Gamecat

Quote :

"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/31/obama-decriminalize-pot_n_84277.html"

If I thought for a second he would actully do it....

[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 5:58 PM. Reason : ``]

1/31/2008 5:55:45 PM

Quote :

"Gamecat: Because he wants to legalize it. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/31/obama-decriminalize-pot_n_84277.html"

Not quite - from the WaTimes article HuffPost links to:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080131/NATION/896961936/1001&template=nextpage

Quote :

"When asked by The Times about decriminalizing marijuana, the Obama campaign reiterated the candidate's opposition to legalization. "Senator Obama does not believe in legalization of marijuana, but agrees with President Bush that long minimum sentences for first-time drug users may not be the best way to occupy jail space or heal people from their disease," Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said. The campaign went on to say that, as president, Mr. Obama "will review drug sentences to see where we can be smarter on crime and reduce the blind and counterproductive sentencing of non-violent offenders, and revisit instances where drug rehabilitation may be more appropriate." His campaign later stated that Mr. Obama "always" has supported decriminalizing marijuana."

So, he'll hem and haw a little bit and maybe if he's feeling generous inch towards some kind of incremental reform, which is equivalent the position already somehow espoused by this administration.

Is that change I smell in the air, or just more bullshit?

1/31/2008 6:10:05 PM

legalization=/=decriminalization

1/31/2008 6:16:14 PM

I am quite aware of this, as you see in the passage linked above. Obama's support for even "decriminalization" looks tepid at best.

1/31/2008 7:02:49 PM

^ it should be obvious why that is. A candidate would have to be a complete idiot to campaign openly for decriminalization or legalization.

1/31/2008 9:25:38 PM

A great opportunity for Obama and Hilary to throw some red meat to the anti-war crowd in California.

The Berkeley city council is encouraging Code Pink and other groups to protest the U.S. Marine recruiting station located there.

http://michellemalkin.com/2007/10/05/code-pink-defaces-berkeley-military-recruitment-office/

Wouldn't it be a terrific photo-op to have Obama standing with the protestors showing his unity in getting that Marine recruiting station out of Berkeley?

"If I am elected president, I will remove every one of these evil recruiting stations from every town in America. The people of Berkeley have got it right. The way to stop war is to prevent people from going into the military. It's time to vote for change!"

He'd win in a landslide if he did this

[Edited on February 1, 2008 at 10:43 AM. Reason : .]

2/1/2008 10:43:42 AM

cause he is a dem and we need a dem in office...i mean seriously 28 years and we've only had 8 of a dem

2/1/2008 10:48:35 AM

I actually don't think picketing the Military is the way to protest the war. The military doesn't chose its conflicts. It was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan by the President of the United States. If we had an army that picked which orders it followed and which orders it didn't, I think the nation would be in far worse shape.

2/1/2008 10:57:11 AM

Quote :

"So, he'll hem and haw a little bit and maybe if he's feeling generous inch towards some kind of incremental reform, which is equivalent the position already somehow espoused by this administration."

how do you think this administration is espousing decriminalization???

all they've done at the fed level is bust people for possessing medically-prescribed marjiuana...

good lord, they put Tommy Chong in the pokey for selling bongs!

if that's decriminalization, i'd hate to see what they do when they enforce prohibitory laws

2/1/2008 8:22:05 PM

Here was a fun little blog item from ABC News.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/02/and-obama-wept.html

Quote :

