Good evening everybody im ilean before we jump into our event i wanted to thack you all for coming. Eventses like this couldnt be possible if it werent for your generous support showing up to them, so really thank you so much for adding to your denver Reading Community we really appreciate it. So weaver honor to talk to emily about grassroots rise an fall of marijuana in america and emily received ph. D. In american studies from George Washington university and grassroots is actually based off her dissertation. The inspiration for such im sure shell tell us more about as she starts her talk. So emily has been peesmed on History Channel npr and work can also be found in the Washington Post the atlantic, History News Network and run washington. Were very excited to have emily here today because as you know here in colorado, weve had a very intriguing conversation going about marijuana. Even before it was usually legalized in 2014. And emilys book adds to this conversation with new research and interviews which expands this conversation even more than we could even hope to so without any further adieu lets give a warm welcome to emily dustin. [applause] thank you so much for having me here. It is really an honor to speak at the cover which is a establishment that has put on cultural events and pardon my voice i caught a cold from my toddler son you know how baby colds are theyre the worst so hopefully my voice will hold on. I actually havent been to colorado since 2010, and city has really changed the state has really changed. You all really are at the forefront of the movement that will be discussing tonight. I mean legalizing marijuana in 2012 is huge before people infused pot into beer at least professionally youre so in cutting edge youre really set the pace. So i would like to start tonight by kind of situating where we are in the current moment not quite a month in the second year of the trump administration. And whatever your feelings on that subject iemg sure you can agree it is a distinctly weird time to be alive. And perhaps no more so than americas strange relationship in shifting relationship with both leelg and it legal drugs. Last year i read probably on twitter if Hillary Clinton were marijuana we would have experienced a different inauguration in 2017 and this is not to say clinton made pot we would have elected president pot or something but rather in four states that legalized marijuana in 2016 election, all of them got marijuana in all of them got significantly higher Approval Ratings than either president ial candidates. And both the support is both and a was is overwhelmingly bipartisan too. Republicans and democrats like both really support legalized marijuana right it is and a mantle of us agree that the drugs should be both sold in tax like alcohol or tobacco. This is remarkable because as a nation we have very difficult time agreeing on anything. Right, on me too, on dak daca on north korea and russia but a gallup poll suggest that 60 support recreational legalization we dont agree on anything right but fine if you smoke. [laughter] until it isnt. After rooting for legalize marijuana in november 2016, dispensaries in california opened their doors on january 1st of this year. California is an incredibly big deal in the world of legalized marijuana. Not only does it make the west coast essentially a block of legalization which will expand northward when canada legalizes in july. But it also nearly doubles the market and basically overnight. Sales of legalized marijuana Recreational Marijuana in 2017 totaled about 10 billion. Before california hit the market this year, california is actually expected to generate it be about 5 billion in sales alone. And it be one billion in taxes. This is huge. But three days after californias law went into effect attorney general Jeff Sessions revoked Obama Administration coal memo which essentially said that within reason, assuming you dont grow on federal lands and children across states lines stuff like that federal officials will allow it to stand. Sessions action doesnt actually do that much. Right it is more saber rattling than anything else since 95 of drug arrests occur on state level because neither the dojodea has people or resources to necessarily go after large scale growers and district tores. But it is an incredibly clear symbolic shift is right. Sessions seems to be saying im going to ignore pots rising social acceptance and im going to focus on it because ting that it is as bad as heroin. So there. Right when news about sessions actions went live, people kind of lost their minds. Legal pot is, obviously, already a very cay yotic industry anything that remains legal on state level and e leelg on a federal level will naturally face up hill climb. But sessions announcement jump started fears of a return to 1980s war or drugs with more arrests more busts, more targeting of africanamericans saw racist motives feared we hngt learned from past mistakes. But as for me, i wasnt really surprised. My book was released almost exactly a month to the day before sessions action went live in it i predicted he would revoke coal memo did not expect it to happen this quickly but i did predict it. And thabl its reasons for doing so are more complex than near racism. But particularly since Recreational Marijuana overwhelmably benefits upper middleclass rights those who can afford legal taxation rates. Instead i believe that both sessions action it is and a peoples very passion responses to it are products of this 50year battle over legal station that is brought us to this point. As well as the distinct resurrection of previous behaviors. Psych of marijuana acceptance or peening pendulum constant swing between criminality it shift to match circumstance but in their retelling, the pattern remains fundamentally the same. So thats what my book and my talk tonight