With the Just Say Now campaign underway at FDL, Jane Hamsher has emerged as a progressive leader on drug policy reform. She talks about it at The Atlantic.
CG: Do you see a lot of support for legalizing marijuana in the Netroots community, or in the more staid progressive community including unions, civil rights groups, and people like that?
JH: Well, interestingly enough, the issue has never gained traction in the quote-unquote liberal political blogosphere. People were always a little bit nervous about it. So it hasn’t had support, but it’s tremendously popular on the Internet and among the Obama surge voters.
CG: I remember when Obama did one of his first tele-town-halls as president, one of the questions that got the most votes was, “Are you going to make marijuana legal?”
JH: Yeah, I believe there were three polls on the transition team’s website, and questions about marijuana topped all three of them, with millions of voters. So for the people who supported Obama, it’s clearly an important issue.
I think this is good recognition that, among progressive voters, there is strong potential interest (just as there is among traditional conservative voters), but that, until now, it’s been the progressive leadership that’s been unwilling to consider it.
Getting any traction on anything that doesn;t serve corporate interests at the federal level is a waste of time, and getting wastier.
All the advances on cannabis re-legalization have happened and will continue to happen at the State level, where something like a democracy exists.
At the federal level, “we the people” are just useful consumers who get to pay for our own exploitation, and vote for salesman “a” or actor “b”, who are scripted by the most greedy people in the land.
SOon the whole house of cards will collapse under its debt and stupidity but in the meantime watch out.
I’ve caught Jane in several interviews where she’s saddled with some prohib and she’s always held her ground quite well. Doesn’t get flustered.
The most significant thing about the whole prohib argument
is that the speaker for prohibition lives in the country of California instead of America.
Jane was using statistics from the US and the prohib only recognizes CA statistics and situations. And when Jane tried to correct him of the circumstances being different in other states,he just got a blank look on his face as if the information did not register.
If this is the best that Safety First can do,I am going to up my estimate too 90% for and 10% against in November.
Thanks, Peter.
Agree with claygoodling — I’m shocked at how inadequate the organizing on the other side is.
Though it looks like some money is making its way into the prohibition campaign. I’ve seen some slick astroturf stuff recently that makes me think there’s some money going in to the other side’s coffers. Since nobody’s claiming credit for contributing it (unusual for legit groups) I think the source deserves some scrutiny.
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“JH: Yeah, I believe there were three polls on the transition team’s website, and questions about marijuana topped all three of them, with millions of voters. So for the people who supported Obama, it’s clearly an important issue.”
YEP, And Robert Gibbs knows this all-too well, judging by his recent comments about the Left, and the part of the Democratic “Base” that is (from what I’ve gathered) largely responsible for the “Enthusiasm Gap”, between the Dems & Reps.
If they want the support of the people that helped elect him Obama/Gibbs & crew are gonna have to work for it – and it wouldn’t be that difficult – it would cost them some political capital… But, I’m fairly certain they’d get that paid back in support from those of us that he’s let down so far – specifically on this issue!
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