Romney talks to muscular dystrophy patient who uses medical marijuana

[RandySF]

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[Voice for Peace]

1. a great glimpse into Mitt

k&r

[SaintPete]

2. Romney is right

he did answer the question. We just have to hear what was really said, and what was specifically avoided. That's where you'll hear Romney's real answer.

[jberryhill]

3. It seemed as if he answered it

"I'm not in favor of medical marijuana."

The question was, literally, "Are you going to arrest me?" The literal answer would be "no, the president doesn't run around arresting people."

But if the question was to get to the point of "what is your position on medical marijuana", he answered that question.

[SaintPete]

5. Romney avoided a direct answer to the question

Why?

Because he knows the direct answer will kill him politically.

Which do you think is the more likely direct answer?

A) Yes, I'm against medical marijuana. If you use it you will be arrested.

~or~

B) No, I'm against medical marijuana, but there will be no penalty for breaking a Federal law.

Obviously, no candidate would take either position, too much to lose either way. But which way do you think Romney leans in his heart?

Look at his rhetoric. Look at how his compassion for the voter ended when he saw he wasn't going to get a vote, or generate any votes through this exchange. Romney is a numbers guy, not a people guy. He doesn't give a damn, and if it's against the law, you're going to jail.

[jberryhill]

6. Okay

Well, your option A would require the person to be caught. I'm against murder, but I can't tell you whether or not you'll be arrested if you go out and kill someone. Do it at night, hide the body and weapon, and you might be just fine.

Option B is stating "I will not faithfully execute the law as the Constitution requires of the President".

But the question was asked with imprecision - "will you arrest me" - which one could answer "no", even if one's belief was option A.

Unless you want Rmoney to whip out a pair of handcuffs and do a citizen's arrest right there, it's pretty clear that he's opposed to medical marijuana.

Kind of a silly question to ask of a guy who has a religious objection to coffee, really.

Romney opposes medical marijuana. IMHO he made that as clear as can be expected in an off-the-cuff conversation.

What's the expectation here? "Hello, I am a single issue voter on the other side of the fence, will you give me a satisfactory answer?"

I liked what Newt said the other day to someone on same sex marriage, which was essentially, "Then don't vote for me."

[handmade34]

4. the answer from Mr. Romney is...

"...it sucks to be you then"

[WhoIsNumberNone]

7. Fuckin' prick

Is this not exactly the response everyone expected?

[octothorpe]

8. Ughh. Just goes to show he can't really justify his position on it and his stance is illogical

[WhoIsNumberNone]

9. His stance is perfectly logical

You just don't know all the facts. You heard him ask the guy about synthetic marijuana- Truth is he has no problem with legal marijuana... As long as some giant pharmaceutical company has a patent on it. (The fact that thay are donating to his campaign, and that he bought stock in the company based on insider information are completely beside the point...)

[rexcat]

10. Marinol...

is synthetic delta-9-THC and is not as effective compared to marijuana. I have seen it used in oncology with less than adequate results. I would like to see marijuana legalized nationally for medical use. I have not seen any proof that the Pharma companies are trying to block the legalization of marijuana but it is a widely held meme in this country.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

11. But you'd agree that it stands to reason that they would be trying to block legalization-

-if they could put it in a pill and make millions marketing it, right?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10175339

Not stone cold proof I admit, but food for thought.

[rexcat]

12. Pharma companies are capable of many things...

I work in the pharmaceutical industry on the research side. I know what they are capable of but without proof it is only speculation. My scientific background makes me demand facts, otherwise it is just background noise.

If there is money to be made with anything pharmaceutical in nature the pharmaceutical companies are going to be first in line therefore I don't see them trying to block the legalization of marijuana. They are going to try to be first at the money trough. The one thing I know about pharmaceutical companies is they are greedy bastards and money rules.