Charlie Crist to support legalization of medical marijuana. His law firm leads the campaign in FL.

[madfloridian]

ONE on ONE with Gov. Charlie Crist

Video at the link.

"I am the same guy, I come from a party in my past, the leadership really has gone so hard right, it is not recognizable to me anymore, Crist says, and pretty intolerant to be honest, most Republicans are pretty main stream like my mom and dad who are still Republicans."

Crist says he is in favor of legalizing gay marriage and medical marijuana . He also says he would do a better job of taking care of teachers.

(My aside comment: Whoever wrote that first paragraph has one long huge run-on sentence. I taught my primary grades better than that.)

John Morgan of Morgan and Morgan law firm has lead the legalization campaign in Florida.

John Morgan, Obama fundraiser and Crist boss, to lead medical-pot initiative in FL

John Morgan, a major President Obama fundraiser and the boss of former Gov. Charlie Crist, is taking the reins of a Florida medical marijuana initiative, promising to pump major money and political muscle into the popular issue.

...Morgan said he hasn't spoken about the issue with Crist or Obama, with whom he had dinner Monday. And, he said, he doesn’t care whether they support it or not.

...Morgan, head of the Morgan & Morgan firm, said he’s going to lead the initiative for personal reasons: His father had struggled with cancer and emphysema, and only marijuana helped him.

“He was tethered to machines and on all these drugs that he had no appetite,” Morgan said. “One of my brothers was able to get marijuana for him so he could eat and be happy.”

Nan Rich, also a Democratic candidate, supports the issue as well. The problem for Nan is that Crist is the one leading Scott by 10 points.

Also posted at Twitter

[searchingforlight]

1. I feel like I am in another world when I remember how many posts there were against him.

He was as bat sh-t crazy as the rest. How has he been rehabilitated?

[madfloridian]

2. There are many opinions on Crist.

I took advantage of Skinner's permission to advocate for him when he was an independent. You really have to consider the stances of most of our Florida Democrats before calling Crist bat-shit crazy.

If Bill Nelson jumps in the vote will split, and Rick Scott will win.

Bill opposes medical pot.

http://www.examiner.com/article/bill-nelson-s-response-to-my-letter-on-marijuana-legalization

Nelson has never responded to any of us who thought outside the Democratic box here, I mean those of us who have been labeled liberal.

There are many of us who support Crist this time around, knowing full well we do not agree with all of stances. That's the key....some of his stances are more to the left than those of the FL Dem leaders.

[liberal_at_heart]

4. the democratic establishment's stance on marijuana will eventually cause candidates to lose

elections. Maybe then they will reconsider. That is the only thing they understand, besides dollar signs.

[madfloridian]

12. I agree. It is becoming a very real issue now.

They must not refuse to consider a change of mind.

[Eleanors38]

27. ^^^THIS. It's an issue waiting to be picked up one you get beyond pee-in-pants culture war.

As Florida goes, so goes the nation. The Marijuana Policy Project is using the "Lotto Model" of legalization: ""Hell, I ain't gonna watch our state's revenues go over the border to ___________."

[tavernier]

23. Bill has disappointed me as my senator many times

He carries little weight with me.

[madfloridian]

24. Talking to his office makes me feel like there is some form of contempt there.

Maybe because I am not much of one to toe the Florida Democratic line. The experiences we had during the Dean campaign, the way they treated us, nearly drove us out of the party then. Not once have I had a satisfactory conversation with his aides.

[msanthrope]

3. One cannot accuse Charlie of missing any opportunity. nt

[madfloridian]

5. The same accusation can be leveled at the typical FL Dem leader.

[retread]

7. You are one too is not a ringing endorsement.

[madfloridian]

10. It was not meant to be an endorsement of anyone.

It was stating a fact. I have written post after post through the years about how the party has, with the help of national Democrats, pushed progressive after progressive out of primaries. Good people, intelligent ones.

[retread]

20. There are several reasons repigs have such overwhelming numbers in

in a 50-50 state like Florida. The state Democratic party is one of the major ones.

Because of voter dislike of Rick Scott, the state party will have to work hard to
snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Nominating Chain Gang Charlie is a huge step in
that direction.