"And Obama Wept February 07, 2008 9:43 AM Inspiration is nice. But some folks seem to be getting out of hand. It's as if Tom Daschle descended from on high saying, "Be not afraid; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there is born to you this day in the city of Chicago a Savior, who is Barack the Democrat." Obama supporter Kathleen Geier writes that she's "getting increasingly weirded out by some of Obama's supporters. On listservs I'm on, some people who should know better – hard-bitten, not-so-young cynics, even – are gushing about Barack… Describing various encounters with Obama supporters, she writes, "Excuse me, but this sounds more like a cult than a political campaign. The language used here is the language of evangelical Christianity – the Obama volunteers speak of 'coming to Obama' in the same way born-again Christians talk about 'coming to Jesus.'...So I say, we should all get a grip, stop all this unseemly mooning over Barack, see him and the political landscape he is a part of in a cooler, clearer, and more realistic light, and get to work." Joe Klein, writing at Time, notes "something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism" he sees in Obama's Super Tuesday speech. "We are the ones we've been waiting for," Obama said. "This time can be different because this campaign for the presidency of the United States of America is different. It's different not because of me. It's different because of you." Says Klein: "That is not just maddeningly vague but also disingenuous: the campaign is entirely about Obama and his ability to inspire. Rather than focusing on any specific issue or cause — other than an amorphous desire for change — the message is becoming dangerously self-referential. The Obama campaign all too often is about how wonderful the Obama campaign is. “ The always interesting James Wolcott writes that "(p)erhaps it's my atheism at work but I found myself increasingly wary of and resistant to the salvational fervor of the Obama campaign, the idealistic zeal divorced from any particular policy or cause and chariot-driven by pure euphoria. I can picture President Hillary in the White House dealing with a recalcitrant Republican faction; I can't picture President Obama in the same role because his summons to history and call to hope seems to transcend legislative maneuvers and horse-trading; his charisma is on a more ethereal plane, and I don't look to politics for transcendence and self-certification." Then there's MSNBC's Chris Matthews who tells Felix Gillette in the New York Observer, “I’ve been following politics since I was about 5. I’ve never seen anything like this. This is bigger than Kennedy. [Obama] comes along, and he seems to have the answers. This is the New Testament." And behold, Obama met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. The Holy Season of Lent is upon us. Can Obama worshippers try to give up their Helter-Skelter cult-ish qualities for a few weeks? At least until Easter, or the Pennsylvania primary, whichever comes first... - jpt UPDATE: Let me be clear: I'm not saying there shouldn't be enthusiasm in politics. I'm merely touching on the fact that some Obama supporters' exhuberance seems to be getting a little out of hand. Obama himself joked about this at a Hollywood fundraiser, as noted in Men's Vogue: “When Morgan Freeman comes over to greet Obama, the senator begins bowing down both hands in worship. ‘This guy was president before I was,’ says Obama, referring to Freeman's turn in Deep Impact and, clearly, getting a little ahead of his own bio. Next, a nod to Bruce Almighty: ‘This guy was God before I was.’” "

2/7/2008 12:14:54 PM

haha, anti-christ much? Im glad I won't be putting an Obama sticker on my car.

2/7/2008 12:23:27 PM

RedGuard,

Haha nice.

2/7/2008 3:51:01 PM

Quote :

"how do you think this administration is espousing decriminalization???"

They're not? Read what I said again.

Quote :

"So, he'll hem and haw a little bit and maybe if he's feeling generous inch towards some kind of incremental reform, which is equivalent the position already somehow espoused by this administration."

As in, there will be some hand-wringing over the fate of first-time offenders and maybe some quiet mutterings about rehab. But jail time for the rest of you potheads and other assorted losers.

Which is kind of my point. Obama is not a reformer.

2/7/2008 3:55:46 PM

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4259093&page=1

2/8/2008 1:36:51 PM

http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7499

Quote :

"Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Backs Federal Decriminalization “I think the war on drugs has been a failure, and I think we need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws.” Washington, DC: A newly discovered video of a 2004 appearance at Northwestern University by Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama, in which he calls for the federal decriminalization of marijuana, was posted online today by The Washington Times. In that appearance, Obama states, "I think the war on drugs has been a failure, and I think we need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws." Obama continued, saying that while he supported decriminalization, he did not support the full legalization of marijuana. In contrast, Senator Obama appeared to oppose decriminalization in a 2007 Democratic primary debate when MSNBC moderator Tim Russert asked candidates who opposed then-candidate Senator Chris Dodd’s support of decriminalization to raise their hands. In the video, Senator Obama is seen hesitantly raising his hand halfway before quickly lowering it again. When asked about the two different answers, Senator Obama’s campaign stated that he has "always" supported decriminalization, and that Obama misunderstood the question when he raised his hand in the debate. In that same statement, Obama’s campaign reiterated the Senator’s opposition to full legalization, but said that an Obama administration "will review drug sentences to see where we can be smarter on crime and reduce the blind and counterproductive sentencing of non-violent offenders." "It appears Senator Obama, alone among the major candidates for the presidency, has the courage to state the obvious: it is time that we stopped treating responsible marijuana smokers like criminals," said NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre. "According to a recent CNN/Time Warner poll, 76% of the American people agree with Senator Obama, as well as the 48 million Americans who smoked marijuana last year." Democratic rival Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign stated that she opposes decriminalization. On the Republican side, Senator John McCain opposes decriminalization, while former Utah Governor Mitt Romney opposes both decriminalization and physician-recommended access to medical cannabis. For more information, please contact NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre at (202) 483-5500. The Washington Times story, along with video of the two appearances referenced above, are available online at: http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080131/NATION/896961936/-1/RSS_NATION_PO."

This is monumentally different than the Bush administration's policy toward marijuana. The administration specifically targets state-authorized medical marijuana patients. In 2002, Bush's ONDCP head sent an open letter out stating that "no drug matches the threat posed by marijuana" and urging them to "aggressively prosecute" marijuana offenses.

Federal decriminalization, while incremental, remains a big deal. Decriminalization efforts have been localized in the past, generating some success in Colorado and even NC to a far lesser extent.

This isn't the big reason I half-heartedly support Obama, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't one of them.

2/8/2008 2:27:56 PM

^ Let's try this again, shall we?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080201/NATION/43529865/0/FRONTPAGE

Quote :

"When confronted with the statements on the video, Obama's campaign offered two explanations to The Times in less than 24 hours. At first, Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said the candidate had "always" supported decriminalizing marijuana, suggesting that his 2004 statement was correct. Then after The Times posted copies of the video on its Web site, http://www.washingtontimes.com, yesterday, his campaign reversed course and declared he does not support eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana possession and use. "If you're convicted of a crime, you should be punished, but that we are sending far too many first-time, nonviolent drug users to prison for very long periods of time, and that we should rethink those laws," Mr. Vietor said. The spokesman blamed confusion over the meaning of decriminalization for the conflicting answers."

In other words, Obama does not support decriminalization. He barely supports "maybe" reviewing sentences for first-time offenders.

Furthermore, I invite you to read the article I posted. It specifically addresses his 2004 speech at Northwestern and how he has now backed away from it.

Once again, for the people in the back:

Obama is not a (drug war) reformer.

2/8/2008 3:05:04 PM

stop the presses

2/8/2008 4:03:29 PM

Look, I'm not the nimrod who's buying into this "audacity of hope" and "change" bullshit. So really, spare me your sarcasm.

2/8/2008 4:07:44 PM

excuse me, sir, but dont change the subject

2/8/2008 4:12:44 PM

Um, which subject would happen to be getting changed, exactly?

It's really a very simple chain of thought.

-Obama makes vacuous statements about "reform" and "change" and "optimism" that airhead college kids get all excited about
-This leads said college kids to believe he'll actually change a few things, in particular certain laws pertaining to substances often consumed by said audience, supported by certain noises the candidate has made back in 2004.
-Evidence from 2008 flatly contradicts this, and other aspects of this unspecific "change" rhetoric

Ergo, Obama isn't a reformer. Not that hard to follow, if you're actually paying attention.

2/8/2008 4:18:10 PM

Yes clearly he's running on the weed platform. You're exactly right.

2/8/2008 4:18:43 PM

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/example

Quote :

"1: one that serves as a pattern to be imitated or not to be imitated <a good example> <a bad example 2: a punishment inflicted on someone as a warning to others; also : an individual so punished 3: one (as an item or incident) that is representative of all of a group or type 4: a parallel or closely similar case especially when serving as a precedent or model 5: an instance (as a problem to be solved) serving to illustrate a rule or precept or to act as an exercise in the application of a rule"

Thinking is hard.

