's Running for Congress | Rob Cooper
Transcript
- Breaking The Meta: and welcome to Breaking the Meta. My name is Mike Winson. Today we are sitting down with Rob Cooper, who is running for Florida's District 6, US District 6 in Florida. Hello, Rob. How are you doing today? Hey, there you go. Rob Cooper: Living a dream. ⁓ Yeah, I'm very grateful to have an opportunity to chat with you, have an opportunity to be in this race. ⁓ Just a heart of gratitude. ⁓ Yeah, very grateful, but doing well. Breaking The Meta: Absolutely. Well, I appreciate you. Good. I appreciate you being willing to sit down and talk to us. ⁓ Could you start by, for people that don't know Florida, giving us an idea of what part of Florida is encompassed in District 6? Rob Cooper: So Congressional District 6 in the state of Florida is made up of, it's a big district. It's Volusia County, Flagler County, Putnam County, St. John's, parts of Marion County, parts of Lake. ⁓ And I'm probably skipping one and probably missing one, but it goes up, it's not always on the East Coast of Florida, but it... Breaking The Meta: You Okay. Rob Cooper: it borders some of that and then it goes goes up to St. John which is Tappan Duval and then stops right there so it's a very big district. A lot of rural area and then you get into the Daytona Beach and the Ormond Beach is very you know that's where it's getting metro ⁓ so ⁓ very big district. Breaking The Meta: Okay. Yep. Yeah. Yeah, I think sometimes people don't realize how big congressional districts are. We hear it and we go, ⁓ that's not too bad. And it's like, no, there's three quarters of a million people in each one of these districts. ⁓ And depending how rural your district is, it can be really big. ⁓ So let's start off by, if you wouldn't mind giving us a little background on just who you are. Rob Cooper: Yeah. Right, yeah Okay, ⁓ I was born in Long Island, New York and then raised in South Carolina moved to South Carolina when I was five years old and That's where I'm from a small town and it's called late view, South Carolina and Dillon County if you ever been up 95 Breaking The Meta: Yep. ⁓ okay. Rob Cooper: going north or south and you saw south of the border that's Dillon County ⁓ and so but very small town we knew everybody ⁓ everybody knew everybody and ⁓ great good people that's where I found service that's where I've learned how to I found community ⁓ you know and then when I was 17 graduated high school early and went off to the Marine Corps and that's when I got opened up to the world. So getting down to Parris Island, South Carolina and you know, they broke me down, built me back up and then leaving there took me to different places and so I went over to, ⁓ I went over to, got stationed in North Carolina for about a year and then I went to Japan. My first four years in the Marine Corps. Breaking The Meta: Yeah Mmm. Rob Cooper: I was at three duty stations and at three duty stations. And then I always kept coming back to North Carolina for some reason, know, Marine Corps don't have that many duty stations. and so I came back to North Carolina and then I got out in 2008 and I stayed up there. That's where my son is at. And so Jacksonville, North Carolina is, is, is always have a, have a special place in my heart. Breaking The Meta: Okay. Yeah. Rob Cooper: because that area raised me as a man. And then I met my wife and my wife now and then I moved down to Florida in 2015 and that's where I came down here and I'm a person that active and sustained recovery and I let that known because I don't know who may be watching this and that may be ⁓ some hope shot for them to say, look, you know, this guy. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Rob Cooper: He you know, he battles substance disorder, but he's running for office and then to is, know, ⁓ I you know, no one's perfect. No one's perfect. And we all make mistakes out there and we all go through things. But it doesn't have to keep you there. It doesn't have to keep you there. Your life doesn't end. And that's the great thing about America is that they give you America allows you to have second, third, fourth, fifth chances if you. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Rob Cooper: if you go down that path. And so I moved to Florida and, you know, came down here and I changed the environment, but didn't change the behavior and ⁓ got to some trouble. And I said seven months inside the inside of county jail. And was it and people probably if you're watching this, I'm going to say something you can be like, but it was the best thing for me. And because it was that I'm a man of faith, God had to take me out of. Breaking The Meta: Hmm. Hmm. Rob Cooper: that environment of that chaos and put me somewhere to get me still. And then he had to show me my future. And so when I got in there, God was saying, man, there's something different about you. And they were pulling it out. And God was using these people to pull this out of me. Hey, pull my purpose out. And they were like, hey, hey, you different. And then God sent somebody to me, this young man. And I'm still trying to find this young man because I want to hug him, shake his hand. Breaking The Meta: Yep. Hmm. Rob Cooper: And he said that that young man will sit at that day table with me every day in the break room and ask me questions about navigating on the outside and talking about different things. so and I was just being friendly, you know, talking to him. But he finally got released and he told me before he left, he said, hey, look, he said, think I got it. I said, all right, man, cool. You know, he said, I think I got it. And I was OK. He said, but look, do me a favor. I said, OK. He said, when you get out of here. