Latest / Breaking The Meta / "I'm Not Nice." Meet the Michigan Senate Candidate Taking on a MAGA Sheriff | Rebecca Amidon SD-32
Transcript
- Breaking The Meta: Hello everyone and welcome to Breaking the Meta. My name is Mike Winson. Today we are sitting down with Rebecca Amidon who is running for Michigan's State Senate seat District 32. Hello, how are you doing today? Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Great, thanks so much for having me. Breaking The Meta: Absolutely. I'm excited to ⁓ find out what you hope to do for your district. So to start out, if you wouldn't mind telling me how a professor and a mom decided I'm going to run for a state Senate seat. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Yeah, you know, I had a 20 year plan. State Senate didn't fall until about year 10. I was going to run for school board in a couple of years when my youngest went to school. Yes. Yeah. You know what happened, I think was just a series of events that led me to saying, no, it's now. It's now. ⁓ Breaking The Meta: So really that's true. were actually had that in your... ⁓ okay. There you go. Did those events start in 2024? Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: think they've been compiling for a while, but I think the volcano finally erupted after keep it, you ⁓ my family, went through a job loss. My daughter had some medically complicated issues. ⁓ So we were navigating the system, trying to figure out Medicaid, food stamps, ⁓ WIC, ⁓ trying to get my daughter the things that she needed for her situation. And then in the state of Michigan, Breaking The Meta: Hmm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: They discontinued a certain grant funding for in the school budget that had to do with, it's called Great Start Collaborative, which is what really built that community for toddlers and babies that helped educational type stuff for moms. And they got rid of that completely. And then they started talking about taking away the free breakfast and lunch program. Cause in the state of Michigan, Breaking The Meta: Yep. ⁓ wow. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Every child, no matter the parent's income, you get free breakfast and lunch. We also have a free preschool for every single Michigander. And they were talking about getting rid of that. And I said, hold my beer. I'm no, this, this has been enough. I'm not going to sit here and watch everything get stripped away. I'm not going to sit here while these programs are so complicated to figure out. Like it's a full-time job to try to apply to all these things that you might need. ⁓ you know, I think a lot of times. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: People assume that food stamps and Medicaid and those types of things are for people who've always needed it, but it's also for families like my family, who you never know when you might need it, you don't know. We're all one car crash, one medical emergency away from losing everything. So it is a safety net for people like us. And we only needed it for a short time. My husband got another job, we are fine. But Americans need to change their perception. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: on what those programs are that they're there for everyone and they are really important. And so a lot of my platform, my issues, they have to do with children and families because I am tired as a mom of sitting here and watching children and moms issues, family issues, never be properly represented in Lansing or in DC for that matter because those seats aren't built for people like me to be able to run. Breaking The Meta: Mmm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: And I said, watch me, watch me because I'm not going to let my kids grow up and fight the same fight that I am fighting right now. I'm not going to let them grow up and drown in student loan debt. I'm not going to let my daughter grow up and have a baby in a hospital and not be able to afford those hospital bills. And I'm not going to let her grow up and then have to stay home and quit her career. So, cause she can't afford childcare. I'm just not gonna do it, it's stupid. The system is stupid and I don't know how long it's gonna take me, but I'm gonna fix it for my daughter and for everyone's daughters. Breaking The Meta: Well, thank you, as someone with a daughter as well. ⁓ So obviously, as someone who lives in Manistee National Forest with two little kids, ⁓ that I'm assuming is a very rural area of Michigan. So with everything that has gone on in this country involving rural health care and things of that nature, what Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: I do. It is. Breaking The Meta: What is day-to-day life for people that live in District 32, especially when it comes to healthcare and clean water and all that other stuff? Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Yeah. So let me make one of my favorite jokes. Let me pull my Michigan joke. Let me pull my map out. It's right here. This is the state of Michigan. ⁓ So my district is very interesting. It's right down the lake shore, five counties. Okay. The Northern four counties, very rural, so rural. And then you get to Muskegon and you have the city of Muskegon and that is where the majority of the voters are. However, as their future Senator, I represent Breaking The Meta: Okay. Okay. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: everyone. Okay, so we've got rural and then city needs and yes there's some overlap there but they're very different needs. So in five counties how many hospitals do you think there are that have a labor and delivery ward in five counties? Breaking The Meta: Well, being that you asked me that question and I know what America is like right now, I'm going to guess like one. Two. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: There's two. So there's one in Muskegon. There's one in Ludington. However, the one in Ludington does not even have a NICU. So my first son needed a NICU. The last thing you want when you've gone through a delivery is to now be separated and your baby be airlifted, separated from you to be taken to another hospital. So where I'm at, the closest hospital to have a baby is an hour away. So Breaking The Meta: Mm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Hey, guess what? Babies don't come on a schedule. They come when they want. I know someone personally who has had a baby on the side of the road because they couldn't get there fast enough. know somebody that tried to have a home birth that it didn't work out. They had to be rushed to a hospital, rushed because remember they're an hour away. And there are people within the district that they are further than an hour away. And there was a statistic that came out in Manistee County a few years back that Breaking The Meta: Exactly. Yeah. Mm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Less than half of pregnant women in Manatee County received prenatal services, which means they didn't have the transportation to get to an OBGYN to do the prenatal care. ⁓ They didn't have the money. There's no Uber here. There's no taxi service here. So you're kind of on your own there. So there's very different needs when it comes to rural. and the city needs and it's my job to make sure that I properly understand all of them and that I can advocate in that way. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. When you go around and you're talking to people in your district, what are the things that you hear most from them that are just constantly on your mind past the obvious one that we just talked about being the healthcare problem? Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Well, yes, healthcare is big. ⁓ and I'm going to touch on a couple of things that I hear a lot. So I hear a lot about healthcare, ⁓ you know, and that's a state and a federal issue. Funding for the state. There's not a ton I can do at the federal level. Wish there was give me time. There's term limits in Michigan, 12 years. So, all right. yeah. ⁓ and you know, so at the state level, Michigan does have a bill that they've tried. Breaking The Meta: There you go. Working your way up. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: to get past multiple times, ⁓ it's getting speed. People are finding more out about it. And it's a universal healthcare ⁓ program for every single Michigander called MyCare. And I think it's a great plan. However, it's a long-term plan. Something like that, it's gonna take about 10 years to roll it out properly. So that's a long-term plan. We need better short-term plans. ⁓ So healthcare is... I'd like to see more funding allocated for rural communities. I would also like to see ⁓ more assistance for low-income people, whether you're in an urban area or a rural area, that you have the transportation that you need, that you have the specialty care that you need. Zooming your doctor appointments, sure, that's great. Telehealth is great. ⁓ Breaking The Meta: Mm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: a perfect fit for every situation. We have a lot of seniors that even if they do live in the city, well, maybe they don't know how to navigate the public transportation or if they're in the more rural areas, maybe ⁓ they don't even know who to call to take them an hour away so they can see their neurologist or their ortho doctor. So I'd like to see more money allocated for that specific ⁓ type of need when it comes to getting to healthcare services. Breaking The Meta: Mm-hmm. Mm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Some other things that I hear a lot is childcare. I hear it a lot. And the state of Michigan loses 2.9 billion with a B every single year due to the childcare crisis. So even if you don't have children, this is a huge issue that impacts everyone. It's an economic issue. It's a policy issue, not a family issue. Because when I pay my taxes, I do expect a return on investment. That's not a handout I'm asking for. That's what's my ROI. Okay. Breaking The Meta: Wow. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: ⁓ So I would love to see some type of universal child care program implemented in Michigan, just the same as New Mexico has done, just the same as they're talking about in New York City. ⁓ Some people think, ⁓ man, how could we ever do that? ⁓ We can, and we will, and we will. It's about changing people's ⁓ perception about what we expect from our government at the state and the federal level. