Serious question, why didn't Obama refuse to answer questions about drug use?

[Proud2BAmurkin]

He saw The Idiot refuse to answer cocaine questions and he saw it work for The Idiot. Why did he decide to talk about it? I have a feeling MOST voters will be turned off by it especially because he's not acting ashamed of it, what a politician needs to do if they decide they're going to admit it.

This would be huge in a general election. I doubt even 5% of voters know about it right now. Most probably woudln't even care if it wasn't brought up much but it will be, it will be a disaster.

[NYCGirl]

1. Hate to break this to you, but most people of adult age today did some drugs

during their teen and early 20s years.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

12. Old people vote the most. eom

eom

[NYCGirl]

15. I'm close to 60 and I certainly did drugs. My ex, whose 5 years older than me,

did them too.

[surfermaw]

26. Got that right Bobbie!

[Orangepeel]

29. about 1/2 of the adult population has smoked pot

that's according to NORML, which has no reason to underestimate
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5810

I'm assuming that the percentages for other illegal substances is substantially lower, since pot is a "gateway drug" after all. ;-)

[THUNDER HANDS]

54. yeah, but the one's who didn't are pretty ardent anti-drug people

my fiancee and her brother have never done drugs, and they don't care for people who do. My fiancee didn't even suspect me of having done drugs until she casually asked me one day and I said I used to smoke pot. She was shocked. And I was shocked when she told me she never did it.

But for me, it's always best to be honest about your drug use. If you hide it, people will assume you were probably a junkie. You know, like Bush.

I'm sure Bush did way more coke than Obama ever did, that's why he doesn't want to talk about it.

[gateley]

I don't think the repugs would let it die. The Dems didn't pursue it about

Bush. Remember Clinton smoking pot.

[dsc]

2. He wrote it in his book

so it is something he can't now refuse to answer. He is hardly dismissive of the impact drug use, especially continued drug use, could have had in his life. There are legitimate problems with Obama, this isn't one.

[cali]

3. because he believed it was best to be honest about it and not

lie like the current and previous president.

[Hippo_Tron]

4. Bush was a Republican and from a priviledged family

I'm sure they could pay the right people to shut up and we all know that the media scrutinizes Democrats more than Republicans.

Obama doesn't have that luxury and it's far better to be open about it than to let them find out

[fenriswolf]

5. big differance between pot and coke.

[MADem]

13. Well, he did both. So did Bush. NT

[babylonsister]

6. Yawn. Nothing you write is serious.Read his book. nt

[Reciprocity]

17. You don't think if Obama is our nominee......

the republicans are not going to milk this for all it's worth? Better for him to have an answer for this now instead of tip-toeing around the subject.

[babylonsister]

19. His answer to whether he inhaled was, wasn't that the point? I think

it's been asked and answered in an honest, humorous way. I don't know one person of my generation who hasn't tried drugs, and I'm 51. I just don't see it mattering all that much.
His honesty is already better than the previous two presidents who weren't; didn't stop people from voting for them.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

30. I'm in his generation and I never did coke, it's where the line was for a lot of us no pun intended

It's safe to admit you used pot not coke

[babylonsister]

33. There was no line when I was growing up. Plus, it's history.

And I'm frankly shocked you claim to be of his generation. I guess I shouldn't judge from the tone of posts but I figured you were much younger.

[Skidmore]

48. Wait till they start "milking" the Clinton scandals again.

Why anyone wants to relive that again, I'll never know. They will, you know.

[lurky]

7. He knew it would come out eventually.

He couldn't or wouldn't intimidate old acquaintances into silence as the Bushies presumably have. Better to release it on his own terms. Personally, I like his openness about it, and I think a lot of people can identify with youthful mistakes.

[dkf]

8. He believes that even if a person has made mistakes in the past, their life isn't over.

I feel inspired and I think a lot of kids would be knowing that you can make something of your life, especially if you are young.

Don't throw our kids away.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

31. good message but voters are going to want him to show "the children" he's ashamed of it

eom

[dkf]

40. He was ashamed of it. He realized he was wasting his life

And then he made something of it.

I find it a wonderful story.

[skipos]

9. Wow! You are really concerned with helping Obama's campaign! So you are voting for him, right?

:eyes:

[Proud2BAmurkin]

14. Only as a last resort eom

eom

[MADem]

10. Well, he wrote about it in that bestselling BOOK. You can't really say

I did this drug and that drug and the other drug, and then get COY after you cash the check from the publisher.

He put it out there. No intrepid Jimmy Olsen or Lois Lane dug up this story--this came straight from his pen, from his book.

[martymar64]

24. So what else do you want?

He said he did some drugs as a youth and doesn't now. Do you want him to list every single time he took a hit off a joint or snorted a line? Do you really believe that Bill didn't inhale? And how family-friendly is serial infidelity? I see that as much much worse. But then I don't care if he got high as a kid.