[msanthrope]

37. I did not say this was a bad thing. nt

[retread]

6. Have not seen latest polls on medical marijuana and gay marriage. I'm sure

Chain Gang Charlie has. He is nothing if not a political wind sock.

[liberal_at_heart]

9. I don't know what's worse, a politician only taking a stand because

it's what popular or ignoring the voters who you represent you and not changing your stance on an issue that is important to your constituents. Whether Crist is genuine or not, voters are pissed that democrats refuse to address the marijuana issue and they will begin to pay for it at the polls.

[NCTraveler]

8. Morgan and Morgan has been doing this for over a decade.

He has become a democrat and changed many positions simply because he is power hungry. The democrats in this state and nationally have enabled him. He is a asshole of the highest magnitude. I am sick to death of embracing true republicans. It is not his law firm. He took a cushy position after he left the Governors Mansion.

[madfloridian]

11. I find myself wishing that Bill Nelson et al WOULD change positions on many things.

Through the years I have contacted his office and been rebuffed every time...starting with the Iraq invasion.

[FloriTexan]

13. K&R

[madfloridian]

14. .....

Thanks.

[NightWatcher]

15. I need to get more copies of the petition, get some signatures, and send them in

Florida residents, have you signed the petition?

www.unitedforcare.com

[madfloridian]

22. I did.

[stevenleser]

16. Crist is a lot better of a person than most people realize.

I say that as someone who has met him, who knows people who went to H.S. with him and who has met and spoken with his father.

IMHO, he was never a Republican. Actually, I take that back, he was at most an Eisenhower Republican and that is well within the Democratic Party as of the last 33 years.

[madfloridian]

17. I very much agree.

Most in my family are Republican. I would call them Eisenhower Republicans. My parents were the exception in being Democrats. I have no problem voting for him at all. He is a very nice person who was in the wrong party.

[retread]

21. Let's let this "Eisenhower Republican" speak for himself.

Feb 9 2010 press release: "Crist: I'm a True Blue Reagan Conservative."

Interview with Newsmax: "I'm an anti-tax, pro-life, pro-gun Republican"

2010 Crist website: "Charlie Crist supports making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent."

A- rating by NRA

2006 run for Gov.: "anti-abortion politician"

2010 when asked if he supported Obama's budget:"Absolutely not. It's unbelievable. They just
spend and spend and spend and tax and tax and tax. That's
exactly the opposite of what we're doing in Florida."

Opposed "Obamacare": "Number one, it would raise the rates people would have to pay
for health insurance. Number two, it would raise taxes..."

His record on "school choice" initiatives is extremely poor and last year at the Democratic convention he referred to
himself as a"Jeb Bush Republican."

[Warren DeMontague]

18. K&R

[geek tragedy]

19. Crist is a pandering hack, and that is a good thing.

That means he'll tailor his agenda to suck up to his base, in this case it would be Democrats.

He also had glimmers of decency as a Republican--he worked on making it easier to vote and to protect the Everglades.

Was full of shit on other issues on which he's now flip-flopped, but, that was him being a hack, not a true believer wingnut.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

25. do you mind if I share this on FB?

thanks for posting it.

[madfloridian]

31. Not at all.

Share away.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

33. thanks, I will -

I mean ... I already did

[madfloridian]

35. .....

[fredamae]

26. Why the reference to

"Chain Gang Charlie"???

[retread]

29. The search engine of your choice will return an abundance of info. However,

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/06/21/877975/-FL-Sen-Chain-Gang-Charlie-Crist-is-Born

[madfloridian]

32. That was a pretty ugly post at Kos.

Thankfully it had only 4 recs and 8 tips. It was not appreciated by most there at the time.

[fredamae]

34. Holy Crap!

I thought that reference was just "snark".

Thank you for the link...

[Ganja Ninja]

28. Morgan & Morgan have been running radio adds for this for a few months now.

The Republican AG Pam Bondi is thoughtlessly trying to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot to stop medical Marijuana. A move no doubt motivated by cynical political calculation rather than any real evaluation of the merits medical Marijuana.

[madfloridian]

30. Isn't she going to the state supreme court?

Unfortunately the judges there will most likely agree with her.

[Ganja Ninja]

36. She challenging the amendment to legalize medical Marijuana.

My bad.