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. One of the things that I hear a lot from people that I that I talk to that is an extreme frustration, and it doesn't matter whether you're talking about someone who's a conservative or a progressive, is this idea of accountability or the lack thereof when it comes to our representatives. So my question to you is what what does accountability look like to you and what does being held accountable by your district look like? Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: I think it's important for voters to know and remember that how someone runs their campaign is how they're going to operate when they're in office. So we have a big problem in Michigan with both Republicans and Democrats taking money from utility companies, specifically our electric companies. We have two here, DTE and consumers. ⁓ And once you take money like that ⁓ from PACS, backed by these utility companies, you are no longer even able to represent the people you're now representing those companies. And ⁓ I'm a candidate for the people. ⁓ You know, this is the first time I've ever ran for office. I don't have a voting history. ⁓ I'm a teacher. I'm an adjunct professor, okay, and a mom. That's who I'm here to represent is the people of Michigan. So it's holding our elected officials accountable in that way. And also, who are you willing to vote for? Are you trying to vote for somebody who's nice and smiles and says the right things and holds their tongue? Because we sit here and we watch the destruction happening. We watch what we're losing, what's being cut. you know, when, you know, I know I'm running for the state, but an example is at the federal level when the Democrats were trying to hold out for those extended health care subsidies. And they rolled over and they said, tried. Well, why did you elect those weak people into office? Why don't you elect someone who's a fighter, who you know is going to go and it's going to call people out on their BS and who's going to stand up and not worry about saying the right thing all the time. It's so we have to be as voters. We have to be held accountable to, to who we are electing into office. What kinds of standard are we asking our candidates to be held to? Breaking The Meta: Mm-hmm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Do you want me to be nice and smile? Because I did have a man tell me that a couple of days ago, that ⁓ I would have better success if I talked less and I was nicer. And I said, but I'm not nice. Breaking The Meta: You ⁓ gosh. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: So who do you, who do we, and I say we, cause I'm a voter, okay? I'm a teacher. Who are we willing to elect? And right now the moment calls for us to elect people who have a spine, who have a backbone. And that's how we, that's how we hold people accountable. And that's how I expect to be held accountable to by people that will vote for me is that I swear to you that I will stand up for what we deserve. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Not what we want, what we deserve. Cause we've been brainwashed as Americans that, if I, if I want universal healthcare and childcare, ⁓ that's not American, that's socialism. No, you've been brainwashed sweetheart. Okay. It's too, if I want to raise our quality of life here, that doesn't mean I'm un-American. It means I'm expecting a return on my investment when I pay my taxes. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. So to go along with that, because that actually works perfectly with my next question, which is ⁓ you've positioned yourself as a problem solver. And what does that look like in a state legislature where there are a lot of different ideas on how things should be done? Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Yeah, and there's a lot of different ideas in Lansing and the Michigan State Legislature on how things should be done and what should be funded and what shouldn't. You think that this chaos and this dumpster fires at the federal level, but I can assure you that sewage is leaking down into Lansing. We've got a speaker of the house right now that I like to call him, T-Mu Trump. If Trump says it, he's gonna parrot it because... That's what you do when you don't have your own personality, right? He thinks that that's what people want and that's what he stomps around and acts like, a little petulant child. So we've got the same problems here in the Lansing legislature. And I'm gonna be honest with you, I haven't always been a Democrat my whole life. I was raised in Indiana ⁓ in a very Christian nationalist type of environment. And... It's how I was raised, but you know what? I was raised with the teachings of Jesus Christ and ⁓ things started not matching up. They started not matching up. And so I definitely made a change. You know, I saw Trump, it took about 10 minutes for me to realize, oops, no thank you. ⁓ So, you know, I made that change and, know, I'd like to in the future come out and really tell what that transition and that story is. Cause I think a lot of people are experiencing right now. And I think I could help. by sharing my story and what that looked like, you know, with family, with friends, ⁓ that kind of thing. ⁓ But I think that that gives me a very interesting ⁓ background in how to have and navigate difficult conversations with people that believe differently than you or I might. ⁓ So it kind of allows me to maybe understand or see why they're, why they. