Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Miami - Democratic National Committee chair and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz still isn't sure about whether to support a Florida medical marijuana proposal. And that could cost her.
The Democratic donor behind the medical marijuana initiative, John Morgan, told POLITICO Florida that he has been deciding for weeks whether to raise as much as $250,000 to help Wasserman Schultz's congressional opponent, Tim Canova. Her decision to not speak favorably of his proposed constitutional amendment during her Tuesday press conference almost pushed Morgan to get out his checkbook.
"I just don't understand," Morgan said. "She's the Democratic National Committee chair and she's the last Democrat to get on board with this? Even Donald Trump supports medical marijuana."
But it's not as if Wasserman Schultz trashed the 2016 amendment language put forth by Morgan's group, United for Care.
"I'm still evaluating my position on that amendment," Wasserman Schultz said Tuesday. "I still want to make sure that we are protecting people. So that we can focus on getting medical marijuana to people who need it and to where we know it actually can be helpful."
Voters will decide the measure in November.
Last week, Wasserman Schultz's decision to vote for a veterans medical marijuana issue in Congress was seen by some advocates as a reversal. But she explained Tuesday that she couldn't back a previous version of the legislation because it hadn't been evaluated by the Veterans Administration.
"I have not been opposed to medical marijuana," Wasserman Schultz said.
But in 2014, echoing anti-drug critics, she said the proposal Morgan financed then would allow for "abuse, fraud and accidents."
The amendment fell just 2.4 percentage points below the 60 percent threshold needed to pass. Morgan bitterly criticized her last year.
Now, Wasserman Schultz has a trifecta of foes in her own party: Canova (who wants her 23rd Congressional District seat), Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and his campaign manager Jeff Weaver (who want her to quit the DNC), and Morgan (who wants both).
"Mark my words, when she steps onstage at the [Democratic National] convention, the crescendo and cascade of boos will do nothing to unify our party. It will continue to divide it," Morgan said. There's nothing he can really do about Wasserman Schultz as DNC chair, he said, but he might be able to affect the outcome of the congressional race if he helps Canova.
Morgan's group has rewritten its amendment in an effort to quiet critics, who aren't as numerous, vocal or well-funded this year. Unlike Wasserman Schultz, Canova wholeheartedly supports the medica -marijuana amendment.
Canova issued a snarky statement saying he has sympathy for Wasserman Schultz because she has become so close to "to special interests" that "it can be difficult to figure out where you stand sometimes. So we'll make it easy for Rep. Wasserman Schultz and tell her: she should stand with us and the 80 percent of Floridians who support medical marijuana. I fully support Amendment 2 because there are too many people suffering who would be helped by the passage of this referendum."
While Wasserman Schultz tried to avoid naming Canova, she went right after him during her press conference Tuesday as she emphasized her support for Obamacare, Medicare and Social Security.
"I have consistently, actively, vocally supported and advanced the causes that help make people's lives better. And my opponent has done absolutely nothing. He has never been involved in this community," she said.
"It's not Bernie Sanders or Jeff Weaver or people in Alaska or California or Missouri or anywhere else that are going to decide who represents this district," she said. "I am a door-to-door, neighbor-to-neighbor candidate and I am of this community and people know that."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Wasserman Schultz Faces Rising Pressure On Medical Marijuana
Author: Marc Caputo
Contact: mcaputo@politico.com
Photo Credit: Steve Cannon
Website: Politico
The Democratic donor behind the medical marijuana initiative, John Morgan, told POLITICO Florida that he has been deciding for weeks whether to raise as much as $250,000 to help Wasserman Schultz's congressional opponent, Tim Canova. Her decision to not speak favorably of his proposed constitutional amendment during her Tuesday press conference almost pushed Morgan to get out his checkbook.
"I just don't understand," Morgan said. "She's the Democratic National Committee chair and she's the last Democrat to get on board with this? Even Donald Trump supports medical marijuana."
But it's not as if Wasserman Schultz trashed the 2016 amendment language put forth by Morgan's group, United for Care.
"I'm still evaluating my position on that amendment," Wasserman Schultz said Tuesday. "I still want to make sure that we are protecting people. So that we can focus on getting medical marijuana to people who need it and to where we know it actually can be helpful."
Voters will decide the measure in November.
Last week, Wasserman Schultz's decision to vote for a veterans medical marijuana issue in Congress was seen by some advocates as a reversal. But she explained Tuesday that she couldn't back a previous version of the legislation because it hadn't been evaluated by the Veterans Administration.
"I have not been opposed to medical marijuana," Wasserman Schultz said.
But in 2014, echoing anti-drug critics, she said the proposal Morgan financed then would allow for "abuse, fraud and accidents."
The amendment fell just 2.4 percentage points below the 60 percent threshold needed to pass. Morgan bitterly criticized her last year.
Now, Wasserman Schultz has a trifecta of foes in her own party: Canova (who wants her 23rd Congressional District seat), Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and his campaign manager Jeff Weaver (who want her to quit the DNC), and Morgan (who wants both).
"Mark my words, when she steps onstage at the [Democratic National] convention, the crescendo and cascade of boos will do nothing to unify our party. It will continue to divide it," Morgan said. There's nothing he can really do about Wasserman Schultz as DNC chair, he said, but he might be able to affect the outcome of the congressional race if he helps Canova.
Morgan's group has rewritten its amendment in an effort to quiet critics, who aren't as numerous, vocal or well-funded this year. Unlike Wasserman Schultz, Canova wholeheartedly supports the medica -marijuana amendment.
Canova issued a snarky statement saying he has sympathy for Wasserman Schultz because she has become so close to "to special interests" that "it can be difficult to figure out where you stand sometimes. So we'll make it easy for Rep. Wasserman Schultz and tell her: she should stand with us and the 80 percent of Floridians who support medical marijuana. I fully support Amendment 2 because there are too many people suffering who would be helped by the passage of this referendum."
While Wasserman Schultz tried to avoid naming Canova, she went right after him during her press conference Tuesday as she emphasized her support for Obamacare, Medicare and Social Security.
"I have consistently, actively, vocally supported and advanced the causes that help make people's lives better. And my opponent has done absolutely nothing. He has never been involved in this community," she said.
"It's not Bernie Sanders or Jeff Weaver or people in Alaska or California or Missouri or anywhere else that are going to decide who represents this district," she said. "I am a door-to-door, neighbor-to-neighbor candidate and I am of this community and people know that."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Wasserman Schultz Faces Rising Pressure On Medical Marijuana
Author: Marc Caputo
Contact: mcaputo@politico.com
Photo Credit: Steve Cannon
Website: Politico
