It would appear that the Keebler Elf bit off more than he could chew - Republican backlash continues!
"Why is Donald Trump thinking differently than what he promised the people of Colorado in 2016?" Gardner said in a speech Thursday on the Senate floor, evoking Trump’s campaign promise to leave the issue of marijuana legalization to states. "Thousands of jobs at risk, millions of dollars in revenue, and certainly the question of constitutional states rights -- very much at the core of this discussion."
Gardner -- who doesn’t face re-election until 2020-- isn’t being shy. He vowed to block Justice Department nominees from being confirmed unless Sessions reverses course.
GOP control of Congress hangs in the balance, with all House seats and a third of Senate seats on the ballot in 2018. The question for Republicans is whether complaining publicly about the administration’s decision will be enough to inoculate them from Democratic opponents’ criticism during the campaign.
Some half-dozen GOP-held California House seats are in play, including three
rated "toss up" that are represented by Steve Knight, Dana Rohrabacher and Darrell Issa.
"This is a freedom issue," Rohrabacher said Thursday in a conference call with reporters, calling for a change in federal law to protect legal marijuana in states. "I think Jeff Sessions has forgotten about the Constitution and the 10th Amendment," which gives powers to the states.
"By taking this benighted minority position, he actually places Republicans’ electoral fortunes in jeopardy," Rohrabacher said in a statement later Thursday.
The question could motivate Democrats -- particularly young people — in November.
David Flaherty, a Colorado-based GOP consultant at Magellan Strategies, said the Justice Department’s decision could lead to a “major backlash and a spike in younger voters” if it disrupts the current system in Colorado. “Folks that are 44 and under here in Colorado are much more comfortable with the legalization of marijuana,” he said.
