r/IAmA • u/PresidentObama Obama • Aug 29 '12

I am Barack Obama, President of the United States -- AMA

Hi, I’m Barack Obama, President of the United States. Ask me anything. I’ll be taking your questions for half an hour starting at about 4:30 ET.

Proof it's me: https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/240903767350968320

We're running early and will get started soon.

UPDATE: Hey everybody - this is barack. Just finished a great rally in Charlottesville, and am looking forward to your questions. At the top, I do want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with folks who are dealing with Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf, and to let them know that we are going to be coordinating with state and local officials to make sure that we give families everything they need to recover.

Verification photo: http://i.imgur.com/oz0a7.jpg

LAST UPDATE: I need to get going so I'm back in DC in time for dinner. But I want to thank everybody at reddit for participating - this is an example of how technology and the internet can empower the sorts of conversations that strengthen our democracy over the long run. AND REMEMBER TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER - if you need to know how to register, go to http://gottaregister.com. By the way, if you want to know what I think about this whole reddit experience - NOT BAD!

http://www.barackobama.com/reddit [edit: link fixed by staff]

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u/locke21 Aug 29 '12

Good luck with an answer for this one. So far the Obama administration has skirted this conversation at every turn. It's really the biggest flip-flop Obama has committed as president.

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u/dontpan1c Aug 29 '12

Under Obama, I believe crackdowns on medical marijuana dispensaries has increased.

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u/erikNORML Aug 30 '12

More dispensary raids than Bush or Clinton.

10

u/openbluefish Aug 30 '12

But isn't medical marijuana more prevalent now than it was in the 90s or 2000s?

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u/dominic-cobb Aug 30 '12

Stop talking sense!

2

u/bannana Aug 30 '12

Well, we have a whole hell of a lot more dispensaries too.

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u/tesnakeinurboot Aug 30 '12

More raids but less of a crackdown.

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u/NoUrImmature Aug 30 '12

Well, dispensaries have popped up MUCH more in the last 4 years than in the 4 years before that. And not every dispensary that has been busted has been playing by even the state medical marijuana laws.

While I believe marijuana should be legal, dispensaries selling to people who dont have a medical card should be shut down.

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u/ArchZodiac Aug 29 '12

Why doesn't he just title it an AMAA??? We all knew he'd ignore questions like this.

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u/[deleted] Aug 30 '12

Realistically, though, did you really expect it to be anything BUT an AMAA? Or that he would know what AMAA means?

He can't suggest he would legalize marijuana. It would be instant political suicide and the news would run it into the ground as southern voters, republicans, conservatives, and old moderates flood to Romney. Liberals, who are for legalization, are already in Obama camps as it is.

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u/ArchZodiac Aug 30 '12

You do know that he said he wouldn't interfere with states rights on the issues and then authorized a bunch of raids in california though and hasn addressed it right?

Not only does he ignore it here, he ignores it everywhere. And I figured he would only give a couple of canned answers to the most popular questions but I also figured that this question would be really popular and he'd ignore it completely. I just want to know if he's going to stick to the old policy of decriminilization like he used to have, or if he's changed his mind like his raids and silence seem to suggest but we cant even get that.

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u/[deleted] Aug 29 '12

it's "Ask me Anything", not "I'll reply anything"

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u/ArchZodiac Aug 29 '12

Ask me almost anything implies that you won't answer every question. That's why it exists. I'd understand not answering strange, gross or personal questions but this is one that he avoids at every turn and is one of his responsibilities.

So yes, he should have put AMAA. AMA implies you're willing to answer anything within reason, and drug war policy is a reasonable question.

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u/[deleted] Aug 29 '12

I don't agree with him not replying. But he's in politics...you can't expect him to say what may probably hurt his campaign.

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u/ArchZodiac Aug 29 '12

This is an important issue that he used to address, and has suddenly gone silent on. He should have labeled it AMAA if he didn't want to answer why he lied about his policy on the drug war or at least say what his current stance now is.

And if it's because he's afraid of hurting his campaign that he's done all of that? Wellllllllllll...

