President Biden just shook up the entire midterm narrative with one big move
President Joe Biden has a tendency to let people think he’s not working on anything in particular, only to turn around and roll out a fully completed and thoroughly constructed gambit that he’s been quietly working on all along.
Biden did it once again on Thursday, when he announced he was pardoning everyone who’s ever been federally charged with simple marijuana possession, and asked DOJ and HHS to reexamine marijuana’s criminal classification. Some observers are pointing out that most simple marijuana possession charges are at a state level, not a federal level. That’s why Biden is also urging governors to pardon all such offenses as well – and it’s how this just became a huge midterm narrative.
The President is allowed to do certain kinds of things unilaterally, but not other kinds of things. Biden is, obviously, using the powers that he has in order to carry out this particular action on marijuana. In order to take certain other kinds of steps toward legalization, he’d need Congress. That’s why those voters who want full legalization at the federal level will now be motivated to vote for Democrats in congressional races, to give Biden the 52 Senators and House he needs.
But the biggest midterm impact here will likely be on certain races for governor. For instance Charlie Crist, the Democratic nominee for Governor of Florida, quickly followed Biden’s lead by announcing that if he wins he’ll legalize marijuana in Florida and pardon all existing simple marijuana possession offenses. This puts Crist on the popular side of this issue in the state, and puts Ron DeSantis on the defensive. We’ll see other swing state Democratic candidates for governor following suit.
In any case, even as right wing villainy was already setting up the 2022 midterms to be a de facto referendum on women’s basic rights, President Biden just ensured that the midterms will also be a de facto referendum on legalizing marijuana. This puts Democratic midterm candidates on the overwhelmingly popular side of the two issues that will define the midterms. But it’ll still end up being a close contest. Now is the time, more than ever, to get involved and put in the work to help put competitive Democratic candidates over the top. There are only four and a half weeks left. Get involved today.