2/8/2008 4:23:54 PM

You said in particular, which gave the indication you were saying that was his main platform.

For example, DrSteveChaos posts a lot of shit. In particular, his comments about Obama.

2/8/2008 4:27:21 PM

Quote :

"This leads said college kids to believe he'll actually change a few things, in particular certain laws pertaining to substances often consumed by said audience, supported by certain noises the candidate has made back in 2004."

As in, "in particular" refers to a subset of "few things" which are to be changed. With "change a few things" being the nature of the platform. Another way to read it might be, "to change a few things, among others, [...]" or, "for example." The chosen example is one which is relevant because other people actually mentioned it first.

Reading is hard.

[Edited on February 8, 2008 at 4:35 PM. Reason : >.<]

2/8/2008 4:31:48 PM

Quote :

"good lord, they put Tommy Chong in the pokey for selling bongs!"

2/8/2008 6:40:24 PM

I think I'd like him more if he didn't try to sounds like MLK or smthg. I mean he was born in Hawaii and lived most of his life til being an adult in Hawaii and Indonesia. Why try to be smthg he's not. He never sounded like that when I first heard him speak back in the day.

2/9/2008 12:18:48 AM

i was precinct offiicer and caucus chair for my precinct here in seattle.

Obama is killing Clinton.

like 8 to 1, at least here in the city.

2/9/2008 7:43:45 PM

do you know what age group that mostly is?

2/9/2008 8:24:14 PM

Quote :

" Analysis: Obama has advantage in head-to-head with McCain * Story Highlights * Polls suggest Sens. Hillary Clinton and John McCain would be tied * Sen. Barack Obama would have a clear lead over McCain, polls suggest * Men would be more likely to vote for Obama than Clinton in a general election"

Quote :

"en. Barack Obama believes he can do better, arguing "I've got appeal that goes beyond our party." In the CNN poll, Obama leads McCain by 8 points, 52 percent to 44 percent. That's outside the margin of error, meaning that Obama has the lead. And in the Time poll, Obama leads McCain by 7 points, 48 percent to 41 percent -- a lead also outside of the poll's margin of error of 3 percentage points. ... Why does Obama do better against McCain than Clinton? Obama does do a little better than Clinton with independents and Republicans. But the big difference is men: Men give McCain an 18-point lead over Clinton, 57 percent to 39 percent, according to the CNN poll. ... But Obama actually fares better than Clinton with white voters. McCain still leads, but by a smaller margin, (52 to 43 percent). Obama argues that he can reach across party lines. And he does do a little better than Clinton with Independents and Republicans, at least in these polls. But the big difference is that Clinton doesn't draw very well with men. Obama does."

People like a winner.

2/9/2008 8:33:45 PM

because he was on saturday night live

2/9/2008 11:37:25 PM

it doesnt mater what the national polls say...it is going to come down to Fl and Ohio, there is very little chance that Obama will win any of the south that he has one in the primaries. If he doesnt when Ohio or Florida McCain will be the next Prez.(same for Billary but she is doing very well in FL and the southern States that Obama has one are AUTO GOP in the general.)

[Edited on February 10, 2008 at 12:28 AM. Reason : it is like McCain winning in the GOP primaries states that will never go GOP in the general]

2/10/2008 12:27:02 AM

[Edited on February 10, 2008 at 1:43 AM. Reason : nevermind, I assume you were referring to the gen'l election...]

2/10/2008 1:42:46 AM

lol. Barack Obama is a cool dude. he's in Louisiana and he's rippin the hot sauce down there, I have that same podunk sauce, but it's actually pretty fucking hot. And all this time I thought politicians ate out of tubes

http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/images/02/09/art.bonoloa.ap.jpg

2/10/2008 2:48:06 AM

Quote :

"it doesnt mater what the national polls say...it is going to come down to Fl and Ohio, there is very little chance that Obama will win any of the south that he has one in the primaries."

have you seen the disparity in turnout between the republican primaries and the democratic primaries in basically every state?

