Question: Could Rand call on Obama to pardon non-violent drug offenders?

dancjm · Mar 13, 2013

Could Rand do with Drug policy what he has done with Drone policy? Namely shame Obama, raise and important issue, and gain popular support across the board. Or would it lose him the Republican base?

What do people think?

Christian Liberty · Mar 13, 2013

I don't think Obama would listen to him, and since only like half the country agrees, it wouldn't "Shame" Obama the same way. Nobody openly believes in drone strikes on US soil.

jtstellar · Mar 13, 2013

before you ask me what i think

what makes you think this is such a good idea? no one-liner please. i feel stupid to have to allow you to clarify, but you're talking about what's good for principles but what's also good politically, namely the rand-paul way, which has proven to work (fuck you naysayers)? otherwise, he can jump immediately to talk about abolishing the fed, why start with drug users. so why is something so stupid and appealing only to the far-left, mainstreaming speaking, such a good idea? are you intentionally throwing a dumb idea out there just to elevate yourself because rand obviously won't do it, and this shows somehow you are more principled than him? tired of libertarian antics

Christian Liberty · Mar 13, 2013

How is stopping state-sanctioned kidnapping of the peaceful stupid?

TokenLibertarianGuy · Mar 13, 2013

I wouldn't do this if I were Rand. Obama won't accept and it would hurt him IMMENSELY with conservatives.

supermario21 · Mar 13, 2013

I don't know. Evangelicals are really open to it. Besides, we're going to be fighting the "tough guy" law and order folks anyway on issues like war.

misean · Mar 13, 2013

I'm open to the idea of pardoning non-violent drug offenders. I'm not open to the idea of Rand Paul saying that he supports it.

Christian Liberty · Mar 13, 2013

supermario21 said:
I don't know. Evangelicals are really open to it. Besides, we're going to be fighting the "tough guy" law and order folks anyway on issues like war.

I really haven't seen this. Most Evangelicals I've talked to are against this. Granted, I'm for it, but I'm one of the few that I've seen.

misean said:
I'm open to the idea of pardoning non-violent drug offenders. I'm not open to the idea of Rand Paul saying that he supports it.

Oh, to heck with strategy over principle. Rand shouldn't waste his time with the President on this, he should explain to Obama why he is a murderer that in a civilized society would be sentenced to death.

eleganz · Mar 13, 2013

It would be another issue that Rand brings on the forefront to the nation and embarass the white house..I'm down for it. I think Rand will only do the reclassify hemp for his Kentucky bill. He might save the pardoning for the actual 2016 campaign.

dancjm · Mar 13, 2013

jtstellar said:
before you ask me what i think

what makes you think this is such a good idea? no one-liner please. i feel stupid to have to allow you to clarify, but you're talking about what's good for principles but what's also good politically, namely the rand-paul way, which has proven to work (fuck you naysayers)? otherwise, he can jump immediately to talk about abolishing the fed, why start with drug users. so why is something so stupid and appealing only to the far-left, mainstreaming speaking, such a good idea? are you intentionally throwing a dumb idea out there just to elevate yourself because rand obviously won't do it, and this shows somehow you are more principled than him? tired of libertarian antics

Wow.

alucard13mmfmj · Mar 13, 2013

Rand can probably get away with it as a 2nd term president.. But I think he will lose a lot of support otherwise.

ronaldo23 · Mar 14, 2013

It would give rubio and christie a field day on the 2016 trail. I think Rand should continue promoting hemp legislation in Kentucky, but otherwise use his political capital on issues where he can gain wider support

TheTexan · Mar 14, 2013

FreedomFanatic said:
I don't think Obama would listen to him, and since only like half the country agrees, it wouldn't "Shame" Obama the same way. Nobody openly believes in drone strikes on US soil.

Many people aren't actually against drone strikes on US soil, they just don't see any reason why the government would ever possibly want to. It's "ridiculous" because we have cops and SWAT and FBI etc to go and serve warrants and knock down doors to apprehend these people.

But if the government were in ever such a situation where it would benefit from using drone strikes on US citizens on US soil? More people are for that than you might expect.

TheGrinch · Mar 14, 2013

I certainly don't think it would cost him more than he gained, given the way Rand is able to frame the message (Ron has explianed this quite well in the past, and with people actually ready to listen to Rand, I have no doubt he could make a great argument just with the "non-violent offenders crowding our prisons and costing money for victimless crimes" argument"), but no, this would not be a strategy I would employ to gain momentum. He's stepping over landmines right now.

alucard13mmfmj · Mar 14, 2013

TheGrinchWhoStoleDC said:
I certainly don't think it would cost him more than he gained, given the way Rand is able to frame the message (Ron has explianed this quite well in the past, and with people actually ready to listen to Rand, I have no doubt he could make a great argument just with the "non-violent offenders crowding our prisons and costing money for victimless crimes" argument"), but no, this would not be a strategy I would employ to gain momentum. He's stepping over landmines right now.

I guess you can say that.

Drug offenders who were arrested just because they were in posession of weed (without any other crime) crowd the prison/jail system. Guess what? Rapist, murderers and gang bangers get early release on "Good Behavior" because of prison/jail overcrowding.

Think about that when your daughter or son or love one gets killed or raped by a recently released violent criminal.

--

I might cause people to rethink.

randfan7 · Mar 14, 2013

alucard13mmfmj said:
Drug offenders who were arrested just because they were in posession of weed (without any other crime) crowd the prison/jail system. Guess what? Rapist, murderers and gang bangers get early release on "Good Behavior" because of prison/jail overcrowding.

Those people aren't crowding federal prisons and the president can only pardon for federal crimes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardon#United_States

The pardon power of the President extends only to offenses cognizable under federal law.

This would be a waste of political capital. You have to find the 90% issues and this is not one of them.

tod evans · Mar 14, 2013

randfan7 said:
Those people aren't crowding federal prisons and the president can only pardon for federal crimes.

The federal prison population is overwhelmingly drug offenders.

randfan7 · Mar 14, 2013

tod evans said:
The federal prison population is overwhelmingly drug offenders.

Of people convicted of "just because they were in posession of weed (without any other crime)"?

tod evans · Mar 14, 2013

randfan7 said:
Of people convicted of "just because they were in posession of weed (without any other crime)"?

The OP suggested "non-violent" drug offenders...............Have you changed the criteria?

randfan7 · Mar 14, 2013

tod evans said:
The OP suggested "non-violent" drug offenders...............Have you changed the criteria?

It wasn't the OP that I replied to. I quoted the person I was responding to.

Question: Could Rand call on Obama to pardon non-violent drug offenders?

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