Marijuana legalization is really for everyone, but the way the emoprogs carry on about it? It’s no wonder pot hasn’t been legalized yet. Slamming someone otherwise liberal pols for their reluctance to legalize now? Calling Obama a tyriant on civil liberties? Demanding immediate legalization? Never mind politics, Obama must legalize now-or he’s a tyrant who hates young people and civil liberties. Never mind the Republican Congress-Obama must sacrifice his re-election by saying he supports pot legalization. And because he won’t take on this issue-he’s a tyrant. Emoprogs…….To this observer, it sounds so much like what happened with DADT. The hysteria, the threats.
Gay people have been smarter-and therefore more successful. They became Democrats (for the most part), registered voters, became activists supporting other parts of the party, became elected officials (Harvey Milk was a Democrat). The result was that gay people had political allies who were willing to stick their neck out for their causes. The same thing was true with black people we joined the Democrats, worked hard to elect other Democrats, worked in and around the party. The result was the CRA of 1964, the Martin Luther King holiday, and so much more, including Obama. Sometimes that meant supporting some people who could be less than enthusiastic, a lot of patience, and a lot of work. If folks want pot legal, they will have to go the same way instead of listening to the emoprogs like GG and others, and stop flirting with libertarians and Republican cranks who cannot get elected or even persuade members of their own party to change the laws. They have to stop assuming bad faith on the part of the Democrats and naively believing that witholding their vote will get things changed by a Republican President who their votes will elect. A Republican who is beholden to the religious right wing conservatives who believe pot smoking is a sin..oh yeah, they’ll legalize pot.
And note, none of these would involve the embrace of an elderly crank with a cult-like following and a refusal to embrace political reality. Nor will it be through the efforts of an embittered liberal blogger who takes out his meanness on female Obama supporters:
Perhaps that’s part of the rage. They feel that Democrats are in their way-Democrats refuse to throw over their nominee for the cause du jour. Democrats insist that throwing over the safety net isn’t worth legalizing pot. Democrats want to be elected more than actually saying they want to legalize pot. Neve mind the Republicans who won’t even listen to Ron Paul, don’t even consider reform, but no bitterness is directed to them.
Who’s to say that Obama might not try something in a second term, when he would no longer would have to face the voters ? Some things require a political space where there’s less room for demogoguery and more analysis. Pot is one of them-an issue that requires thought instead of emotion. Such an approach would be just the thing for Obama, who prefers a cool, methodical approach.
And what would an Obama approach look like?
- Scientific evaluation
- Repurposing the DEA for other drugs
- Working with the states to coordinate regulations
- A clear message that pot is for adults
- Working towards consensus within the medical community
But first, he has to have a second term. And bypass the emoprogs.
