Bluestem was contacted by Minnesota Grassroots Party chair Oliver Steinberg with a "polemic I sent to the Star Tribune" that he had submitted on November 6, " too long and too late." We're publishing it in the public interest. Steinberg notes Governor Noem's involvement in reversing the will of the people in the 2020 vote.
James Lenfestey's Opinion article on October 31 mentions Republican-instigated meddling and manipulation of Minnesota's two cannabis-legalization political parties. Republicans have worked to pervert those small and ill-organized parties, filing false-flag candidates on their tickets. That deception helps perpetuate marijuana prohibition, instead of repealing it.
We invented the Grassroots Party in 1986 to resist the Reagan administration's so-called "war on drugs." What we saw was a war on the American people, directed by experts in mob psychology, testing out the template for high-tech totalitarianism. An artificially-incited moral panic and political frenzy locked both big parties into "reefer madness" hysteria and a rhetoric of ever-escalating repression.
Because our ideas were regarded--at best-- as "political suicide," we were unwelcome in either big party. We were precluded from starting an Initiative campaign, since Minnesota's Constitution doesn't let citizens put state laws up for a direct vote, as they can do in California, Alaska, and many other states.
The remaining choice for ballot-box impact was the minor party option, and it was logical--and inexpensive. Historically, third parties serve to test-drive politically controversial ideas. The Grassroots volunteers never expected to elect our symbolic anti-prohibition candidates, but if we got their names on the ballot, their votes had to be counted. If they polled a significant number of votes, the full-time politicians would be tempted to "swipe our platform" and enact our reforms.
Mr. Lenfestey thinks this has finally happened. The Minnesota House passed a cannabis legalization bill in 2021. 94% of "Yea" votes came from DFL lawmakers, 90% of the "Nays" from Republicans. Republicans controlled the State Senate, and blocked the bill there. In 2020, the U.S. House voted for the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act. 97% of the "Yes" votes were from Democrats and 97% of the "No" votes were Republicans. Republicans killed it in the Senate.
Of course, Minnesota's miniature "pot parties" didn't cause the strong Democratic shift against cannabis prohibition, except insofar as they realized that the path to legalization depended on using the right to vote. The Grassroots Party's token Presidential candidate in 1996, Dennis Peron, pioneered the use of Ballot Measures to whittle away at prohibition. Peron inspired Proposition 215, the first successful statewide medical cannabis initiative. At least 21 other states and U.S. territories have adopted therapeutic cannabis laws by direct popular votes since 1996. And voters in 13 states have passed adult-use legalization plebiscites since 2012.
Democrats began to listen to the voice of the people; Republicans began looking for ways to cancel democracy. Republican Governor Noem in South Dakota led the nullification maneuvers against the 2020 legalization vote; the Republican Mississippi Supreme Court squelched the medical marijuana victory there by completely revoking the people's right to use ballot initiatives.
Minnesota election law obliges minor party and independent candidates to submit nominating petitions verifying a minimum baseline of voter support, in order to be listed on election ballots. We toiled with petitions for three decades, with "Legal Marijuana Now" splitting off from the Grassroots Party in 2014.
Then the 2018 election unexpectedly elevated both Grassroots and Legal Marijuana to "major party" status, because each of the parties had a candidate who received above 5% of the statewide vote. Major parties have automatic ballot status, which means nominating petitions are not required. In practice, this means anybody can buy their way onto any major party's ballot line, for the price of a nominal filing fee. Unfortunately, there's no remedy for fraud! The law doesn't let a party remove malicious candidates who file under the party's name, intent on mischief.
Major party status made the two parties instantly vulnerable to infiltration and exploitation by opportunists, egotists, and ideological foes from the Trump idolatry cult. Both Grassroots and Legal Marijuana organizations basically consisted of a handful of volunteers, handy with petition clipboards, but not ready to function as formally organized statewide parties. The COVID-19 pandemic thoroughly disrupted any plans for organizational improvement for the past two years.
Since 2018, Republicans have repeatedly filed fraudulent candidates on the Legal Marijuana Now and Grassroots - Legalize Cannabis ballot lines.
A former Grassroots leader derisively labeled the imposters as "Weed In Name Only" candidates, or "WINOs."
