Governor Palin's Hypocrisy on Drug Use

At Political Hotwire: Posted by, BurningGiraffe.

On Aug. 6, 2006, the Anchorage Daily News reported, “Palin said she has smoked marijuana — remember, it was legal under state law, she said, even if illegal under U.S. law — but says she didn’t like it and doesn’t smoke it now. “‘I can’t claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled.’”

The paper quoted Palin as saying she opposed legalization of marijuana because of the “message” that would be sent to her children. Let’s ponder that a bit.

Gov. Palin is one of many millions of Americans who have acknowledged using marijuana and gone on to live productive, wildly successful lives. That list famously includes California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Sen. Barack Obama, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and astronomer Carl Sagan, and many others. That Palin used marijuana is no big deal. What is a big deal is that she thinks that the 100 million Americans who have done so — presumably including herself — deserve arrest, jail, and a criminal record.

The Hill Blog

This won't be a problem for Governor Palin because Drug Use is not a significant national issue, however, it does point to the duplicitous approach of Republicans when it comes to the law and "traditional American Values". Republicans are just as human, and therefore curious, as everyone else in this country. They too have experimented with drugs and premarital sex and vice of every kind. However, the Republicans seem willing to support the harshest possible penalties for vice. How can someone who has used drugs in the past, but who was never caught, and therefore never went to jail (accepted responsibility for their vice) support putting others in prison for the same behavior?

Can Obama Win if he Concedes the Center?

At Political Hotwire

By Burning Giraffe:

Here is what Obama should say,

"You say that America is a Capitalist nation, and as such is a land of opportunity? Well, where is that opportunity now? Unemployment is going up, the housing market has collapsed, small businesses can't do business, and even if you're making the same as you were in 2001, your dollar doesn't buy as much today as it did then. Don't buy into the hype! Because John McCain and the Republican Party make their living supporting a small corporate elite. You don't know these people because you don't elect them. They just cash your checks. President Bush and John McCain are essentially nothing more than the FACE of American Big Business. So it's Big Business versus Big Government. Who gets hurt by Big Government? The Rich. But the Rich can afford it. Who gets hurt by Big Business? Poor people. The VERY people who can least afford to be harmed.

My Fellow Americans, Never before have we needed Big Government like we do today. We are facing big problems. Can you fix it? No, you can't. Not because you aren't smart, capable, or creative, but because you can't, and your family can't, provide order in such a complex world. You need government. I know, we may be the punching bag over many dinner table conversations. But you need Government. You need government to do big things right. President Bush is a Big Government Republican, just like John McCain, and President Bush did Big Things badly. We'll, I'm going to do big things too, but I'm going to do them right. I'm going to listen to the people and provide them with the basic services they need to flourish as a people in a global economy".

It could work, but it would take a great deal of courage.