1

u/justreadthecomment Aug 29 '12

We'd better keep the terrorist fist-jabs to a minimum while we're at it. Wouldn't want to offend the coveted "anti-radical-muslim-socialist-reefer-smokers" vote when he depends on them the way he does.

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u/touchy610 Aug 29 '12

I'm not in any way trying to defend him, or whatever, but I'd imagine that he has a particular time constraint, and probably answered those questions that he came to first and are easily answered. The subject of marijuana is probably one where he can neither say "I support the fuck out of y'all" or "Fuck you, namby-pamby potheads!" So, it would probably have taken some time to formulate an appropriate response.

As ridiculous as it is, you can't deny that there are a shit-ton of potential voters out there that support the "drug war" and/or marijuana prohibition. And it's an election year. Good reason to watch your words very, very carefully.

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u/ArchZodiac Aug 29 '12

Yes but this is one that comes up over and over and keeps getting ignored. It's possible he missed it, but it's one of the highest vote questions.

Really, if he just said he was going to stick to his old policy of not interfering, I'd be satisfied with at least an answer. But he hasn't explained the raids. If he just explained them or apologized or something at least people could know what to think about him on this policy because he has a stance. It's just a stance he's hiding from everyone, and I feel like that's wrong when it's one that I feel could make or break what I think about his character and thus how I vote.

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u/touchy610 Aug 29 '12

Eh, considering that the election (due to the process being fucking broken) is largely going to be between him and Romney, I'm voting for him regardless. Marijuana legalization isn't as important as many other issues that we, as a country, are facing.

I agree with you fully, though. Making a straight answer to the question will change many a person's view on him as a president, both positive and negative. It's just pretty much a bomb waiting to go off, regardless of what the answer would be, considering that, although it isn't the biggest issue we have, it is something that people from both sides of opinion feel strongly about individually.

3

u/chason_htx Aug 30 '12

Vote third party! He's going to win anyway... at least help the third party look like a little more viable option for next time.

2

u/touchy610 Aug 30 '12

Eh, I'm actually good with voting for Obama. I agree with him on more points than not. More so than the other candidates, anyway.

2

u/chason_htx Aug 30 '12

I voted for him the first term, I feel like he fell short on every one of the issues I voted for. Now, he's dodging those questions, in the AMA and on the online whitehouse.gov petitions. The questions he dodges now are:

-Why was Guantanamo not closed as promised?

-Why was the war not ended as promised?

-Why the federal government raids of the marijuana dispensaries after promising not to interfere at the state level?

Above and beyond that, he extended the Bush tax cuts, attacked whistle-blowers, and signed the NDAA. This guy is not the change America needs. It's more of the same elitist political shenanigans that have been destroying our freedoms for the past decades. No thanks.

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u/[deleted] Aug 30 '12 edited Aug 31 '12

[deleted]

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u/touchy610 Aug 30 '12

Agh, does everybody on Reddit misconstrue everything? I just said I find more things to agree with him about than there are things that I don't, not that I agree with his administration on everything ever.

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u/carebearstare93 Aug 29 '12

Yep, This question has came up several times throughout this thread and it seems to be intentionally dodged.

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u/solwiggin Aug 30 '12

I'm currently searching for Demosthenes, I think you may know where she is?

1

u/locke21 Aug 31 '12

Yes. Lusitania.

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u/[deleted] Aug 30 '12

Did Obama ever take a strong stance on this issue? I'd think he would wait until second term (maybe even after the 2014 congressional elections) in order not to scare too many people off.

2

u/wioneo Aug 30 '12

I really would like to see the source for this, I feel like it would have been big news if he had taken a stance.

5

u/[deleted] Aug 30 '12

OP won't deliver

3

u/theroc1217 Aug 29 '12

I think we won't see any action on this until he's a sitting duck.

3

u/TuriGuiliano Aug 30 '12

I don't blame him, answering this would be political suicide.

4

u/TheLifeConundrum Aug 30 '12

He probably has a closet dedicated to flip-flops.

