Analysis by Kyle A. Lohmeier
The stock Delco stereo in my little Chevy has six radio presets, arranged on three horizontal rocker-switches. On the left side of the middle switch is the preset for the local NPR station, on the right side of the same switch is the local The Answer affiliate. I figure reality probably lies somewhere in between the two.
Anyway, it was as I was listening to The Answer yesterday that I heard something rather terrifying, which is nothing new really. One can hear a lot of terrifying things on that station, particularly when they open up the phone lines; this, however gave me chills. The host (and I forget which show it was) and callers were tossing around ideas for Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s name came up, but the host suggested that Trump had already promised Christie the Attorney General’s job. My blood went cold.
Just when I’d convinced myself that the relative terribleness of a Clinton presidency and a Trump presidency would be nearly indistinguishable, I was then forced to confront the horrifying notion that a Trump presidency might actually be worse than a Clinton one in one important aspect – the victories already won in ending the insane war on drugs.
During Christie’s short-lived presidential campaign, all three-hundred-plus pounds of obnoxious Garden Statist often railed against Washington and Colorado’s legalization of recreational marijuana use and promised that, as president, he’d crack down on them with the full weight of federal authority. When he ended his campaign, likely a few fans of individual liberty were relieved to see him go, knowing he was unable to make good on his dire promise. That is, until now, if indeed Trump is planning on giving Christie the AG job, should he actually win the White House.
Trump was in little danger of winning Washington State and doesn’t have much of prayer in Colorado either, likely, but Christie’s broad shadow will fall across the minds of more voters than just those living in those two states. There’s little reason to suspect the crackdown would only apply to states that have legalized recreational marijuana, and now twenty states have some form of medical marijuana law on the books.
During the campaign, Christie made no secret of his hatred for liberalizing drug laws, even going as far as to chastise recreational pot smokers for their lack of self-control. I guess he’s just big-boned. His attitude on this matter reveals more than just one man’s personal hypocrisy, or just his thoughts on marijuana use. Clearly, Christie takes a dim view of the Tenth Amendment and the concept of state’s rights, which is a bit odd for a governor. Also, as both Washington and Colorado’s marijuana laws came via ballot initiative, Christie also apparently has little use for the will of the people. Since the drug war in general has been a 45-year non-stop failure, Christie also doesn’t seem to have much use for reality either.
Given these facts, Christie clearly possesses an authoritarian streak wider than he is, which in many ways makes him ideally suited to be the figurehead of the state’s surrogates of violence. And, if the Attorney General was nothing more than a figurehead, then Christie occupying that job wouldn’t be such a bad thing. However, one of the many lessons the Obama debacle has taught us is that the Attorney General’s job is a very, very important one. One that is far too important to be trusted to the vindictive imbeciles who’ve held it under Obama. It should not be given to another vindictive imbecile.
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