The Political Leadership For Ending The Drug War - 872 Words

There hasn’t been any real political leadership for ending the drug war from either of the major political parties. The Republican Party is the most ardent supporter of the drug war, yet it contradicts some of its main principles. In fact, it’s difficult to name another political issue, other than the legalization of drugs, which would better accomplish the party’s goals for reducing government spending while benefitting the private sector. The Republican Party has somehow successfully attached itself to the drug war while selling fears of â€Å"big government† and â€Å"the nanny state.† Republicans tout the virtues of free markets, yet they apparently don’t feel those same virtues apply to a free society. As Gore Vidal once stated, they prefer â€Å"laissez faire† economics over â€Å"laissez faire† values. In addition, the Republican Party is generally the most vocal with supporting states’ rights in hopes of reducing wasteful federal government spending, except in the case where states have legalized medical or recreational marijuana. Very few within the Democratic Party have displayed the political courage to challenge the drug war even though most of their political base would support them. In fact, many Democrats have used the drug war as a political bargaining chip. Some others have even used the drug war to try to â€Å"out-conservative† the conservatives. That was exactly the case with the Clinton administration. Many people assumed that Bill Clinton’s deflection of his prior drugShow MoreRelatedLyndon B. Johnson And Andrew Jackson1605 Words   |  7 Pagesits post-Carter economic and political gloom, won the Cold War without a bloody confrontation, and created more reforms for the economy, with an impressive increase in productivity and employment. 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