[MADem]

41. ExCUSE me???? WTF do YOU want? The OP asked a 'serious question' and I

provided a serious answer. But here you are, jumping on me like a rabid dog, when I didn't even ADDRESS you, and more to the point, I didn't 'characterize' my response in any way. Did you see any "BAD, BAD Obama" comments in my post? How about "For SHAME--he did DRUGS!!!" No, you didn't see that. All you saw was a comment that he can't be coy at this stage. Not "Naughty lad--he cannot be coy" and not "Evil Barack, he cannot be coy."

Stop pushing your assumptions and agendas on me. I don't give a flying fuck if the guy smoked hemp on the SS Bounty or did 'toad' with Meg Griffin, frankly.

Take a good look at what you just did, jumping on me like that.

First, you come at me with guns blazing for DARING to answer the fucking question that the OP asked, and then, 'just in case' you toss a boatload of shit about Bill Clinton at me. Gosh-a-rooney....Let's play the "WHAT'S WORSE?" game? Fucking around or doing coke? Jesus!!!! Didn't your mother ever tell you that two wrongs don't make a right? And more to the point, who cares about Bill Clinton's behavior--he IS NOT RUNNING for President--or did that fact escape you? Or could it be what you really meant, in an oblique fashion, was "Wasn't that silly woman Senator a FOOL for 'forgiving' her husband?" Is that it?

See what happens when people ASS-ume what you're thinking? You can get very far afield.

Why the hell didn't you make some smartass remark about trial lawyers, big houses, and Breck Girls, just to be sure you had all your bases covered? Is it because poor John is invisible?

See, I'm going into the voting booth with a JFK half dollar and I'm gonna flip it. That's my strategy thus far, anyway.

But NOOOOOOOOO...you just had to ASS-ume that my perspective was the worst possible one, without cause, and be combative.

Happy now?

It's that kind of shit that makes this place less appealing by the day.

[martymar64]

55. Switch to decaf dude.

If I mistook you for a Hillbot trying to push the Obama drug fiend meme, then I apologize. I'm just getting really sick of them trying to beat this dead horse and I lost my cool a little bit. There's been a lot of racism going on around here and it frankly sickens me. And to be honest, this kind of shit going on is making me ready to switch to the Greens.
So peace to you and yours and I really enjoyed the doing toad with Meg line.

[Bluerthanblue]

11. Only he could answer that- but if I had to guess it

would be that it fits with his character. He doesn't put himself out there as someone who is perfect. And I also believe he truly learned...'matured'...

People who have moved beyond places in their lives that they don't believe they will revisit, and who have really either been humbled, or lived to regret their choices, quite often have no problem being open about their bad choice.

At least from my own experience and understanding.

We can't hide our failings. Doing that often justs keeps them in situ.

peace

[MS Liberal]

16. I am voting for Hillary and do not have a problem with Obama if he used drugs in his 20s.

I will only have a problem if he sold them. All young people try drugs at least once.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

27. Me too and neither do I, it's more about not having political skills

.

[marlakay]

18. I think it is refreshing he wants to be honest

and we all know even the republicans that bush has lied, isn't it time for the truth?

And how many people haven't made mistakes in their youth? Even Jesus said he who hasn't sinned cast the first stone...

We have to stop worrying so much about who will vote for what and become real and not phony people. I personally think america is becoming more and more tired of fake and phony.

[AGirl]

20. I like that

he is honest about his drug use.

[bluedog]

21. he had to be/ he wrote about it.n/t

[MannyGoldstein]

22. Because He's Honest

Try googling that word - it might be a life-altering experience for you.

[killbotfactory]

23. No one really believed Bush or Clinton when they denied drug use

they just came off like phonies.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

25. Not the point, if politicians admit it they better not make jokes about it like Obama did

voters are hypocrites, I don't think they care if somebody did it but they want them to say they regret it and the last thing they want is to hear them joking about it

[Occam Bandage]

28. So you've now degraded yourself to bashing a candidate for honesty.

Nice.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

32. It's just as honest to either refuse to talk about it or say you're ashamed of it

eom

[Occam Bandage]

34. "It's just as honest to refuse to talk about it." The Clinton mindset at its finest.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

36. The public doesn't have a right to know, it's up to the politician to decide if he should talk

Im saying if he decides to talk about using coke he better be ashamed of it.

[Occam Bandage]

38. Wow. So, it's honest to conceal things, and the public doesn't have a right to know about criminal

activities a politician has engaged in.

Are you sure you're in the right party?

[MADem]

42. You consider teen aged drug use "criminal activities?" How about drinking

a few beers on prom night? Feeling up your girlfriend when you're fifteen?

All of these things..they are CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES!!!!! Zey must be REPORTED!!!! To ze AUTHORITIES!!!

Yeah--who's in the wrong party, here?

:eyes:

[Occam Bandage]

45. Um, it isn't a matter of "consider." Cocaine usage is a crime.

I don't mind it, and I don't think most people will mind it. But claiming it's not a crime is not exactly a winning argument.