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: feel that way. Like what has happened to them that has made them see this situation? You know, we saw a lot of things happen over the past year with the ICE officer ⁓ with pretty and good. ⁓ And we all saw the same videos, right? And we all took away very different things from that. Breaking The Meta: Well, 99 % of us probably all saw the same video. There's definitely a few people that I don't think saw the same video. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Yeah. So we all saw the same video and we all walked away with different conclusions. And it's all based on everyone's individual life experiences, on the rhetoric they hear every day, all those things, that schemata of each person's individual life is what has allowed us now to draw different conclusions when we all see the same thing. And I think that my experiences, my Because, you know, I've been into politics since I was in high school. I did the page program at the Indianapolis State House when I was 17 years old. So I've kind of lived in this realm for ⁓ quite a few years. I'm 38 now. Don't tell anyone. Just kidding. Just you, me, and everybody watching. Okay. So I've been in this realm for a while. I've seen both sides. So I would hope that that experience, it helps me to navigate those conversations and know when to stop. When is it time to walk away? Breaking The Meta: Okay. It was just between you and me. Exactly. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: When is the conversation getting too heated where we're not going to make any progress? You know, I've got, I actually have endorsements for my campaign right now from Republicans. And how did I do that? Because when I navigate those conversations, I know to focus on what, do we have in common and what can we bring to the table that we can work on together? What topics should we avoid? Cause you know, there are, there are some Republicans, they're just too far, right. And they are not willing. Breaking The Meta: Mm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: to come to the table, but there are some. And when they come, ⁓ we don't want to set each other off. We want to focus on what do we have in common? What can we get done together? Yeah, there's things we don't agree on and we should work on those. But first, let's work on what we can do together. And that's how I've gotten those endorsements. Breaking The Meta: So how has the last year and gosh, it's only been about a year and two months, which is wild. How is the last year and two months of this administration and everything that he has done everywhere, how has that affected your interactions in general with people that have been either historically conservative or still are conservative ⁓ in your district? Do you feel like it's opened some more doors to conversation that may not have been there before? Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: It has, it definitely has. And I'm a different kind of Democrat. You know, I'm part of the Manistee Women's Pistol League. I'm a firearm owner. However, my son takes a bulletproof backpack to school because I'm not naive to the dangers of firearms and I advocate for responsible firearm ownership. So, you know, no Republican can say she's going to take our guns because maybe I got a closet full. Breaking The Meta: Mm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Me, not my husband. was raised by a Vietnam vet. Okay. We don't mess around. So being a different kind of Democrat and with the things that have happened at the federal level, there are Republicans that are not happy with what's going on and they are also nervous to vote for a Democrat. So, you know, we've got different strategies. I go to coffee with a lot of Republican moms. You know, I'm in a, I'm in a Breaking The Meta: There you go. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: an election with four, there's four of us. So three of them are men and there's me. And so what do I have that they don't? A mom and I'm kids and I can relate to an entire group of people that they cannot. And so I sit down with them. tell them, ⁓ you know, I don't always feel like my kid is safe at school. I don't think that our schools are properly funded. I think they've been strangled to death. And then they point at them and say, say they don't work. No, they could work. You killed it. Okay. So that's why I advocate for. Breaking The Meta: Hehehehe Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: ⁓ public schools, not because I think they're great, because I can see what they could be. Also, ⁓ you know, I run a nonprofit in Manatee County with ⁓ some other people and it is the main group that it works with is homeschooled families. And so historically Republicans are who support homeschooling, but I support all forms of education, whatever's best for the child's needs. So ⁓ that also kind of helps me ⁓ bridge the gap to people who are Republicans who are just uncomfortable with what's going on. And it doesn't matter, a lot of these issues, it doesn't matter if you're a Republican or Democrat. That's one thing that's like really wrong with our country right now is we've, we're so polarized and we've made everything partisan when it doesn't need to be. Healthcare is not partisan, childcare is not partisan. ⁓ You know, it's... Breaking The Meta: Yep, yep. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Everyone goes to school. Everyone goes to public school. Everyone goes to school. If you're a kid, it doesn't matter which way your parents vote. So a lot of that, I've been, when people come to me and they're concerned about something, they're uncomfortable about voting for this person, person, I try to talk about things that we're all concerned about this. It doesn't matter if you're red or blue, because guess what? People are more dynamic than red or blue box. Breaking The Meta: Mm-hmm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Very rarely will you find somebody that fits absolutely perfect in the red box or in the blue box. Everybody's kind of, it's more of a spectrum, right? ⁓ So I think it's listening. I like, I try to listen and understand how they want to be advocated for, because I think part of being a leader is not, this is my agenda and it's my way or the highway. Breaking The Meta: Yeah, absolutely. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: It's no, I'm the people's candidate. ⁓ I'm here to represent all people, whether you're Republican, Libertarian, Independent, Democrat. I'm here for what we all collectively need to raise our quality of life. Breaking The Meta: So I want to do a little bit of future casting. November 3rd comes along and you win. Congratulations. January comes along and you are sworn in as state senator for District 32. What are the first things that you want to do? Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Thank you. Mm-hmm. ⁓ Honestly, ⁓ childcare. Childcare is very important to me. ⁓ You know, I've seen my friends have to leave their careers. ⁓ You know, I've had a tough time since I've had kids in keeping my career going. ⁓ You know, we take out these student loans to be educated. That's what we were told to do, right? Go to college. Get the degree. Buy the house. Get the job. And when that started crumbling, Breaking The Meta: Mm-hmm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: for a lot of millennials and poor Gen Z. It's like, I did exactly what you said to do and it's not working out. So what I have seen, what has broken my heart is to see my friends and other women. How many women do you, I know, see, I'm a teacher. Can you tell I like a good pop quiz? How many women do you think left the workforce in 2020 due to the childcare crisis? And yes, we were in the pandemic. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Hey. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: which is why nobody had, know, childcare providers were still open, but you've got, you're dealing with ⁓ childcare deserts. And then if you even can find a spot in childcare, that monthly payment is gonna be just as much as your rent or your mortgage. And then the pandemic happened. So how many women do you think left the workforce in Michigan in 2020? Breaking The Meta: Mm-hmm. In Michigan? I don't know, a million. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: No, just stop it. You're ruining my answers. 136,000 women left the workforce and not all of them has returned. Breaking The Meta: Sorry. That's still a lot. That is a lot. To be fair, I'm gonna be honest for anyone listening, know that I did not know how many people were in the state of Michigan before I even made the answer. So I was gonna be wrong no matter what. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: I No, this always happens. ask people to guess and they go way above and I'm like, stop. Why'd you do that? Yeah. So it's a huge issue. And like I said earlier, it affects everyone economically because then our, our companies, our businesses, they don't have a very big pool of qualified candidates. ⁓ and then the candidates they do have well, Breaking The Meta: Hahaha. Yeah. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: If their employees can't find childcare, they're just going to quit pretty early on. Or if you're not paying them enough to even be able to afford it, then you're not going to have them stick around long-term. And then when families have a smaller disposable income, ⁓ now they're not spending their money locally. So our local economies are suffering. We have less money being taxed, which means we have less money going to roads, healthcare, different things like our public schools. So it is an issue. Breaking The Meta: Mm-hmm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: whether you have children or not. And the first thing that I would like to do is to start working on a universal childcare bill to really come through for families. Breaking The Meta: What do you fear will happen to District 32 if nothing changes? Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: ⁓ so what, what I fear is my Republican opponent is a constitutional MAGA sheriff. ⁓ he is of retirement age. He didn't even want to run from his own mouth. He said he had to be convinced about five times by our current state Senator, ⁓ to do it. And I'm sorry, but he needs to retire, you know, enjoy yourself, you know, don't. take on a whole new career. It's time to go play badminton or like I don't or read some catch up on some good novels. Yeah, whatever they do. I mean, we'll never be able to retire. So we'll never know. But that's okay. ⁓ You know, and being on the lakeshore. ⁓ There's a lot of battles that we are fighting over here to keep Lake Michigan clean for our tourism. Breaking The Meta: Mm-hmm. Whatever retired people do these days. We're probably never going to be retiring, no. Mm. Yeah. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: communities up and down the lakeshore, depend on clean water so that tourists will come and spend their money in those small economies up and down the lakeshore. We've got the ⁓ Line 5 Enbridge ⁓ oil pipeline and it has already leaked. ⁓ You know, they're like, ⁓ we'll build a tunnel around it or... Okay. Breaking The Meta: Hmm. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: I'm not, I'm not sure that it even belongs there. Uh, what do you mean build a tunnel or it's already leaked over a million gallons of oil since it's been put in, um, and they're not being held accountable. So what I fear for district 32 is, um, not having proper environmental regulations in place, not keeping Enbridge held accountable for that pipeline. Um, Breaking The Meta: ⁓ good. Right. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: And just families and children not being taken seriously in Lansing, that their issues are not being addressed. Breaking The Meta: Mm. For everyone that has listened up until this point and heard everything that we've talked about so far, what are one or two things that no matter what you would want them to come away with knowing about you and your campaign? Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: I want them to know that it is really important for us when we go to vote this fall. Know who your candidates are, know what they stand for, and look past if they're being fake. I go to candidate trainings, they want you to smile and skin, give the same old spiel. And I refuse to do that. And you know, a lot of women get labeled as a bee, but you know what? Bees get stuff done. And that's what I'm going to do. And just know what the moment calls for. The moment calls for fighters. It calls for a new type of Democrat. It calls for not the same old over and over. And I won't give that to people. I promise you that. ⁓ And so for everyone to be accountable for who we're voting into office, because that's the results that you'll get. Breaking The Meta: For anyone that wants to learn more about you and support you, whether through volunteering or donations, where can they find you? Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Yes, I have an Act Blue. Hang on. I should have came more prepared. Hang on. We're being recorded, right? You can edit this part. Breaking The Meta: I can't edit this part out. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Okay, if you wanted to make a donation, you wanted to find out more about me, you can go to RebeccaAmedon.com. There's information about me, what I stand for, if you just want to learn about me. And then there's a donate button there that will take you to my ActBlue. Breaking The Meta: Rebecca, thank you so much for sitting down with us and giving us a chance to get to know ⁓ more about you and what you hope to do for your district. appreciate it. Rebecca Amidon, MI SD-32: Well, thanks for having me anytime. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. And for everyone who listened this far, thank you so very much. Please hit all those buttons below, subscribe, ⁓ share, those kind of things make it possible for people like Rebecca to get more visibility, more name recognition, the things that all the people that we're interviewing need in order to make the change that we keep asking them. They aren't taking corporate money. They want to break the status quo. They want to be held accountable. They want to do things the way we all know that things need to get done, but that involves our help. So please like, subscribe, and if you can support this channel in any way, it makes it possible again for me to keep doing it. So please, please help out if you can. ⁓ And for anyone who's new, that doesn't know about this podcast, just so you know, Breaking the Meta is about having hard conversations, 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, Rebecca, thank you for being here. For everyone else, we'll see you next time on Breaking the Meta. Bye guys.