Rand Paul's Funny 'Airing Of Grievances' Tweets Leads To A Really Important Exchange About The War On Drugs
Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) "airing of grievances" on Twitter Monday morning actually led to an important side discussion between him and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) about drug policy - one that could preview a renewed push on reforms next year.
It started when Paul, during his homage to "Seinfeld," joked that one of his grievances was with the Twitter-savvy Booker:
Booker responded, in kind:
Then things got a little more serious:
And then Booker threw in a caveat of his own:
Paul reminded him of his stance on reforming marijuana laws:
Booker ended it by declaring an end to the "War on Drugs" in 2014:
Paul and Booker have been among two of the highest-profile members of Congress advocating drug policy reforms, such as eliminating "mandatory minimum" sentences for non-violent offenders.
Paul is co-sponsoring legislation with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) that would eliminate mandatory minimum sentences and allow judges more flexibility in sentencing for non-violent offenders.
Booker was elected to the Senate in a special election in October, and one of his main priorities upon taking office was advocating for a reform of current drug laws. He told The Wall Street Journal, specifically that he "wants to work with" Paul on the issue.
Booker didn't get much of a chance to do that in the last two-plus months of 2013, but the two senators signaled on Monday that it would be a main focus next year.