[MADem]

49. Touching your junior high girlfriend is a crime, too. A SEX crime. So's drinking beers before the

junior prom. So's jaywalking, speeding, parking in the red zone, and taking a pee by the side of the road.

No one is claiming that drug use, as well as all of these "offenses" I have mentioned, isn't on the books as a law violation. It's just not that BIG a crime, see? We're not talking about murder or bank robbery, here.

You're coming across as somewhat of an authoritarian. You want a laundry list of everything that every candidate has done that's against the law? We could be at that shit from now until election day...

[Occam Bandage]

52. If you're 30, yeah. If you're in junior high too, not so much.

Where do you live? In your state is it really illegal for 15-year-olds to have sex with each other? In Illinois, you have to be 17 to get a statutory rape conviction, and be five years older than the victim.

Jaywalking and speeding are misdemeanors. Cocaine is a felony. I believe that candidates should be forthcoming about all felonies. I don't understand why you are arguing in favor of Obama concealing his drug use.

I'm not an authoritarian at all. Quite the opposite--I don't think we should approve of people in power concealing any crime from the public. I don't think we should leave it up to them to decide whether something is "big" enough a crime to divulge.

[MADem]

59. You're confusing kids not being put on the Sex Offender list with not being charged with a crime.

If a teen wants to press charges against another teen, those charges could easily stick, especially if there's a bun in the oven. The only thing that those Romeo and Juliet laws changed is that the accused/convicted don't get branded a pervert.

Cocaine is most certainly not always a felony. In fact, many times it is not, unless you are a dealer or a distributor. Personal use amounts are quite often a misdemeanor, and often, the charge is pled down in other ways--a paraphernalia charge, or a diversion program, or a parole/drug testing/be good and the slate is wiped clean type deal. The feds don't even bother with personal use convictions unless they have another agenda--they dump those down to the state or the local authorities. That's somewhere in the Controlled Substances Act, IIRC.

You seem to be willing to give the sex 'crimes' of youngsters a pass, but the experimental drug crimes? Not so much. What about those DRINKING crimes?

After all, crime is crime!! You can't be biased and pick and choose which crimes you think are important, you see. We'll have to hear it all, even that horrible tenth grade date where old fumble fingers got too naughty with little Mary Lou, or what have you...

:eyes:

[Proud2BAmurkin]

44. I didn't say conceal I said decline to talk about irrelevant issues eom

eom

[Occam Bandage]

46. That's the same thing. If you refuse to talk about your past when asked,

and if in doing so you are preventing people from knowing about your past, you are concealing your past. Personally, I think that concealing past crimes should be left to the Republicans. Apparently you do not.

[zulchzulu]

35. Maybe you don't realize he wrote about it in his first book

If you want to see an explanation, read his book "Dreams From My Father".

http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773

[Proud2BAmurkin]

37. to be honest all I saw was a clip played over and over where he makes a joke about blow

that was months ago and it's all I know about it

[Occam Bandage]

39. Don't know much, do you?

Everything's a surprise to you.

[MADem]

43. Look who's talking...! Mister "Criminal Activities" himself! NT

[Occam Bandage]

47. What does that mean? Where was I expressing ignorance of criminality?

[MADem]

50. You're weren't expressing "ignorance of criminality." You're eager to characterize teen aged

experimentation of the sort that most judges refer to a diversion program in the worst case, if they don't just toss out a short parole and a "stay out of trouble" or a "dismiss with a warning," as a "CRIME."

[Occam Bandage]

53. So...cocaine usage isn't a crime? You're against accuracy now? Not all crimes are evil.

I didn't say it was a bad thing.

[bigwillq]

51. I respect the honesty

and it was better than "I didn't inhale" which is perhaps one of the worst comments ever made. Like we haven't seen the pictures during the hippie days, Bill!!!!!

However, I do think that honesty will come back and haunt him.

[MzShellG]

56. I think it will work positively for him...

Since he was honest about it. If repukes use that he can just point out how hypocritical they are. They didn't have a problem with *. Did they?

[ellisonz]

57. Because he's honest.

And deceitful people hate honesty...

[Hekate]

58. My fundy next door neighbor, age about 50, smokes pot to relieve crippling migraines

His wife, an RN, told me that once.

A 62 year old friend smokes the stuff for her arthritis.

There was recently an Op-Ed piece in the LA Times by a woman undergoing chemo for breast cancer. She's having an extremely bad time with the vomiting (my own mother actually vomited herself into a heart attack during chemo). The article was about all the friends of hers who started showing up on her doorstep with doses of weed from their own stashes: lawyers, teachers, all manner of middle-aged and older white collar professionals.

The point was: marijuana helps her tremendously, but it's illegal. She has to hide her use from her daughter, who is in her early teens and has been through the DARE course in school -- her own kid is very distressed that her mother is now a dangerous lawbreaker.

And in the meantime, youngsters get felony records if they're caught with it, and a whole bunch of pillars-of-the-community know better but are helpless to end the so-called war on drugs.

I wonder how many citizens of the USA are longing for a president who will tell the ever-loving truth?

Hekate