2/10/2008 12:21:45 PM

Quote :

"do you know what age group that mostly is?"

my precinct, and the six others being held in the same location, were in and around the Univ of Washington area in north seattle.

so it was heavily in the 18-30 demographic

but washington as a state, Obama beat Clinton 70 - 30

2/10/2008 12:37:33 PM

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/7/18938/03983/329/452246

http://ncst.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8591732057


$5.01: The February 12th Obama Money Bomb

Quote :

" Barack Obama's groundbreaking campaign has been powered by small donations by people like me and you. February 12th is the birthday of America's greatest president, Abraham Lincoln (who was also from Illinois) Abraham Lincoln is on the $5 bill and on the penny. Therefore, on Feb 12th, join millions of other Obama supporters in giving a donation of $5.01 to the campaign. "

I first saw this on campusblender and facebook, and its out there in other places too... it all feels very Ron Paul-esque, but I can spare $5.01

[Edited on February 10, 2008 at 9:57 PM. Reason : .]

2/10/2008 9:55:00 PM

better than Rudy Guiliani's fundraiser a couple months ago, where everyone donated $9.11

2/10/2008 11:01:05 PM

Quote :

"joepeshi: I think I'd like him more if he didn't try to sounds like MLK or smthg. I mean he was born in Hawaii and lived most of his life til being an adult in Hawaii and Indonesia. Why try to be smthg he's not. He never sounded like that when I first heard him speak back in the day."

Are you kidding me?

[Edited on February 10, 2008 at 11:32 PM. Reason : .]

2/10/2008 11:31:37 PM

Quote :

"I first saw this on campusblender and facebook, and its out there in other places too... it all feels very Ron Paul-esque, but I can spare $5.01"

This is a common plan of action in fundraising. It is a way of tapping into the money resources of people who would give, but believe that their paltry sum is not worth it for the campaign. One recent campaign was Rep. Ty Harrell's, give $38 on his 38th birthday.

It is very common and it gives people, who normally wouldn't donate, an opportunity to donate to a campaign. Your statement about it being very Ron Paul-esque is thoroughly ignorant.

2/11/2008 12:04:06 PM

But it is still purestrain comedic.

No?

2/11/2008 12:11:05 PM

Purestrain GOLD.

2/11/2008 12:12:28 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hUngQ8-wLU

2/11/2008 3:48:20 PM

Because he is an excellent speaker.

2/11/2008 5:25:23 PM

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Obama answers a question from an audience member on why she should vote for him rather than Hill.j
(embed please)

2/11/2008 8:30:48 PM

2/11/2008 8:47:22 PM

Thank you much.

2/11/2008 9:15:17 PM

donated 5.01 today

2/12/2008 6:48:37 AM

im moving outa the country

2/12/2008 8:49:20 AM

Wow, great post markgoal, dagreenone:

That was a quick and logical answer... nice catch... but my notes on it sucked so I went

back through and scribbled down most of what I heard... (it's more accurate at the end,

I was getting used to stopping and starting it):

***************************************
I came to this rally b/c my son supports you
I am undecided
Why should I ? help me vote for you

here's couple of things that I would say

When I decided to run, I asked self 3 questions

1. Can my family survive rigors of campaign (you should vote for me because if I'm

gonna dodge your question, I'll give you a nice story why I think]
b/c my wife is exceptional, kids above average, family would be ok. and they have

been

2. Can I win? (political advantage over clinton)

I can beat John McCain more effectively than Hillary Clinton can.
I can get more independent votes and republican votes and offset whatever

advantages he may have and actually succeed
I think Senator Clinton starts out with 47% of country against her
That's a hard place to start if you want to win an election


3. The third and most important question is why should I win?

There were at least 4 reasons why I thought I could do better than Senator Clinton or

anyone else as president at this point in history.




