The Republicans hope to take the Senate. Colorado is one of the States up for grabs. Cory Gardner, the Republican candidate for the Senate, voted to continue DEA raids in States that have legalized medicinal cannabis.
Last week, we shared news about the U.S. House voting to defund DEA medical marijuana raids in states where the substance is legal. But that doesn’t mean the count was unanimous — even here.
Indeed, three of Colorado’s seven representatives voted against the defunding amendment, including U.S. senatorial candidate Cory Gardner — and a representative for NORML, among the nation’s most prominent marijuana-advocacy organizations, confirms that it hopes to target officials like him for anti-pot votes.
Legalization got 55.3% of the vote in Colorado. That is a heck of a head wind to run against. Especially a self created headwind. Why? Especially for a medical cannabis vote. Support for medical cannabis in the US is even higher than support for recreational. By 10 or 20 points. Florida numbers show 88% support among those of voting age for medical cannabis and 66% to 70% support among likely voters.
As documented in the official-count document, accessible here, the Colorado representatives voting to defund included three Democrats — Jared Polis, Ed Perlmutter and Diana DeGette — as well as one Republican, Mike Coffman.
The latter is embroiled in what’s thought to be a tough reelection campaign against likely Dem standard-bearer Andrew Romanoff, which may lead some observers to see his support for defunding as politically calculated. But even though Coffman opposed Amendment 64, the 2012 measure that legalized limited marijuana use and possession by adults age 21 and over, he backed a measure asking that Colorado be exempted from federal marijuana policy mere days after voters approved it. A statement explaining his support quotes him as saying, “I voted against Amendment 64 and I strongly oppose the legalization of marijuana, but I also have an obligation to respect the will of the voters given the passage of this initiative, and so I feel obligated to support this legislation.”
Jeeze. The will of the voters. Now there is a novel idea. And a Republican who can count. Mr. Gardner might want to bone up on math. I’m hoping Rand Paul gets the nod in ’16. I’d really like to vote for a Republican for President. And yes. For the time being I’m pretty much a one issue voter.
“NORML is in a great position to highlight individual voting positions and things officials have said publicly,” St. Pierre told us during an interview about the organization opening a new office in Colorado. He adds that “even three or four years ago, some might say it would be a badge of honor to be attacked by NORML, but that’s not the case now.”
In Pierre’s view, “the worm has turned” due to increasing popular support for marijuana legalization in Colorado and nationwide, and as a result, “it’s likely that we will have the ability to direct people to these votes” — particularly in the case of Gardner, whose race against Udall “has huge national implications.”
Whether highlighting a politician’s anti-pot stance might be enough to sway an election is unknown at this point. But no longer can such a prospect be dismissed out of hand.
I was talking about this back in 2011 at a major Republican leaning publication – I guess I was a few years ahead of my time.
Comments
11 responses to “Creating A Headwind”
Do Republican pols not understand the optics here? Obviously not. A huge majority of the public, by a 40% margin, support MJ as medicine. AKA stuff people use to treat their illnesses. Some Republican pols evidently think it is a winning political position to be seen sending agents of the government out to arrest sick people and those who are helping them live their lives as best as possible.
Conservatives and/or Republicans wonder why many people think they lack compassion. It’s because, believe it or not, you folks regularly show a lack of compassion for your fellow citizens. Sick people deserve our support for the medical choices they make, not government oppression for choosing to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. The moral authoritarians on the Right have robbed the GOP of any conscience it once had. What a bunch of self-righteous shit-heads.
Randy,
The Republicans are so disgusting. You can show them actual science and they refuse to believe it. CAGW meet Prohibition.
I’m pretty much through with them. They are just as stupid as the Democrats. The Democrat rank and file do stupidity out of compassion. The R r&f do it from heartlessness. I no longer find that tolerable.
Simon,
You will love this. A couple of weeks ago I got a call from a Republican Party representative asking for a contribution. I told them not to call back until they gave up their culture war on Americans. I mentioned abortion rights, the drug laws, and gay marriage specifically. Doubt it will do any good, but I gave the poor guy on the other end of the phone an ear full.
Of course I told him it was nothing personal toward him, but to tell his superiors that I’m a former Republican and the reason why is because of the social conservative issues that are losers for Republicans and for America.
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n948/a03.html
The treatment of Peter McWilliams, particularly the destruction of his publishing aspirations and the gov’t sanctioned murder BY aspiration tells you everything you need to know about the morality of the Drug Warriors in whatever venue they inhabit. They Are THUGS with all the saving graces of a Torquemada.
c andrew,
Thanks for reminding me. Peter contacted me about something drug war related a few days before he died. And yes. It was a crime.
And they commit new ones every day.
B’tards.
“For the time being I’m pretty much a one issue voter.”
I am not a one issue voter; I am a one-issue-at-a-time voter, and this is my issue this time. Once we fix this, I will move on, probably to voting against the militarization of local police.
For the state that founded the Libertarian Party, Colorado’s GOP sure stands some old fashioned, right wing candidates. In addition to Gardner they put up that old battle-ax Bob Beauprez for governor, figuring that since he lost the same race back in 2006 then he has to win in 2014…he’ll get creamed.
“The 1980s GOP called and they want their candidates back.” Their ineptitude is staggering.
Their ineptitude is staggering.
Many state GOP organizations have been taken over by conservative religious zealots and it shows in many of the candidates they field. Their political instincts are virtually non-existent, but they can spout standard issue 40 year-old religious conservative pabulum with great conviction.
A GOP candidate for state office in Colorado by the name of Gordon Klingenschmitt, a minister and nominee for a seat in the Colorado state House, recently said this about his gay Democrat opponent in an email to subscribers (an excerpt):
Sheesh. To their credit, the GOP in Colorado disowned his statements.
Klingenschmitt and Polis are in different districts. Klingenschmitt in CO Springs, a very conservative, conventionally religious town, and Polis’ in the Peoples Republic of Boulder, a very liberal, environmentalism-as-a-religion town. Each district represents the extremes of CO politics, with representation to match. And that’s fine: vive la différence! But running old fashioned GOP candidates for statewide office is a losing proposition. Colorado is home to a much bigger percentage of young, educated whites than the rest of the country. Libertarian leaning GOP candidates would probably win both the open senate seat and governor’s race. But the CO GOP is to stubborn to open their tent.
…”too stubborn…
Major boneheaded move.
The evangelicals are gradually learning that morality can exist apart from coercion — the saint need not punish the sinner. Unfortunately, they are not learning it as fast as one might like.