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I'm actually optimistic about civil liberties in this country. Didn't see that coming. Two states legalized marijuana and possibly four more states have approve

by detst 14y ago

I'm actually optimistic about civil liberties in this country. Didn't see that coming. Two states legalized marijuana and possibly four more states have approved gay marriage (btw, I rarely smoke and I'm not gay). Let's keep this going.

Nursie 14y ago
Gotta wonder, now that Obama is a second term president and doesn't have to think about re-election, whether we could see some of this stuff start to happen at the federal level...
- Karunamon 14y ago
  I'd hope so, but the other side is going to be just as obstructionist and useless as ever.
  - cobrausn 14y ago
    Nevermind that Obama has never expressed any interest in marijuana legalization and has even gone against his own promises in regards to prosecution. But feel free to keep projecting 'progressive values' onto him that aren't there.
    - Karunamon 14y ago
      >Nevermind that Obama has never expressed any interest in marijuana legalization And up until very recently he never expressed any interest in marriage equality either. Your point?
      - cobrausn 14y ago
        There's a difference between 'not expressing interest' and 'actively pursuing the opposing agenda' that I hope is apparent. 2012 Democratic Platform: "We must help state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement work together to combat and prevent drug crime and drug and alcohol abuse, which are blights on our communities. We have increased funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program over the last four years, and we will continue to expand the use of drug courts. We support the rights of victims to be respected, heard, and compensated." RTFM.
      - chimeracoder 14y ago
        Because it's worse than that - in 2007-2008, Obama explicitly campaigned on a platform that would be amenable to drug policy reform (medical marijuna + decriminalization at the state level).. then promptly reversed course after the election to become the most tough-on-drugs president in recent history[1]. There's the chance that he'd flip-flop again, but don't get your hopes high - he made an active effort to extend Bush's medical marijuana dispensary crackdowns instead of ending them altogether, so there's not really much evidence to suggest that he'll change his mind again. [1] Compared at least to Bush Jr. and Clinton, which already takes us back 20 years.
  - monochromatic 14y ago
    Obama's executive branch busting dispensaries isn't exactly attributable to the "other side."
jobu 14y ago
Agreed. In Minnesota, the Republican party overplayed their hand by trying to pass an amendment against gay marriage and another requiring voter ID. The amendments were defeated and it was arguably one of the biggest reasons for heavy republican losses in the state.
- jacoblyles 14y ago
  I still don't get what's wrong with voter ID. Do liberals support any way to make sure that people voting 1) are citizens and 2) are who they say they are?

by detst 14y ago

Nursie 14y ago

Gotta wonder, now that Obama is a second term president and doesn't have to think about re-election, whether we could see some of this stuff start to happen at the federal level...

Karunamon 14y ago
I'd hope so, but the other side is going to be just as obstructionist and useless as ever.
- cobrausn 14y ago
  Nevermind that Obama has never expressed any interest in marijuana legalization and has even gone against his own promises in regards to prosecution. But feel free to keep projecting 'progressive values' onto him that aren't there.
  - Karunamon 14y ago
    >Nevermind that Obama has never expressed any interest in marijuana legalization And up until very recently he never expressed any interest in marriage equality either. Your point?
    - cobrausn 14y ago
      There's a difference between 'not expressing interest' and 'actively pursuing the opposing agenda' that I hope is apparent. 2012 Democratic Platform: "We must help state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement work together to combat and prevent drug crime and drug and alcohol abuse, which are blights on our communities. We have increased funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program over the last four years, and we will continue to expand the use of drug courts. We support the rights of victims to be respected, heard, and compensated." RTFM.
    - chimeracoder 14y ago
      Because it's worse than that - in 2007-2008, Obama explicitly campaigned on a platform that would be amenable to drug policy reform (medical marijuna + decriminalization at the state level).. then promptly reversed course after the election to become the most tough-on-drugs president in recent history[1]. There's the chance that he'd flip-flop again, but don't get your hopes high - he made an active effort to extend Bush's medical marijuana dispensary crackdowns instead of ending them altogether, so there's not really much evidence to suggest that he'll change his mind again. [1] Compared at least to Bush Jr. and Clinton, which already takes us back 20 years.
- monochromatic 14y ago
  Obama's executive branch busting dispensaries isn't exactly attributable to the "other side."

jobu 14y ago

Agreed. In Minnesota, the Republican party overplayed their hand by trying to pass an amendment against gay marriage and another requiring voter ID. The amendments were defeated and it was arguably one of the biggest reasons for heavy republican losses in the state.

jacoblyles 14y ago
I still don't get what's wrong with voter ID. Do liberals support any way to make sure that people voting 1) are citizens and 2) are who they say they are?