John Morgan, the celebrity personal injury attorney with a former governor on his payroll, says he wants to build "an army of angels" to help him get medical marijuana on the Florida ballot as a constitutional amendment in 2014.
To that end, Morgan has launched People United for Medical Marijuana -- sometimes it's called United for Care -- and he's built a website, www.UnitedforCare.org, on which he can maintain a pitch for volunteers and contributions.
Morgan committed to raise money for the cause back in March, but he's only now got his campaign apparatus going. He appointed himself chairman of United for Care.
Now, let's not forget what a good Democrat Morgan is.
Let's also not forget that every political consultant from here to kingdom come knows what marijuana legalization on the ballot could do to bring young voters to the polls.Democratic strategists have been rubbing their hands ever since Colorado and Washington legalized pot in the last election. They've been trying to work out -- with the help of polls from CBS News and Quinnipiac University -- whether similar ballot measures could energize young, liberal voters in swing states for the 2014 election.
Morgan's newly launched initiative tells me the answer is yes.
The Central Florida-based attorney says -- as he did on an email blasted to potential donors on Monday -- "The fight for medical marijuana is personal for me. When my father was suffering from emphysema and cancer, using marijuana was one of the only treatments that helped him experience a decent quality of life in his last days. ...That is why I decided to chair the efforts to make medical marijuana available and accessible to Floridians in need."
Morgan is the perfect quarterback to throw this pass downfield for the Democrats.
He's a clever fellow. He's got party zeal and a gazillion-dollar bankroll. He's got the sympathy factor on his side -- we're all rooting for this caring son who wants to honor his father by ending the suffering of others. Plus, he's the money-buddy of every Big Democrat in Florida. And, oh my heavens, he's got Charlie Crist, for the moment his party's hope to be the next governor, mugging it up on his billboards from one end of the state to the other.
I close my eyes and it's Nov. 4, 2014, and I can see John Morgan, Charlie Crist and who knows how many more Democrats challenging for seats in the state House and in Congress, doing a touchdown dance in the end zone.And all because of medical marijuana.
Where are the Republicans in all this? The party that needed to reach out to youth and minorities is falling further behind by failing to seize an enormous opportunity. Medical marijuana is that opportunity and frankly, legalizing it is the right thing to do.
Over the last decade, a wave of new, diverse, and socially moderate voters has reshaped the electorate. It allowed President Obama to win the popular vote without much, if any, improvement over John Kerry among voters who were eligible to participate in the 2004 presidential election. Mitt Romney won voters over age 30 by a 1.5-point margin, but their slight preference for the Republican nominee was swamped by Obamas decisive 24-point victory among 18-29-year-old voters.
I'd like to think the GOP can cast losing issues aside and find new ones that divide young voters along more favorable lines -- which is exactly what tea party-favorite Rand Paul seems to be suggesting about gay marriage and marijuana.
Historically, elections following two-plus terms of consecutive control of the presidency by the same party have offered the out-party their best opportunities to make adjustments and redraw the battle lines on more favorable terms, as Bill Clinton did in 1992 and George W. Bush in 2000. That's a fact I learned from Republican strategists right here in Florida, some of whom advise legislative and party leaders virtually daily, yet don't push to beat the Democrats at their own game.
In the catbird's seat in both chambers of the Legislature, the Cabinet and the governor's office, Republicans could steal every decibel of John Morgan's thunder. All they have to do is craft their own bill for medical marijuana. Champion the cause themselves. Be the heroes among Florida's youth. But don't hold your breath.
I wish I were more hopeful. But the governor flat out says he won't support medical marijuana. And the House never gave Rep. Katie Edwards' bill(HB 1139) a chance. For Lord's sake, Florida doesn't even want bongs sold in tobacco shops anymore. Bills currently seeking to remove them -- HB 49 and SB 1140 -- have so far passed three committees in the House and two in the Senate, all unanimously.
Here's a caution the New Republic, in a Dec. 8, 2012, story-- "Marijuana: A Winning GOP Issue?" -- gave to the GOP:
"If Republicans dont seize the middle ground on marijuana legalization, Democrats will eventually use the issue to their advantage. Not only will Democratic primary voters demand it, they will have a lot to gain. As more younger, pro-marijuana voters enter the electorate and replace their elders, support for marijuana legalization will continue to increase, absent intervening events that reshape public opinion, like a disastrous ending to the experiments in Colorado and Washington. If marijuana becomes another partisan social issue, like gay marriage or abortion, it will make it even more difficult for Republicans to appeal to millennial voters."
On the other hand, I believe that if -- and what a huge if -- the Grand Old Party in Florida can find the political will and the gumption, they can intercept John Morgan in the endzone and turn the game around in 2016. The numbers in state leadership are on their side.
The point is, 2016 is a critical opportunity for Republicans, and passing on it isn't optional. The GOP cannot afford many more years of 18-year-old voters entering the electorate and putting Democrats in office by a 24-point margin. We can do our part in Florida, by beating John Morgan and the Democrats at their own game.
Political will and gumption. That's all it takes.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
