Monday, December 05, 2016

Presently a hypothetical: Would Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, in exchange for a Trump nomination to AG work to limit Trump to a single term over pot?

SEE: Politico op-ed online here.

More to the point, would Trump allow it?

And, what of a market solution vs paternalism with a vengeance? Politico notes:

By nominating Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III for attorney general, President-elect Donald J. Trump is about to put into the nation’s top law enforcement job a man with a long and antagonistic attitude toward marijuana. As a U.S. Attorney in Alabama in the 1980s, Sessions said he thought the KKK "were OK until I found out they smoked pot.”

[...] Sessions has not shared his plans on marijuana enforcement, but if he chooses, he will be able to act decisively and quickly—more so perhaps than with any other of his top agenda items such as re-doubling efforts to combat illegal immigration and relaxing oversight of local police forces and federal civil rights laws. With little more than the stroke of his own pen, the new attorney general will be able to arrest growers, retailers and users, defying the will of more than half the nation’s voters, including those in his own state who approved the use of CBD. Aggressive enforcement could cause chaos in a $6.7 billion industry that is already attracting major investment from Wall Street hedge funds and expected to hit $21.8 billion by 2020.

And so far, Congress has shown no interest in trying to stop the Sessions nomination, at least on this issue. Even members who are in favor of protecting states from federal interference on the marijuana issue have said they support Sessions’ confirmation as attorney general: “I strongly support Jeff Sessions as Attorney General,” said Representative Tom McClintock, Republican from California.

[...] Meanwhile, proponents of legalization across the country are panicking as they reckon with how quickly a Reagan-era throwback in the attorney general’s office will be able to dismantle more than a decade of progress.

“If we don't take action and hold President-elect Trump accountable,” said Representative Jared Polis, Democrat from Colorado, “in one fell swoop, the federal government could damage state economies, and discourage entrepreneurship—placing some of our innovators behind bars, all while eroding states' rights.”

California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, largely in response to the AIDS crisis. Over the next decade, other western states followed suit. Then during the Obama administration, medical marijuana spread to every corner and every region of the country, including Washington, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico. Like other culture war issues such as gay marriage, marijuana found favor with the general population, seemingly overnight after decades of work.

[highlighting added]

Palmer Raids, anyone? Was that America's greatest moment? Would Palmer Redux add a jot to making anything great, now, never mind the question of "again?"

Let J. Edgar instead stay buried vs. digging him up for an encore?

____________UPDATE___________
My guess is Trump and Sessions like one another just fine, but that Trump will keep a short leash. Numero uno wanting term duo, and such.

By analogy, Trump would not stick a sharp pencil in his eye just to make JBS III a happier camper. It's not in the Trump resume, but surprise is always feasible. From Trump, especially so, but I'd sooner bet the children at the business would invest rather than not, and can you foresee a more dynamic offered brand than, "Trump Gold."

"Grown on our golf courses, worldwide," as a marketing slogan?

By the gram; by the ounce; buy the brand?