Republican Party
Democratic state gains may mean tighter gun, looser pot laws
From New York to New Mexico, residents in a number of states can expect a leftward push for expanded health care coverage, gun control, education funding and legalized recreational marijuana as Democrats who gained new or stronger powers in the midterm elections seek to put their stamp on public policy.
The Republican Case for Legalizing Marijuana
From the social movements in the 1960s, to the Democratic party embracing the idea in recent years, marijuana reform has not enjoyed a tremendous amount of conservative support. Oddly enough, the modern bullet points for legalizing actually match the Republican/conservative philosophy perfectly.
Republican campaign manager, Ryan Scheutte recently submitted a piece to www.policymic.com, highlighting the reasons that marijuana legalization is and should be a Republican mission. The article describes quotes from Pauline Sabin, the first woman to sit on the Republican National Committee and was also the founder of The Women’s Organization for National Prohibition Reform. Back in 1932, she commented on alcohol prohibition by saying publicly “The young see the law broken at home and upon the street, can we expect them to be lawful?” Scheutte mentions that she was correct, and credits her with being an integral part in revoking the disastrous experiment of alcohol prohibition.
Scheutte discusses that it is acceptable to change one’s mind. In 2009, he ran a campaign for a candidate looking to unseat Ron Paul (R-TX), an outspoken defender of personal liberties and marijuana rights. The campaign referred to marijuana as a “troubling substance” and any measure to normalize it was a “blatant disregard” for the
districts values. Scheutte now admits he was mistaken and compares his view of only a few years ago to his great grandmother’s.
Ryan Scheutte then outlines, in detail, four benefits to marijuana legalization with all of them matching Republican values:
1. Pot would create jobs and help prevent Detroit-style bankruptcies
2. We could unplug overcrowded prisons and save tax dollars
3. Legalization could help starve violent cartels at home and abroad
4. We could ease suffering for those who live with chronic illnesses
We at marijuana.net agree! There are even more benefits, but for the time being it would be great progress if the Republican party adopted the above four principles. New Republican support is not a surprise as the vast majority of this country believes in serious marijuana reform. It is becoming the consensus issue.
Paul Ryan Almost Gives Hope For Reform Advocates
The prospects of marijuana becoming a campaign issue seemed dim for most of the presidential race. President Obama has avoided the issue when engaging in online forums and Mitt Romney had recently told a college crowd he would fight medical marijuana “tooth and nail”. Whether intentional or not, medical marijuana was front and center, even if for a brief time.
Mitt Romney has been running for president since 2007 with Biden and Obama now holding office for almost 4 years. Paul Ryan represents the only fresh face Americans may not be as familiar with. In a move that most likely upset Romney campaign organizers, Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan recently stated that he felt marijuana should be a state issue. He told a local television network in Colorado, KRDO TV, that “it’s up to Coloradans to decide.” Before activists get their hopes up he also added that medical marijuana “is something that is not a high priority of ours.” The stance makes sense as a growing wing of the Republican Party is seeking to promote state rights, smaller government, and fiscal responsibility.
Campaign officials for Romney/Ryan were quick to change the tone. They later released a statement that Paul Ryan agrees with Mitt Romney that marijuana should never be legalized. This is not the first time the two have not seen eye to eye. Mitt Romney has been attacked on many items in Paul Ryan’s controversial proposed budget which would make deep cuts to many social programs. The two also differ on abortion as Paul Ryan does not believe in exceptions even for incest, rape, or when a mother’s health is compromised. Additionally, last night on “Meet The Press” Mitt Romney said Republicans were wrong to vote to cut defense spending, even as it was brought to Mr. Romney’s attention that GOP leadership (including Ryan) voted for the cuts. This has seriously brought into question by analysts as to exactly why Mitt Romney selected Paul Ryan as his vice presidential candidate being that the two seem to differ substantially on issues.
Perhaps they are worried about their conservative base, a base that has not fully embraced Mitt Romney. However, it is always interesting when a candidate says something in plain language only to have a spokesperson take it back later. Are they trying to have their cake and eat it too by having Ryan curry favor with reform advocates, then turning around and appeasing the “tough on drugs” crowd? Even if Paul Ryan truly does support state rights in this instance, just putting toe in the water is not good enough. Patients have felt mislead by the President so a simple statement alone will not win over this community. The Romney/Ryan ticket had a chance to win over disenfranchised patients, but instead chose to do what Romney has been famous for, sending conflicting messages.