Important headlines for August 22nd – Drug trafficking, Wells Fargo & Florida politics
Bottom Line: These are stories you shouldn't miss and my takes on them...
Excerpt: Wells Fargo terminated the official campaign account of Nicole “Nikki” Fried after the banking giant discovered Fried has a “political platform ... advocating for expanded patient access to medical marijuana” and she had “funds received from lobbyists from the medical marijuana industry,” according to correspondence that was with Wells Fargo and was provided by the campaign.
Banks have been hesitant to have accounts for medical-marijuana businesses because although states have legalized it for medical use, it’s still illegal at the federal level.
Hot Take: Thank you to the Miami Herald for pointing out the reality on the ground. Marijuana is illegal. That’s the issue here. Everything else is noise. Once again, I’ve inclined to point out my rule about the premise. If the premise of anything is false anything built on it is likely to fail. Once again for the uptenth time. Marijuana isn’t legal in Florida because it isn’t legal in the United States. One of two things must happen for that to change. It will have to be legalized, or at a minimum decriminalized, at the federal level or Florida will need to cede from the union.
Banks can’t accept money from the sale of illegal drugs because they’re federally regulated. A candidate for office who’s storing money that was obtained by federal drug trafficking – under current law – is also a violation once it’s disclosed to the bank as well. It’s a good talking point for Fried to gain attention for her campaign but it’s simply the latest example of what’s wrong with attempting to legalize something at the state level that can’t be legalized because we’re still part of the country. Details. And what about the move to BB&T you ask?
Maybe BB&T wasn’t aware of where the money came from. Maybe they’re willing to take a chance that the feds won’t crack down on them for breaking the law. As for Wells Fargo, by now it’s no secret that the government has a permeant seat with thier board of directors just waiting for them to screw up again. Rather than blaming Wells for following the law, how about we actually attempt to abide by it?
CBS News Pollster Reveals Why a 'Blue Wave' Is Unlikely Mary Linge, New York Post
Excerpt: In “Where Did You Get That Number?” (Simon & Schuster), out Tuesday, Salvanto (The head pollster at CBS News) explains the lessons pollsters learned that year and are putting into practice now, ahead of this November’s crucial midterm elections.
“The horse-race analogy is compelling but it’s wrong,” Salvanto said. In racing, he pointed out, the distance already run gets your horse closer to the finish line, but “in a campaign, everything can change tomorrow.”
If voters see the election as a dynamic instead of a race, we can use polls the way campaign managers do: not as a crystal ball, but as a tool. “That means asking where a candidate or party is weak, where they’re strong, and which groups may be moving in what direction,” Salvanto said.
Hot Take: Ding, Ding, ding. Accredited polling is a tool and a highly relevant and predictive one if used correctly. National polling is less relevant than it’s ever been, with state and local polling being more relevant than ever. The divides politically have never been so stark. In every election the key is to dig into details. How do undecided voters traditionally break in a similar election in a particular state or district? How many people say they’ll vote third party but won’t and who will they vote for? These are the details in close elections that matter most.
Until Tomorrow...