REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT "OPEN FOR QUESTIONS" TOWN HALL (full transcript)

[ProSense]

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT "OPEN FOR QUESTIONS" TOWN HALL

Warning: laughter.

[ProSense]

1. Manufactured outrage

At the online town hall meeting held today, President Obama answered a question about marijuana legalization. He did so in a very condescending and dismissive way.

Will you consider decriminalizing the recreational/medical use of marijuana(hemp) so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and a multi-billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?

His answer was basically "no, and I don't think that is a good way to grow the economy".

When he answered it, he was smiling and laughing and he made a joke about how the question says "something about the audience". But I didn't think it was funny, at all.

link

Wow, where did that question come from?

From the transcript:

DR. BERNSTEIN: Three point five million.

THE PRESIDENT: Three point five million people voted. I have to say that there was one question that was voted on that ranked fairly high and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy -- (laughter) -- and job creation. And I don't know what this says about the online audience -- (laughter) -- but I just want -- I don't want people to think that -- this was a fairly popular question; we want to make sure that it was answered. The answer is, no, I don't think that is a good strategy -- (laughter) -- to grow our economy. (Applause.)

transcript




Edited to add link, missing word.

[NYC_SKP]

2. So much drama.

So much fucking drama over this short exchange, drama in the media, drama in GD-P.

And the President was exactly right, the number of people voting for that question is not representative of what citizens want to ask.

And he answered the question.

OK, What's next?