In 2020, Republican-recruited WINOs ran as "pot party" candidates in at least eight swing districts. They signed dishonest affidavits of candidacy--a fraudulent act, but one which incurs no legal penalty. Some openly admitted their Republican Party connections and motivation. Of course, none of the WINO's possess any authentic background or credentials as cannabis reform advocates.
The MN Reformer reported the story two years ago--exposing a Republican National Committee operative's involvement. The Reformer further documented that several of the imposters had connections to the State Senate Republican caucus staff.
To its credit, the Grassroots Party refused to endorse Republican imposters who filed as purported Grassroots candidates in 2020.
However, the dazed and confused amateurs in charge of the Legal Marijuana Party foolishly embraced the fraudulent candidates on their 2020 ticket, and welcomed them back along with new dupes in 2022.
This was an inexcusable betrayal of their 200,000 unsuspecting voters. The Republican-instigated WINOs are conniving to lure pro-legalization voters into casting protest votes for unknown (and unelectable) candidates, thereby indirectly tilting the outcome towards Republicans--the party of prohibition.
Furthermore, it looks like the Legal Marijuana Now Party this year has turned itself into a willing tool and active accomplice of the Trump-zombified Republican Party. The few LMN members who aren't actual Trumpist double-agents (or their dupes) are myopic ideologues addicted to the outdated third-party dogma which falsely depicts the Democrats and Republicans as equally evil. They resemble the Weimar Republic's German communists who recklessly abused their Social Democratic party rivals as "Social Fascists," instead of uniting with them to stop Hitlerism. Fatal miscalculation!
Mr. Lenfestey's point is well-taken. Minnesota voters who sincerely support cannabis legalization should vote for Democrats in swing districts or close statewide races.
That's why Grassroots candidate Noah Johnson withdrew from the 2018 Attorney General contest and endorsed the DFL's Keith Ellison. That's why Grassroots candidate Pat Bradley withdrew this year from the Second Congressional District and endorsed the DFL's Angie Craig.
In the Secretary of State battle, first the Republican candidate eagerly spouted unfounded rumors and allegations to foment paranoia against Minnesota's election procedures, and now she is promising to "restore election integrity." That's like an arsonist who nonchalantly promises to extinguish tomorrow the conflagration he's igniting tonight.
There's no voter fraud in Minnesota, other than rare isolated cases. However, there's plenty of evidence that election integrity has been extensively violated, voters deceived and disrespected, dishonest affidavits offered, and so forth--by the Republican Party's own acolytes.
Marty Super, the Grassroots - Legalize Cannabis Party candidate for Secretary of State, withdrew from the race, for the sake of democracy. He'll vote for Steve Simon.
Our party's Central Committee met on August 9th and resolved to repudiate the person on the ballot for Governor purporting to be the Grassroots candidate. This individual stated himself that his intention was to hijack the party's nomination. We don't want our supporters to vote for him, nor for the purported candidate for State Auditor, who doesn't subscribe to the party platform and didn't even use his real name in filing for office.
Major party status has backfired against the two anti-prohibition parties. No one who supports the spirit and principles of genuine cannabis-law reform should vote for any WINO candidates this year.
Note on sources: MN Reformer story reported by J. P. Coolican, 6/15/2020; other follow-up stories; Hamline U. professor David Schultz' article in Capitol Report, 10/20/2014; personal telephone conversations with Steve Patterson, 6/1/2022 and 6/2/2022; Peter Callaghan story, MN Post 3/12/2021; Bill Salisbury story, Pioneer Press, 6/27/2012; B. Bierschbach story, Star Tribune, 10/28/2020 "Pot party candidate a spoiler?"; J. Van Berkel story "Candidate's death delays House race," Star Tribune 9/25/2020; Assoc. Press story "Pot candidate alleges GOP deceived him into running," StarTribune 5/25/21; MN Reformer story "Pot party candidate has GOP ties" reported by Michelle Griffith 9/9/2022; J. Van Berkel story, "Third party candidates . . .," Star Tribune 11/1/2022. [The story incorrectly reported the name of the Grassroots - Legalize Cannabis party.]
Related post
Image: A cannabis greenhouse.
If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post.
Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.
I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6
Comments