For what it's worth (very very little, to be sure), Obama's awful record on civil liberties and senseless escalation of the drug war have irrevocably cost him any further votes from me. But, as Balko points out, this guy would be even worse. Of course, there is no conceivable way he could ever actually win, so… yay? Anyway, California would, as far as I can tell, award its electoral votes to an empty milk carton if it had a "D" on it, so my un-vote is just as moot and pointless as my vote would have been. Yours too.
Posted by Dr. Frank at November 22, 2011 05:57 PM | TrackBackI agree. I too am disappointed in Barry. Hope and change? When? Where? I see corporations and banks continuing to run amok. I see people protestings these practices getting brutalized by the police. I see a a senate and congress that is more of a lame duck than Donald or Daffy ever were. Then I see Nero fiddling while Rome burns. Out with them all I say, it's time for an American spring.
Posted by: Zaphod at November 22, 2011 06:19 PMI live in Oregon (and in the Bluest Part).
My vote is even more pointless.
(Contra Zaphod, though, I should point out that the President has roughly zero power over local police action, no matter who he is.
Nor can a President, even if "Doing Something About Banks" was a good idea or "Banks Running Amok" were the problem, simply Make Them Stop by Executive Fiat.
Obama can be blamed, justly, for lots of things, but not those - he has no lawful power to force changes in them all by his lonesome.)
Posted by: Sigivald at November 22, 2011 06:29 PMLegalize drugs and alcohol for three years and then make them illegal for three years. And then legalize them for five years and make them illegal for two years again. That's a good plan and one that would work seamlessly. Probably not.
This Johnson guy seems like he has a realistic plan for decriminalizing drugs and alcohol. For that reason, I wouldn't mind seeing him elected.
Imagining Newt being elected for his drug policies would be sorta interesting in one regard, though. I'd like to see Mendocino, Trinity and Humboldt county growers squirm some. You see these pictures of police raiding houses, killing pets and traumatizing kids -- and then you see these growers saying that they don't want to legalize cannabis because it would mean the "Walmartization" of their sacred herb. Yeah, right. They just want a higher price. Did Prop 19 even get a majority of yes votes in those counties?
Posted by: Jason S. at November 26, 2011 12:26 AM“See, when I smoked pot it was illegal, but not immoral. Now, it is illegal AND immoral. The law didn’t change, only the morality… That’s why you get to go to jail and I don’t.”
Posted by: David at November 26, 2011 07:38 PMActually Gary is thinking of leaving the Republican Party and running as an independent, reports said today.
Posted by: David at November 27, 2011 01:24 AM