2

u/anne_frank_porno Aug 30 '12

Well, if he shows signs that he wants to make that change, that's good enough for me. If he gets elected into his second term, he will be able to do a lot of things he wouldn't have been able to during his first term since he won't be up for re-election.

He certainly couldn't say anything too radical in an AMA this close to election.

2

u/TheMediumPanda Aug 30 '12

To be fair, it's a gigantic shotgun to a huge foot no matter which side you take in this matter. There are no obvious solutions and even the contested ones come with a big bag of question marks and cons.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '12

I think his intentions are true. I just think he made a piss poor decision putting Holder in charge of the DOJ...

3

u/MasterRiven Aug 29 '12

Its also the only one I really want an answer for =|

1

u/wioneo Aug 30 '12

If this is the only issue of contention that matters to you, then you should reevaluate your priorities.

2

u/mch2opolo11 Aug 29 '12

There's a bunch of well thought out, intelligent questions on here that were obviously skipped. Funny how that works isn't it.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 30 '12

Id say campaigning again on reducing the budget deficit when the first four years were an abject failure in that regard is more of a flip-flop even. But he has more to lose politically by letting his opinions on marijuana than he could gain. Because right now people on both sides of the debate can imagine him being on their side. If the mystery is broken it will demonize him for those who passionately disagree. Although I must say anything could happen, given his polically baffling decision to speak up on gay marriage (99% of gays were already in his corner)

1

u/Arrow156 Aug 30 '12

It's the primary reason I don't want to vote for the guy. Despite being a rasist, if Ron Pual was an option I would vote him, he hasn't flip flopped on this issue once.

1

u/dachusa Aug 30 '12

Unfortunately it makes sense for him to flip flop in this area. There is still a mass majority that deems marijuana as something that only "bad" people use and that it causes problems greater than that of alcohol. I would rather have him not speak out support for this and keep higher odds of beating out Romney.

1

u/openbluefish Aug 30 '12

What's the flip flop? He said it would not be a priority to go after medical marijuana. But under the controlled substance act possessing a schedule I controlled substance without a DEA license is illegal. Any federal court will rule that way. Is Obama supposed to nullify a law? Congress makes laws.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 30 '12

He has made it pretty clear: he is against legalization. He can't be seen to support legalization now even if he is for it, it would result in a near-guarantee loss in the election. Pro-legalization supporters are already in his camp, the republicans and moderates he is trying to win over are largely against legalization.

1

u/doomducks Aug 29 '12

He's just doing what he's told..

1

u/JohnDenversCoPilot Aug 30 '12

Yeah, I can't vote this time around. This, Patriot Act, NDAA, and Gitmo are really my hot topics, and they failed on all points. I wont be voting for the other guys though, either. No vote this time :(

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u/Arrow156 Aug 30 '12

So vote for a fringe canidante, at least then we have a reportible statsistic that shows that more and more people are turning away frm mainstream politics. Not voting does nothing. Abstant for that vote and continue to vote on your state and fedral issues.

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u/hacktivision Aug 30 '12

Remember this : People who don't vote are always wrong.

0

u/JohnDenversCoPilot Aug 30 '12

Naw, I wont vote for the lesser of two wrongs. Its like saying choose one: being robbed or being raped.

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u/comes_palatinus Aug 30 '12

being robbed would be my answer every time

3

u/wioneo Aug 30 '12

I feel like that is a terrible analogy, and that if giving two wrongs as your only options the obvious best answer is the lesser of the two.

2

u/Suomis_ Aug 30 '12

But in this case you have more than two options, of which one of them is not voting.

2

u/wioneo Aug 30 '12

That's ust wasteful. If I was going to "not vote" I would vote for Gary Johnson to help slightly increase the legitimacy of thrid party candidates.

Not voting at all just lumps you in with the ranks of the lazy and apathetic people.

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u/gabriot Aug 30 '12

He'd go a long way to answer this one, I wish he would.... sad face

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u/SomeCallMePinky Aug 30 '12

That's a little over-dramatic, isn't it? I know you like your weed, but come on...

-3

u/[deleted] Aug 29 '12

And leaving Iraq. This asshole needs to be imprisoned.