1. I have the ability to bring people together
- example: I don't think we can solve our healthcare problem without having a strong

working majority
- both senator clinton and I want to provide universal health care to everybody
- we both have a government plan that we set up where you will be able to buy into it,

you won't be able to be excluded for pre-existing conditions, we will both negotiate

with drug companies for the cheapest available price on drugs, we're both going to put

an emphasis on prevention
- I emphasize costs more
- She has a mandate which would force everybody to buy healthcare
- I say, "if we make it affordable, people will buy it,"
- We don't want to penalize people before we make it affordable
- But basically, 95% of the plan is the same!
- The question is, who can actually get it done?
- and who can avoid the resistance of some of the republicans who may want to see

improvements but politically feel like its hard for them to work with [i feel like he's

falling back to the political advantage argument here]
-That's point number 1

2
- last year I passed the toughest ethics reform legislation since watergate
- I passed transparency laws to make sure that people would know, on a searchable

database, how the government is spending our money
- I have a consistent track record of reforming government so that it's more

accountable to you, the American people
-Senator clinton doesn't have that record, and I don't think we can change washington
unless we change how business is in washington
-That's number 2

3
- Number 3
- I think that part of what the american people are looking for right now is straight talk.
- They don't want political talk
- Senator Clinton and I were at a debate, and she was asked the bankruptcy law
- She voted for it in 2001, that made it harder for people to file bankruptcy because of

credit cards that had gone from 0% interest to 30% interest, for people who were sick

and were paying medical care, I mean this was a credit card industry bill
- and she said, during the debate, "I voted for it, but I hoped it wouldn't pass"... that

was a quote, that was on live tv!
- that kind of talk, I think, it makes people not trust government
- and I think we need somebody who is gonna answer clearly and straightforwardly

about the problems that we face
- That's number 3
- And thats why, for example, when I proposed that we were gonna change our tax

code and increase oversight of the financial industry, I didn't do it in front of a union

hall, I went to wall street, and did it in front of corporate CEOs
-When I talked about fuel efficiency standards, I went to detroit, the people who most

resist increases in fuel efficiency standards
-... because I want people to feel as if I am presenting them honestly with choices
- I'm not trying to negotiate or finesse or avoid tough questions

And the last point...

4

- On the day I'm inaugurated, I think the country looks at itself differently
-your son sees somebody different as president
- After 44, the 44th, he says "hey, he's got a funny name, like me"
- It changes perceptions in this country, but it also changes perceptions overseas
- And that, that is, uh, that's not just symbolic
-No, If I go to a poor country in Africa, I do so with the credibility of having lived in
a poor country in southeast asia and having family, I have a grandmother who lives in

a small village without electricity or running water.
- So I have credibility not just because I know the leaders but because I know the

people in those countries
- When I, If I'm reaching out to the muslim world, they may know that I'm christian, but

they also know I lived in Indonesia, which has the largest muslim population in the

world, and so that I understand their culture, and that gives me more credibilityin

negotiations to figure out how we can bridge the gaps

- So, those are four good reasons, aside from the fact I'm a local guy from hawaii!
-Alright that's the fifth (point and wink, maybe)
-thank you

********************************

so, what I got out what he said explicitly:

- I think I am politically advantaged over Clinton against McCain
- my healthcare plan is as good as Clintons, and I will make it cheap and attractive

rather than mandatory
- track record/ accountability/ predictability... I dunno, 2nd point seems like flim-flam
- I'm better about not saying dumb shit in front of a camera about my votes/ I think I

like to take it to the opposition on each issue, not just throwing rally cries to the choir
- I'm a black man with a distinct name and multi-cultural in both genetic and

environmental background, which makes us look good to foreign nations, not a

bumbling unsympathetic white man , which will be handy in improving our foreign

relations

what I got out of what he said implicitly:
-it'll be a fuckton harder to make a calendar of Obama-isms in 4 years...

what I'm sadly realizing... I'll be voting for Obama or Clinton, but if I really wanted

change and getting out of iraq, I'd be voting for Ron Paul. dammit.

2/12/2008 7:41:20 PM

Quote :

"it'll be a fuckton harder to make a calendar of Obama-isms in 4 years"

there's my #1 reason

2/13/2008 2:49:03 AM