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Hmm Rob Cooper: He said, you start something on the outside for people like us. And I'm like, okay, man. Yeah. Good luck out there. And he was like, no, no, no. He said, seriously, because you get us. And I said, okay. And I went to sleep that night and I had a dream. I was in a place and it was so many people coming in this room and I couldn't help them all. They just kept coming. It kept coming. And know, in jail, they wake up early in the morning. You got to eat that cereal at four o'clock. Breaking The Meta: You Yeah. Rob Cooper: And I woke up at four o'clock and ate that cereal and I waited for the phones to come on. And I got on the phone and I, and I called my, she's my little fiance at the time, but she's my wife now. And I said, Hey, I want to start something. I want to help people. so that's how our nonprofit started. Me and my wife started a nonprofit that we help people get onto a road to recovery from substance use. And we look at, and we look at their overall situation, not tell them how to do the recovery, but help them become productive members of society. Breaking The Meta: Mm. Yeah. Rob Cooper: And so been doing that for almost eight years now. And that grew from our kitchen table to serving nine counties. We have 25 employees that 25 team members that work for us. And then we had a pleasure of opening a program up in North Carolina, which I, I told God, said, once he gave me this and he had landed on me and I said, Hey, I said, once I get my life straight, I want to go back to that same area that I took from. And I want to be an asset. Breaking The Meta: Hmm. Rob Cooper: And so, and he, he, he did it. He, and so we opened a program up there. And so, and then, you know, one thing led to another. And how I got into politics, how I got into politics was I was sitting in my office one day and I was on this committee for a state organization and I was on the board and I was sitting on the advocacy committee and I was not paying attention to be honest with you. And I was sitting up there and They were advocating on a piece of legislation and they asked who were close to the Tallahassee. And they said, think Rob is. And they said, how far are you from Tallahassee? I'd never been to Tallahassee. And before that, was like, oh, two hours. You always say two hours, you know. And they were like, hey, can you go to Tallahassee on Monday? I'm like, sure. God, again, was showing me what was next. And so I walked, I got to Tallahassee, driving up I-10 and I was scared as all get out and Breaking The Meta: Yeah Yeah. Mm. Rob Cooper: ⁓ and walk through that metal detector and I got hit the elevator went up to the top floor where I had to speak in this committee and I walked out of that elevator and it just hit me and I felt I belong and, ⁓ and I got from, I got behind that, that podium and testified on that legislation and, and I could feel the weight of the people that was depending on me. I could feel it. Breaking The Meta: Mm. Yeah. Rob Cooper: And if you ever had that, it's a it's a I was so tired after that because I knew a lot of people were were depending on me to speak and say what he wanted me to say for the people. And when I finished that, people was like, hey, I saw you on the Florida Channel. This this this. And then a lot of people was like and I kept going up there, kept going up there. And then one of my great friends that's me and her friends, I took her up there. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Mm. Rob Cooper: And we were walking through the halls of Tallahassee and I was showing her different things and talking to legislators and people. People was looking at me and open and hold the door like I was a legislator and stuff like that. And she said, she said, ⁓ we're going to be. We're going to be politicians. And I looked at her, was like, no, she's like, we're going to be politicians. And so. ⁓ And that's how politics found me. That's how politics found me, because. Breaking The Meta: Wow. Rob Cooper: I've seen a lot of things in going to Tallahassee, going to DC, but I seen that the voice of the people are sometimes not there. And we need a voice for the people. And so that's why I'm in this race. That's why I'm running. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. That's awesome. ⁓ As you've walked or as you walk around your district and interact with people, what? ⁓ Rob Cooper: ⁓ First things first is I have noticed is whether I'm on a phone with a voter or if I'm out and about in the community at any event I feel I if they don't say that they're scared, but I can feel it people are fearful Okay, and then another thing is this is Breaking The Meta: What kind of stuff are the general pain points? What are the things that most people are talking to you about? Hmm. Rob Cooper: And I know affordability is in the news, but it's every person say, look, it's I'm being crunched by grocery prices, you know, property taxes. I have seen a lot. have I've been on the phone a lot in the last couple of weeks. And a lot of the voters in Florida are saying, hey, look, property taxes. And, you know, I was just talking to Lady Day and she's she's getting social care retirement. And she's saying, look, all my Breaking The Meta: Hmm. . Rob Cooper: All my social care retirement is going towards property tax. I'm 80 years old and I had to get another job. And luckily I got a job working for home that is not requiring me to leave the house. But I'm 80 and it's because property taxes. And then another thing is too, is that a lot of the voters that I come in contact with are upset with the some politicians that's representing them. