Andrew Sullivan irritated at Obama for his answer to pot question...

[kentuck]

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/03/obamas-pathetic.html

Obama's Pathetic Pot Answer

The chuckle suggests a man of his generation. The dismissiveness toward the question of ending Prohibition as both a good in itself and a form of tax revenue is, however, depressing. His answer was a non-answer. I'm tired of having the Prohibition issue treated as if it's trivial or a joke. It is neither. It is about freedom and it's deadly serious. As for your online audience, Mr president, have you forgotten who got you elected?

[mitchtv]

1. as much as I LOATHE Andrew Sullivan

I agree 100%

[TwilightZone]

2. Well, if it irritated Sullivan...

it can't be all bad.

[emilyg]

5. You beat me to it.

:hi:

[Odin2005]

3. He probably didn't want to create a cultural issue firestorm that would distract from the economy.

Hence the wimpy non-answer. Supporting legalization would give the GOP a huge cultural issue to beat us over our heads with and unfortunately the anti-pot propaganda is so deep that most people would probably agree with them and it would give the Pukes a way to detract from their stupidity and lack of numbers in their response to Obama's budget.

[Occulus]

8. Here's the frame for that concern:

"The states, collectively, would save $DOOM simply by ending the arrests, prosecutions, and incarcerations related to possession of marijuana. This is not to even begin to address the potential tax revenues which would be generated if the several states were to tax, and tax heavily, legal and licensed marijuana sales.

It is for this reason and this reason alone that we should end the prohibition of marijuana. We simply cannot afford, in the most literal sense possible, to continue these policies as we have for the past eighty years."

The trick is to show accurately how much the enforcement actually costs. It's an astonishing amount of money, no matter which state you talk about (with the exceptions of MA and AK).

[quaker bill]

4. legalization is something to do

between 2014 and 2016. Face it, way too many things need to be done to risk losing the house or the senate in 2010. In the interim, you just place the dollars and priorities elsewhere. Many things are illegal, some are actively enforced, others not so much.

[Bluenorthwest]

21. Last year

Over 800,000 Americans were arrested for possesion. Very active enforcment. The poor and especially minorities are far more likely to be arrested and jailed for pot than other groups.
We spend billions of dollars a year to do this, and waste valuable police resorces as well.

[OwnedByFerrets]

6. He handled that question worse than any that he has taken

In short, he should have said that HEMP is not pot and how it should be legalized for all its uses.
He should have also said that although legalization isnt his first priority, he would work on decriminalization.

Anything but the dismissive way he DID handle it. It was embarrassing.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

14. That is a great word to describe it

Embarrasing, for the first time in his administration I was equally embarrased that he was my president.

[Fuzz]

7. I'm irritated too.

[Thrill]

9. More BS. Every time Obama does something people don't like. They throw the remember who got

you elected bs. If its not people on this board, its these different interest groups, and bloggers with this crap.

Only politician that gets this thrown in his face constantly. Hmmmm I wonder why? My guess its the arrogance of people, who want to constantly remind him of his race and that they somehow 'allowed' him to be President.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

15. We did "allow" him to be president

Just like any other elected official. What in the fuck does race have to do with anything here? I could say that with you my guess is that when anyone disagrees with something the President does there are some people that want to deflect criticism by citing his race as a reason not to disagree with something he does. Obama was dead wrong on this and his reframing of the question was frankly embarrasing.

[Warren Stupidity]

26. Perhaps because Republicans actually attempt to

implement at least some of the policies that their base supports when they get into power, while Democrats in power routinely tell is to fuck off?

[OwnedByFerrets]

29. Thats BS.

[MadLabrador]

10. Sullivan is the only conservative blog I visit

And he's right on the money with this analysis.

[wroberts189]

11. He is not alone ...link to other blog posts about this.....

http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/2009/03/27.html#a3380


one of my favs:

Jim Gilliam, Huffington Post

Pot saved my life. <...>

The President will be asked this question again, and maybe next time he won't laugh at us.



Disclaimer:
I still support Obama and I believe if a bill ending prohibition landed on his desk he would sign it.

btw knr

[fujiyama]

12. Obama should have at least ADDRESSED the question

rather than simply laughing it off, and then dismissing it outright by saying no...

He could have at least taken it as a serious question and said why he opposed it...Especially considering Obama knows better about the disastrous effects of the drug war, especially on urban and minority youth...

[Vinca]

13. It was a serious question that was treated as a joke

and that was disappointing.

[Warren Stupidity]

16. And he dismissed his fundraising door knocking base.

Oh it was just those internetz. Our jails are stuffed literally to the rafters with victims of the war on drugs big pharma can't patent, and Obama trivialized it for fear of being 'soft on drugs'.

[MadHound]

17. He's not the only one irritated,

Obama's continuation of the War on Drugs, despite the clear evidence that we've lost, is the height of stupidity. What's he going to do when the Mexican drug war really crosses the border, and starts turning the streets of the SW into a free fire zone.

Somebody has to have the courage to take on this issue and do the right thing. Sad to say, it looks like Obama is lacking in that courage.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. I wonder if the fear of the Mexican Drug War is going to help legalization at all

It may end up hurting legalization.

And hey we are still rooting for Mizzou and OK here at my house. Two Big 12 teams in the big dance would be so awesome. :hi:

edit - darn typo LOL

[MadHound]

22. I doubt that it will at this point.

It looks more and more like it's simply going to open up the border, then the rest of the country, to increased militarization. Kiss Posse Comitatus goodbye.

Two Big XII teams in the Final Four would be great. If we can get by Connecticut I think that we can out quick Louisville. Playing against KU and Cole Aldrich is good practice for going up against UConn's big guy. I'm thinking that we'll run him into the ground:evilgrin:

Take care of yourself in all that snow:hi:

[Fumesucker]

18. In order for the drug war to end..

The government will have to admit that it has been lying to the public for the last seventy plus years..

That is going to happen when hippopotami sprout dragonfly wings and take to the air.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

20. Last night, according to Bill Maher, the question about pot was the #1 question

on the Internet. Andrew Sullivan is dead right. Bill Maher felt the same way and also said that Obama treated the question like it was posed to him by potheads who couldn't be taken seriously.

[ArchieStone1]

23. Obama is wary of making a move that most Americans oppose

58% oppose legalization of marihuana according to a CBS poll taken this month:

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/03/19/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4877495.shtml

Polls are very important to politicians.

[Bluenorthwest]

25. He ought to be wary

of making light of issues that are important to the people who actually vote for him as well. Look- I did not expect him to favor legalization, but I also did not expect him to mock the issue as some sort of a joke question, when he knows better, or should.
California is looking at law to legalize in order to help save their economy, so his answer was also out of touch with political reality and the moment.

[Bluenorthwest]

24. Sully's right on this one

It was a serious question. He smirked it off. Embarassing, and frankly it showed Obama to be out of touch with reality. Imprisoned minority populations, violence, people jailed for needed medicine. The violence in Mexico, the implications of this issue are deep and wide. Obama laughed it off, made light of the whole thing.
They requested questions from the people. And then he mocked the people for doing as he asked. This is a negative and disempowering message. It was also rude at the core.
Obama thinks African American youth being arrested at rates many times higher than their white peers is just a knee slapper, and that I found shocking.

[greymattermom]

27. misdemeanor

The first step is to make possession of small amounts a misdemeanor payable by a fine, like in Canada. That's not legalization, but possession would be view sort of like jaywalking.

[pleah]

28. K&R