pat robertson
Barney Frank Confronts President Obama on Medical Marijuana Flip Flop
This time of year is very uplifting for medical marijuana patients and activists. It is a time where the community comes together and patients can share their stories with others. Of course there is a lot of fun at 420 events but hopefully not lost during the weekend was Rep. Barney Frank’s (D-Mass ) comments on the Obama Administration’s handling of medical marijuana.
Known for their expert coverage of American politics, Politico ran a story describing Barney Frank’s recent quotes regarding the white house and medical marijuana. Over the weekend Politico caught up with Mr. Frank and the representative said “I’m very disappointed…They look more like the Bush administration than the Clinton administration.” Barney Frank has been a long time advocate of marijuana reform and has co-sponsored bills with Ron Paul to amend cannabis prohibition.
Additionally, Opposing Views reported that both President Obama and Rep. Frank attended a lavish fundraiser across from Norml’s offices at the St. Regis Hotel. The fundraiser cost about $35,800 to attend with mostly rich liberals (Obama’s supposed base) filling the room. Reports indicate that Barney Frank challenged the president on his handling of the recent medical marijuana raids. The president then claimed that they were only going after dispensaries on a case by case basis and was unaware of what the DOJ was doing. Rep. Frank did not agree with this assertion and furthered challenged Obama on his supposed “hands off” policy. The president frustratingly said that the 2009 policy was still in place, to the best of his knowledge. The statement is strange because it seems to either indicate the president is not being truthful about his marijuana policy, or that he has no control over the federal authorities conducting the raids. Neither scenario will likely be acceptable to the American public. Representative Barney Frank has vowed to send President Obama press clippings covering the raids in case he missed the stories.
Progressives may be weary. Obama has also disenfranchised them on other issues like immigration reform, which was a staple of his 2008 election campaign. Perhaps he thinks he needs to be “tough on crime” for the election and then after the possibility of losing office disappears he will backtrack to his 2008 sentiments. At least this is what many are hoping. However, the president is gradually losing support from the medical marijuana community, which includes much of the president’s progressive base. There are surprising supporters of marijuana letting themselves be known all the time and, as Barney Frank said “Obama now lags Pat Robertson in a sensible approach to marijuana.” A dubious distinction that likely does not sit well with progressives and maybe even Barack Obama himself. Frustration may be building in the American public with both President and the likely GOP candidate Mitt Romney (nobody even seems to want to be his running mate), a third party option like Gary Johnson may seem more appealing with each day.
The idea of Obama shifting his policy once to get re-elected, then again to match his true feelings may be politics as usual. Unfortunately for a man who ran his 2008 campaign on change and avoiding politics as usual must be held to a higher standard. It is true that progressives may feel their choices are limited but Barack Obama provided so much hope for so many. The president now seems concerned with his legacy and this is not to say he has not accomplished some great things in his presidency, but does he want his legacy to simply be “better than the last guy, better than anything the GOP offered up in 2012”?
Pat Robertson becomes an Unlikely Supporter of Marijuana Reform
As the minority in our country refuses to back off of its culture war against a plant, supporters for marijuana reform are revealing themselves from all walks of life. We have all heard that politics make strange bed fellows, but even medical marijuana advocates still must have been shocked to find an ally in Pat Robertson.
The anti-liberal icon, Pat Robertson, is a former Baptist minister who has caused more than his fair share of controversy over the years. Robertson has taken a harsh stance on almost all groups of people outside of his circle. He has often attributed natural and man-made disasters to God’s fury, blaming Hurricane Katrina on America’s abortion policy. He also famously claimed that 9/11 was the joint effort of the ACLU, feminists, as well as gays and lesbians. Mr. Robertson also feels that the people of Haiti suffered the 2010 earthquake because of a pact they made with the devil to escape French rule.
For individuals who consider themselves to be on the liberal side of the political spectrum, they would likely not be expecting to see eye to eye with Pat Robertson on social issues. Surprisingly however, Pat Robertson has recently come out in support of marijuana legalization on his televangelist show “The 700 Club”. Perspective can be fascinating as Mr. Robertson has blamed liberals for the current state of marijuana laws while marijuana smokers (who are often assumed to be liberal), would likely place blame on many of the conservatives who have been against marijuana reform for decades. In what could only be categorized as a progressive approach, Pat Robertson said “I just think it’s shocking how many of these young people wind up in prison and they get turned into hard-core criminals because they had a possession of a very small amount of controlled substance.”
Although many marijuana advocates may not be seeking a political alignment with Pat Robertson, it is clear that America’s sentiments on marijuana prohibition are changing rapidly. When a staple of American conservatives is seeking an end to the war on drugs, who exactly is left supporting the failed policies of the last 40 years?