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Mm. Yeah. Rob Cooper: OK, and it's upset with their behavior. It's the behavior. And so, ⁓ but I think those I think those three things that I just said are are at top of the voters that I have in contact with. Yeah. Breaking The Meta: Does your district, because I know I've talked to other people in Florida where homeowners insurance is also ⁓ really bad. Is that also a thing for your district? Yeah. Rob Cooper: Yeah, because they pushed their, you know, the governor pushed their other insurance companies out. Yeah. And so, ⁓ and there's some insurance company wanting to come in Florida because of what just happened, you know, after that. So that's a big thing. ⁓ property tax and home, home owner insurance. Breaking The Meta: Because you only got like one right now, right? Yeah. Yeah. One of the other things that I hear, regardless of the side of the aisle you're talking about, and regardless of whether you're talking state or federal, when it comes to our politicians is this idea of accountability or the lack thereof in terms of our elected officials. ⁓ So my question to you is, what does the idea of accountability mean to you? What does being held accountable by your constituents look like? Rob Cooper: It first starts with me is having a level of integrity, okay, that start with me and understanding that I represent it. Once I become elected, I represent all people in that district, no matter if you're Republican, Democratic, Independent, I represent all people in that district. And I had this question asked to me and it was from some young Dems. I was visiting some young Dems in one of the county and they asked me the same as that question. And I said, I expect you to hold me accountable. Breaking The Meta: Hmm? Rob Cooper: Because if you're not holding me accountable, then I can just go and be willy nilly and do what I want to do. And there's a level of accountability. Accountability is good, but a lot of people don't like accountability because you now you you are so you are coming to me and you are showing me my blind spots. And so the politician needs account. They they need accountability and. Breaking The Meta: Mm-hmm. Yeah. you Rob Cooper: If I say something or did something, I tell people now and I tell my great friends, say, have you ever seen me getting out of pocket? Call me and say, hey, you're getting out of pocket. You said this and that does not align with I know that doesn't allow what your values. So why are you saying this talking piece? Because that's what people are saying. And so that's where that accountability come in is because without accountability, we're just wild, wild Western. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. There is also a problem, whether or not it's actually a problem is definitely something that is arguable, but this idea of division and the regardless of I think there's an identity politics problem in it where I think we actually probably agree on more things than we're willing to admit there, but there is definitely some division and some issues between ⁓ at least farther on the left and right. What has your experience been like walking around and interacting with people that may tend to lean conservative in their voting in the past or their beliefs when they interact with you and find out you aren't a conservative? Rob Cooper: Oh, get all sorts of things and hang the phone up, screw you, explicit. Let me be honest with you and I'm say this is that I had somebody, we were doing our digital fundraising. I had somebody say, and we sent out mass texts and. Breaking The Meta: Mmm. Rob Cooper: And so I get to see the replies and I had somebody call me a racist slur and I would never vote for you. And I'm like, okay. And so, but that just tells me that that rhetoric and that division is really, really breaking this country apart. It is causing a wedge in between us as because I'm... Breaking The Meta: Hmm. Mm, yeah. Yeah. Yep. Rob Cooper: Human beings need community. We need to be social and we need to mingle with people from all walks of life. And that's what the break. That's what makes United States of America so awesome is I can sit down with you on a podcast and you don't look like me and we can agree to disagree, but I'm not going to sit there and disrespect you because it became a norm now. And that's the problem is we have as a society, we had normalized Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Rob Cooper: things that used to make people like, this is not right. And people don't stand up when it is in their face about calling people this, that, and the third, or just going against somebody for who they love or whatever. we have, and that's not right. That's not right because, know, and so, so I get that, but how do I handle that? Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rob Cooper: is this, okay, is as a young man, when I was about six years old, my dad taught me, said, you respect anybody because you respect the man, you respect the homeless person on the street because that person did never didn't do anything to you. So that'll give you a right to look down or do anything to that person. And I carried that. And if someone doesn't agree with me, but how I look or what I say or whatever, okay. Yes. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Hmm Rob Cooper: Yes, it may hurt me, but I just smile and I just keep on walking because it's all about, you know, moving on and living to fight another day because you never know when that person may need you. And I'm one of these people, I don't like the burden bridges because I never know when I may need that person. And so I'm just old school like that. I'm not going to change ⁓ because people are fearful. I see it in neighborhoods. People don't know who their neighbors. I know who my neighbor on the or right of me. I know who they are. my neighbor earlier, waved at her, hey, you know I'm running for Congress, right? Yeah. And my other neighbor that he's feel comfortable with me as a black man to say, hey, we about to go off. Can you watch my house? And that's the America I grew up in. That's not this that we see today is that it's... Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ Rob Cooper: Everybody's so scared. then, you're leftist and you're you're MAGA, you dis you that the third or whatever. We all United States citizens and we can agree to disagree, but it doesn't have to go to the level of where it is now. People losing their life because I don't agree with you. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. I think one of the things that you said that just makes me one of the things that reminds me of a thing that I always say is we've lost the ability to have real conversations. Agree to disagree is OK, but there's a level of fundamentals that we have lost that we share. As you've said, you and I can completely disagree, but I think one thing that we have is we have an understanding that fundamentals, we have similar fundamentals. And that's where debate is a thing now, not conversation. And that is a problem. ⁓ Rob Cooper: Yes. Right. Right. Mm-hmm. Right. Breaking The Meta: So one of the other things that has been a pretty constant problem in the United States, especially over the last year, is our place on the world stage. For the last 80 years, we have been at the head of the seat, the head of the table. And in one year, this president has systematically destroyed that place at the table, whether you're talking tariffs or Greenland or Venezuela or Rob Cooper: Yeah. Breaking The Meta: talking about leaving NATO or leaving the WHO or just a myriad of other things. Regardless of what he thinks, there's a lack of trust from these people that used to be considered our allies. And that is not something that we're going to be able to just snap our fingers and get back. So how do you see America's place on the world stage going forward from here? Rob Cooper: Right. Yeah. It breaks my heart to see that our allies are not comfortable with us sitting at the table. Being in the military, I had a chance of being serving in Iraq and being over there with different forces. they have our back. They have our back. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Rob Cooper: you know, and then going to serve in different countries. And, you know, I can remember going to be stationed in Japan and, you know, we were taught that you don't go over and embarrass America. Don't go over and make a mockery of America. You go over there as a service member and, you know, and this is their country. Don't go over there and try to take over their country and don't go over and do something that's going to put a stain on us and this country. And so Breaking The Meta: Mm-hmm. Hmm. Rob Cooper: And then two is that a lot of the, you know, going to different countries and they see Americans, they are like ecstatic to see us because a lot of these countries want what we have is that democracy that's shaken. so I think that we have to really, really, really get back to getting our allies back to the table. Breaking The Meta: Mm hmm. Yep. Rob Cooper: and being great part, we have to be great partners and making sure because if something pop off, it's we're we depend on those other countries. We depend on those other countries. was listening to somebody I can't think of who I was listening to. And it was this. It's a it's a it's a member of Congress. They were talking about, you know, going and serving with the at a British and how that it was Senator Duckworth, she was talking about when her plane went down and the British came and got her. And so, and that's what it's about is, you know, if, yes, United States is powerful and strong, but we can't do it all. We got to have those other countries to aid us and help us. And so if we are being bullies, then, you know, Breaking The Meta: Yep. Yeah. Nope. Yep. Yep. Rob Cooper: I don't want to see that day when something pops off and they're like, nope. No. And that's what we did with Ukraine is that we came to the rescue because truth be told, were service members. If people don't remember, service members was training in Ukraine for a long time because I had some some military friends that were taking deployments to Ukraine and training over there with their military. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Rob Cooper: And so in our armed service do a lot of joint training with other countries. And so we have to be, you know, and they look at us as the big kids on the playground. They they really do. And we have to be good stewards and we have to be better friends. And so and so it makes me cringe to see ⁓ what this administration is doing when it comes to NATO and and and. trying to break that alliance up. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. I want to do a little future casting. So let's say you get through the primaries. November 3rd comes along. Rob Cooper wins. Congratulations. We get to January 2nd. You are sworn in as representative of the 6th District of Florida. What are the first things that you do? Rob Cooper: First thing that I'm gonna do, this is, I got my wife sitting right here. First thing I said I'm gonna do is I'm gonna get all the big builders in a room. And I'm a try my darndest to get all the CEOs of the big builder companies in a room that has been building up in this district. And I want to sit down with them and I want to have a conversation and say, Hey, look, have you ever thought about some, some type of affordable housing where people can get into these homes because you are massively building in every part of this state of Florida and you have been out pricing people to become first time home buyers. Breaking The Meta: Mm. Yeah. Yeah. Rob Cooper: and you know, and so that's going to be the first thing that I want to do. then second thing that I want to do is I want to go meet with the secretary of social care administration and, the secretary of VA. And I want to talk with them and I want to have a conversation if they would meet with me. I'm a freshman in college. Like screw you, you know, but I'm going to run them down. I want to have the conversation because we have to do something about this cola where Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Yeah. Rob Cooper: our seniors that's on social care retirement that is not enough and that cost of living allowance that they get every year is not matching with the inflation, is not matching with that. And so we need to talk about that. And then I want to see how we can strengthen community stuff for our veterans ⁓ because I'm a vet and I love going to the VA to be around other vets. But when you get back to the community, some of us don't feel a part. Breaking The Meta: No. Yeah. Yeah. Rob Cooper: and everybody don't want to go to the VFW. Everybody don't. So we need to have some more stuff in communities where vets are leaving it for other vets. ⁓ So those are my top three priorities. Breaking The Meta: ⁓ For everyone that has listened this far and heard everything that we have set up until this point, what are one or two things that no matter what you would want to make sure that they come away with knowing about you and your campaign? Rob Cooper: So it's y'all, I'm just, first of all, I'm grateful to have this opportunity to run for office. ⁓ I feel that ⁓ this is bigger than me. I really do. This is not about somebody has and I'm gonna be honest, somebody been praying for somebody like me to step up and run for office. And I love people. ⁓ And ⁓ I'm doing this because ⁓ I want to see a change. want to be in the sea of change. Sometimes I have to start with with with the person and I want to see a change and I want that. I look back at the generation behind me. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Rob Cooper: And I care about them behind me. And I want to make sure that they are able to, you know, have a pathway to a better future. so, and then is this that just ordinary guy. I'm not, I'm not a politician. I'm one of you and I'm, I am. I, but I love people. love people. And so, ⁓ but, ⁓ you can follow my campaign at Rob Cooper for congress.com. Breaking The Meta: Sure. Yeah. Yup, gotta do it. Rob Cooper: You know, we always got to that plug in there, robcooperfromconverse.com. And so, and learn more about me. ⁓ You know, I say that I'm doing the work. I'm doing the work. I work with the underserved. I work with, it's not just the underserved. I work with all people that may have a struggle in their life and need a help up, not a handout. And so, and that's what I want to do as a congressman is help the people that's fighting and fight along right beside them. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Rob, thank you for spending some time and letting us get to know you and what you hope to do for the people of your district. I appreciate it. Rob Cooper: Thank you. Thank you having me. Breaking The Meta: Yeah, absolutely. ⁓ And for everyone listening, thank you so much for listening this far, please hit all the buttons down below, like subscribe, all that stuff, it makes it possible for me to keep doing what I'm doing. And one of the things that I'm doing is trying to speak with as many progressives like Rob, who want to change things who aren't taking corporate money who want to fix all the problems that we keep talking about again and again and again year after year after year. Because of that, need things like visibility and name recognition. They need the kind of stuff that people with millions of dollars get a little bit easier because they can just throw money at it. So please watch this video, share it out with people, especially if you know people in the sixth district of Florida, but to anybody, because the more people watch it, the more name recognition, the more chance someone in Rob's district will be able to see this and help get his name out there and make it more possible to get the change that we're looking for. And for everyone who doesn't know about this podcast, just know that Breaking the Meta is about having hard conversations when necessary, fighting to break the status quo, and the idea that all people, no matter your race, religion, gender, or identity, deserve rights, respect, dignity, and safety. Again, Rob, thank you so much for being here, and for everyone else, we'll see you next time on Breaking the Meta. Bye, guys.