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California Democrats remain neutral on Prop 19

July 19, 2010

California state Democrats decided Sunday not to endorse Proposition 19, the November ballot measure calling for the legalization of marijuana. [Los Angeles Times]

Party members gathered in San Jose, where they opted instead to be officially neutral on the marijuana issue.

Just last week, Senator Dianne Feinstein officially announced her opposition to Proposition 19. Gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown is also on record as being against legalizing marijuana.

The vote in San Jose followed a lengthy and emotional debate. In the end, however, Democrats decided not to saddle their November slate of candidates with a controversial issue they would have to defend.

“We’re concerned that our candidates, Jerry Brown, Barbara Boxer and others, who have actually come out against this are going to be compromised,” said Steve Preminger, the chairman of the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee, “so we’re going to get lost in a discussion about the merits of whether we should legalize or not, when, really, we the Democratic Party want to put all of our efforts into electing our ticket.”

The Democrat’s executive board, which includes elected officials and party representatives from across the state, voted 101 to 85 against an endorsement.


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Democrats are smart to remain neutral on this. California voters are just crazy enough to approve Prop 19 and what will that do in the face of the federal law that says the evil weed is a dangerous narcotic drug and totally illegal?

Cops, so long as the federal law remains unchanged, will still have that statute to point to and bust people on, so nothing here will change.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens when Prop 19 passes, Brown is no longer Attorney General and a new AG takes over. Will he enforce federal laws over the will of the California voters? Will he ignore the voters here and continue the state’s war on pot (CAMP)?

A showdown over this is on the horizon and pot legalization groups and advocates need to focus their efforts on Congress and the President to get pot removed from the illegal drugs list.

That in itself would be a monumental task, as I don’t believe the U.S. has ever downgraded the status of a drug from the dangerous narcotics list. It would mean admitting they were wrong all these years.


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God forbid that we expect our politicians to have integrity. No, they are more concerned about getting reelected. Anyone who doesn’t have the integrity to simply state where they stand on an issue, should be voted out on that basis alone.


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The Dems know which side their bread is buttered on. If they alienate the “420 Enthusiasts,” there won’t be anyone left to vote for them.


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I find it amusing that people “assume” that because one is a Democrat, they are a “liberal”; there are many Democrats who don’t feel that they are necessarily “liberal” in all areas, and perhaps when mentioning changing our laws, they are somewhat more “conservative”. As a liberal progressive who happens to be a registered Democrat, I will definitely be voting in favor of prop. 19.


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Isn’t it also amusing how some posters here (not saying you in particular) think that Republicans are facist, neo-cons, right wing extremist, homophobs? My point would be that many Democrats have a liberal leaning view, as many republicans have a conservative leaning view. If I am wrong in that assertion please let me know how.


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BTDT, I have to agree with you. I identified with Democrats all my life and while a registered Non Partisan, I voted 95-100% Democrat. I thought that the Republican’s were ” fascist, neo-cons, right wing extremist, homophobes” among other things like, sneak’s, cheats, liars and scary religious uneducated fanatics that were out to destroy my country. I hated Bush so much that I had to change the channel when I saw his face, yes for real, I had to change the channel. Of course I voted for Obama.


2010 was a turning point for me. I didn’t like the way Obama developed the health care program, didn’t agree that everyone should have to participate among other things. I was very angry when he bailed out the “banksters” and the last straw was when he started talking about amnesty for 20 million invaders that were trampling my flag in the face of the American public, while they were sucking up our hard earned tax dollars for programs intended for the American people. I voted 80% Republican in the primaries and left 20% of the boxes on my ballot blank.


I don’t like anybody, not the Dems and not the Reps. I think both parties are ^^%%)(@#$%^&*(

!@#$%^&*()_!@#$%^& and……..nothing but self servicing lying ass politico’s, the whole stinking lot of them.


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BTDT: You are not necessarily “wrong” in assuming that many Democrats have a liberal leaning view, but that does necessarily mean that a majority will publicly state their support for Prop. 19 either. As to your assertion that how some posters here (and I will include myself) think that Republicans are fascist, neo-cons, right wing extremist, homophobes; NO. I don’t think that “Republicans” are as you have attempted to stereo-type here. There are some that are fascists; there are some who subscribe to the Neo-Con agenda and way of thinking, there are some who are right wing extremists, and yes, there are some who are homophobic; but do I think that all Republicans are all of that, all of the time? Of course not. And I don’t know anyone who does think that way; it is always more complicated than that.


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I find the irony here funny. The liberals have been blaming conservatives for holding up legalization for years. Now is the best opportunity to ever come down the pike and the liberals chicken out. So are they still going to blame conservatives? Are they going to nut up and vote for this? I for one am a conservative who is going to vote for this and find it hilarious that all the top Dems. in this article are covering their asses. Yea talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.


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