Kamala Harris introduced an economic plan today designed to help Black men, but as you might expect it's really a laundry list of stuff that will be available to anyone. She's just pitching it as aimed at Black men.
Anyway, this buries the lede:
Under the plan, Ms. Harris also pledges to legalize marijuana nationally and to ensure that Black men, who were once disproportionately jailed for using and distributing marijuana, can benefit from its business potential.
This is pretty big news, no? It's oddly MIA in the headlines of news stories about this.
It is but why now when Trump has promised the world to everyone? I think it would have had more impact a few weeks after Biden dropped out to demonstrate the Dems new thinking fora younger candidate
Well, Trump Xitted something so that must take over all the headlines.
Was the goal of the announcement to further entice pot partakers generally, or to entice black pot partakers specifically? If the latter, how much coverage has it gotten in the "black" press?
Just like how promises of immigration reform don’t appeal to (and actually repel) lots of Latinos, marijuana legalization isn’t going to do much with Black men. Most Black men aren’t going to directly benefit from this change, just like most Latinos don’t directly benefit from immigration reform… and many in both actively resent their “fellow brethren” for having legal/criminal problems. (There nothing more American than blaming people for everything that happens to them.)
Plus, a lot of state-level legalization schemes which were advertised as opportunities to rectify some of the disproportionate impact of the war on drugs on black communities have largely backfired, with poor or confusing regulation and bureaucratic red tape making it difficult to comply or run one's business successfully.
Are you suggesting that she should be proposing policies that will only apply to Black men? Pretty sure that'd be illegal.
It's a worthy clean up of an outdated policy, which the States can manage on their own. Plus an added source of revenue in an area that is easily justified for each State.
Give a damn how it's presented, as I'm beyond sick of conjecture regarding vote earning actions at this point.
Oh well. Good riddance! To hell with the Arabs. They aren’t Americans anyway. Bring on trump and the Muslim ban!
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/14/hamtramck-donald-trump-arab-american-muslim
Black men are stoners so… that’s why this pot thing is good for them? Funny.
From the NYT article "'They will vote against Harris’: Arab Americans in Michigan desert Democrats over Gaza" that justin linked to:
"Hamtramck is considered one of the most diverse cities in the country and is the first in the US to have an all-Muslim city council."
Excuse me, but how is an all-Muslim anything "diverse"?
Dateline June 12, 2011
"We smoked it all."
After being stopped for speeding at 118 mph, a cop smells pot emanating from the vehicle and asks a car full of young black adults, "Who's got the marijuana in the car?"
Best response, ever.
Is this even possible? Haven't Dems been promising this for years? The reality is, Dems are probably going to lose the Senate, which make this difficult or impossible to implement. I also don't think this moves the needle for black male voters.
Sorry, but much as I like dumping on the Times and the mainstream media, I think this one's wide of the mark. So, ok, she included pot legalization among a hefty policy agenda, but surely the only fair way to handle that is to present it all, subordinated to the obvious storyline, that it took place in an appeal to the black community, and she and Dems really care about them. Oh, and that she really is capable of policy agendas, which the media beg for insincerely.
Surely, too, it's only fair, even good to her, to foreground an economic policy agenda directed to other than the rich. Isn't that what centrists like Kevin keep demanding, rather than culture war appeals to college-educated potheads (which is how opponents will quickly frame this)?
Last, surely after 24 hours there will be more coverage as others on both sides react to the proposal, sensing a juicy controversy.
Is it possible for her to pardon anyone convicted of owning a small amounts of weed and so that people so convicted a get their voting rights back?
Biden already pardoned federal and DC pot convictions.
https://apnews.com/article/biden-marijuana-pardons-clemency-02abde991a05ff7dfa29bfc3c74e9d64
Thank you.
The rest are 'state's rights."
The president can't pardon state crimes.
That's what makes me so pissed off by Fani Willis' arrogance and manifest incompetence. She's about to piss away one of the best cases against Trump.
So you thought the media were interested in policy. How touchingly naive.
They might be called accused of being 'pro-Democrat' or something if they report anything not openly critical of her.