The Tea Party On Prohibition: Lovin' It

A contributor over at Ricochet attended a Tea Party rally on the steps of the state capitol building in New Mexico:

The keynote speaker was former Governor Gary Johnson who is rumored to be running for president.  Gary is highly regarded in the state for his outstanding leadership during two terms as governor.  He slashed the size of state government during his term and left the state with a large budget surplus.  His speech brought enthusiastic applause from the sparse crowd.  Governor Johnson should have stopped while he was ahead.

When Tea Party members were invited to ask questions, someone asked the governor if he supported legalization of marijuana.  Gary responded that he did.  His remarks brought a chorus of boos from the crowd.  Gary went on to make the case for legalization based on the cost of incarcerating pot smokers, but the crowd wasn't having it.  The boos erupted again.  Some members of the crowd began to heckle the former governor.  Lesson learned, I hope.

These people are as uninterested in the freedom of others as they are pathological about their own. If libertarians believe that these folks are on their side, they are going to have a rude awakening.