Thursday, January 07, 2021STARTLING AND DISTURBING: Trumpism Hits Bottom And May Drag Down More NM Republicans, Plus: How About A Shorter Legislative Session? And: A Hurdle For Legalized Pot Herrell's defense of Trump's unfounded claims that his election defeat was fraudulent led her to join other House R's to object to the certification of the election. Then the political world around her exploded. The pictures tell the story. For now this is the end of Trumpism, a virulent strain of politics that has infected Herrell and other Republicans who should have known better or at least started taking antibiotics once the seriousness of the infection was clear. R's tried to seize the moral high ground when NM House Speaker Brian Egolf boldly said shortly after Herrell was elected that "next time it’ll be a different district and we’ll have to see what that means for Republican chances to hold it.” Egolf was taken to the woodshed for the impolite comments, but now he is the one occupying high ground and can proceed without fear or threat of reprisal to redistrict Herrell out of office. No need for him to shout it from the rooftops. The work can now be done quietly and efficiently. For the public it will be like watching surgeons extract a cancerous tumor. Republicanism deserves life. Trumpism no longer does. OTHER VICTIMS?  State House Minority Leader Jim Townsend of Artesia is another victim. His recent complaining over not getting enough respect from the Dem House leaders is now going to fall on a public's deaf ears--until he and his brethren shed their Trump skins. Republicans in New Mexico have lost nearly everything. You thought they couldn't lose anything more. And then came Wednesday, January 6, 2021. 60 DAYS? Does the Legislature really need to meet for 60 days this year amid the COVID crisis that is forcing the entire session--at least on the House side--to be held via zoom. The massive inconvenience and precedent shattering decision to close the Capitol to the public during the session is also raising questions. Some Roundhouse watchers point out that the Legislature is not required to meet for two months. That is the maximum amount of time they can meet. After that a special session has to be called. So how about a 30 or 40 day session? Food for thought for the legislative leadership. POT HURDLE While efforts to legalize recreational marijuana will see a more friendly Legislature, it will not be without major hurdles. Like this one titled: "How state marijuana legalization became a boon for corruption." 15 states have legalized a regulated marijuana market for adults over 21, and another 17 have legalized medical marijuana. But in their rush to limit the numbers of licensed vendors and give local municipalities control of where to locate dispensaries, they created something else: A market for local corruption. Almost all the states that legalized pot either require the approval of local officials – as in Massachusetts -- or impose a statewide limit on the number of licenses, chosen by a politically appointed oversight board, or both. These practices effectively put million-dollar decisions in the hands of relatively small-time political figures – the mayors and councilors of small towns and cities, along with the friends and supporters of politicians who appoint them to boards. . . They have also created a culture in which would-be cannabis entrepreneurs feel obliged to make large campaign contributions or hire politically connected lobbyists. States that have largely avoided corruption controversies either do not have license caps -- like Colorado or Oklahoma -- or dole out a limited number of licenses through a lottery. . . This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2021 |
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