MPP Challenges Candidates

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) has been trying to get all of the presidential candidates to support the legalization of marijuana for medical use -- or at least not to tell lies about medical marijuana. They've been pretty successful in that effort.

But there are three holdouts -- naturally, all three are Republicans. Rudy Guiliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney still say that medical marijuana is not needed, that there are adequate substitutes for it and that marijuana is a dangerous drug. Of course this is nonsense. Just ask the sick people who are helped by the medical use of marijuana.

So the MPP has now issued a challenge to these three candidates, and they've even put the challenge on a truck billboard (see picture above). They say they will donate $10,000 to any of these three campaigns that can prove the lies they are telling about marijuana and its medical use. Here's what MPP has to say:

Last week, MPP offered the campaigns of presidential candidates Rudy Guiliani, John McCain, and Mitt Romney $10,000 apiece to back up their statements regarding medical marijuana.

The challenge was accompanied by a massive billboard featuring the three Republicans with Pinocchio noses. Details are available here.

We’ve made great progress in New Hampshire this year in pressuring the presidential candidates to take strong, public, positive positions on medical marijuana: Our efforts have led to 10 of the 17 major Democratic and Republican candidates pledging to end the DEA’s raids on patients and providers in the 12 states where medical marijuana is legal.

During the past nine months of this campaign, the three clowns on the billboard persistently made patently false statements in response to questions from patients who have benefited from medical marijuana — insulting seriously ill people and flouting a huge body of scientific evidence.

Muscular dystrophy patient Clayton Holton was rebuffed by this trio at three separate events in New Hampshire this fall. Video footage of Gov. Romney’s snub was widely seen on CNN and YouTube.

Indeed, the candidates had the gall to claim to Mr. Holton and other patients that marijuana is too dangerous for medical use or not needed because adequate substitutes exist — claims that are refuted by the patients themselves, not to mention published scientific data.

Since appeals to science, compassion, and common sense haven’t worked, we’re speaking to these candidates in a language we know they understand — campaign contributions. If they can back up their claims, we’ll donate to their campaigns. But if they can’t, they need to stop lying.

But we don’t expect to have to pay. A panel of medical experts is ready to evaluate any responses we receive from the three campaigns, and we’re confident the candidates won’t be able to support their baseless claims.

Indeed, we’re still waiting for the campaigns to respond at all. Will you please make a donation to MPP today so that we can continue to pester these three candidates through the end of the New Hampshire primary season?

Rob Kampia

Executive Director

Marijuana Policy Project

Washington, D.C.

Can Democrats Afford To Nominate Clinton ?

The newest Wall Street Journal / NBC poll creates some doubt as to whether Hillary Clinton would be the best candidate for the Democrats to nominate in the presidential race. According to the new poll, Americans say they would prefer a Democrat over a Republican by 50% to 35%. Sounds pretty good doesn't it?

But when these same people were asked who they would vote for between Clinton and Guiliani, the numbers don't look nearly as good. About 46% picked Clinton and 45% picked Guiliani. That's a dead heat -- well within the margin of error. Those are numbers that should worry Democrats.

It's just a fact of life that Clinton has the highest negatives of any candidate. There's a large segment of the population that simply will not vote for Clinton, even though many of them are willing to vote for a Democrat next year. And none of the other Democrats have nearly as high negative numbers as Clinton does.

Here in Texas, we are trying to get a Democrat elected to the US Senate to replace "Box Turtle" John Cornyn. We have a good candidate in Rick Noeiega, but it would really help to have a Democratic candidate with some coattails. Clinton is so unpopular here (except among hardcore Democrats) that she might actually hurt down-ballot candidates rather than help them.

Frankly, there are many reasons not to nominate Clinton. She supports job outsourcing. She won't commit to ending the war in Iraq by 2012. She's taken huge dollars fron PAC's and corporations. She wants to leave troops in Iraq even after the war is over. She supports NAFTA-like trade agreements.

But the fact that a huge segment of our population simply does not like her may be one of the most important reasons. Nominating Clinton would give the Republicans what they're praying for -- a chance to win.

Repub Candidates Snub Texas Straw Poll

Texas Republicans have a big party planned in Fort Worth for the Labor Day weekend. They are planning to meet at the Fort Worth Convention Center, listen to their presidential candidates and conduct a straw poll. They have invited anyone who was a delegate at any of the last four state conventions or the last two national conventions.

They were planning to listen to the candidates and then conduct a straw poll. The idea was that this would show the relative strength of the Republican candidates in Texas. But it looks like the major candidates have spoiled the show.

The three leading candidates -- Giuliani, Romney and McCain -- have all declined their invitation to attend the event. Fred Thompson was also invited, but did not even bother to respond. Ron Paul is still trying to make up his mind about attending (and he's a Texan).

The only candidates who have confirmed they will attend the event are the minor candidates -- Tancredo, Brownback, Huckabee and Hunter. It certainly won't be a star-studded gathering.

Why are the major candidates thumbing their noses at Texas Republicans? After all, few states have as many delegates as Texas does. You'd think they would be eager to win a share of the many Texas delegates.

I think this is a case of their own action (or inaction) coming home to roost. A couple of months ago, our Republican-dominated House and Senate decided to leave our Texas primary in March, instead of moving it up to February as many other states have done.

Because of this, Texas is once again being ignored by the candidates. I think most of them believe the race could be virtually over before Texas voters get a chance to vote (and they very well could be right). So instead of coming to Texas, they're going to concentrate on the early primary and caucus states. Texas is left with a few also-rans who have no chance of winning.

They should have known this would happen. When was the last time Texas had a real voice in choosing a presidential candidate?

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But while the Republican's party may have pooped, it's not the only gathering scheduled for Fort Worth on Labor Day weekend. Texans for Peace is planning some anti-war rallies in Fort Worth that weekend. They want to show Republicans just how strong the anti-war movement is in Texas.

Rep. Lon Burnam says he and others from the Dallas Peace Center will be there. Sounds like a good event. If you are against the Iraq war, make plans to be in Fort Worth that weekend.

Hope to see you all there!