are both bairvegly focusing on. The emergence of the pattern what happened since first legalization protest of 1964 to bring us to this point. And perhaps youll see the same pattern i think is there or perhaps you wont and either way we can discuss in the q an a section to come. As i said first took place in 1964 in august of 1964, and in sphrifng to be more precise. There is marijuana history before 19674, of course, thats not really the focus of my book but there are tons of excellent titles that if i could give you a bibliography about if youre interested. So suffice to say buy the time it rolls around the federal governments views on marijuana kind of evolve much past the 1936 madness if youre familiar with that. The Government Official scam was that marijuana pretty much led to a number of horrible things including heroin addictions, south side, murder, et cetera instead i start in 1964 when a young man named loll walks into this San Francisco hall of justice lights up a joint declares hes starting campaign to legalize marijuana and asks to be arrested. Which he immediately is [laughter] his action is the first shot in what will become a 50year battle over marijuana in which thousands tens of thousands of average ordinary americans essentially went to war over pot. But is a support or o oppose a drug together these two factions of grassroots activist went on to change the countrys marijuana laws three times. First in the 1970s when they spread decriminalization to a dozen states. Then in the 1980s when the drug was recriminallized and demonized in the 19 and just say 1980s. And then during the growing social acceptance of medical marijuana in the 1990s which paved way for growing social acceptance of Recreational Marijuana today. In turn, growing social acceptance has birthed renewed counterrevolution which we can see in the actions of Jeff Sessions in the prominence antilegalization activist like kevin, and major farm pharmaceutical companies are promoting legalization laws because essentially they cut into their bottom line. And is it all starts request this guy. Named lol hes interesting because hes it will years old and 64 when he launches his first protest and hes not like a hippie as we come to know them today. 64 is about a year before this thousands of sandal wearing on three years before the summer of love hes a pretty easy going normal guy hes a tshirt and jeans kind of guy short hair likes to spend time with his dogs. But he essentially launches revolution as unlikely as it is with the help of his attorney james white. James white is also a really are interesting historical figure. Hes a conservative or more like a libertarian described himself to the right of barry gold water which is extreme. But hes strongly believed that government should not be able to tell an individual what to do. In their private life assuming, of course, theyre not hurting anyone else. Hes also a researcher, and he addition up old government reports some of them cradled including indian hemp drug and Panama Commission of 1925, and these showed that the federal government once believed that pot was less toxic and less habit forming than both alcohol and tobacco and by showing that the federal government wants this way, what bairvegly argues that modern law against marijuana are u unconstitutional and claim not deserve to be jailed for its use. To appeal goes nowhere. But he is actually incarcerated for about a year. He immediately upon his release he essentially abandons the movement but white stays with it. He starts to hand illustrate reports that he signs and calls them marijuana puffins he starts to district a district them or to the protohipies living in San Francisco bay area. And he also forms a new Organization Called lee mar a contraction of legalize marijuana that quickly spreads throughout San Francisco area with the grateful dead and touring with concert things like that becomes very popular. And Alan Ginsberg known for howell a number of other things an played strangely by james franco in a recent film, hes also in San Francisco at the time. Hes quite prom an numerous ac lates to a national profile. He attends fursly morality in december of 64 so moved by it that he brings organization back with him when he returns to new york and forms first east coast chapter. So with the support of ginsberg he goes quickly national. But coast legalization also get wrapped up . Something else which is the Youth Movement at the time. Finding these old reports which the government has, obviously, back pedaled on the fence, a growing number of young people saw a familiar story that the government could lice. It was currently lying about waiting war in vietnam. It was lying about the necessity of segregation and now people very finding that it was lying about effects of marijuana as well combined with baby boomer and raising rates of the youth cry ares for legal vaition got swept up with people to antiwar marches and civil rights demonstrations it was a moment of real historical so before we go any further to retract a little bit, and describe where our marijuana laws actually come from. In 1970 as on this try trajectory joining up with social movements there was actually no distinct federal law against the trug kind of incredible right theres state law, of course, in somewhere far harsher than others but no distinct federal law outlawing marijuana. Richard nixon elected president in 68 again in 72 recognized the threat that it posed to his administration and he uses his law and order stance as a mean to thwart his detractors. He quickly realizes that by targeting marijuana he can get a lot of youth activists locked away. Protesting, obviously, isnt against the law. Its the First Amendment right but pot could have an offense and maybe particularly serious offense to get congress to pass a new law. So thats what he does. Nixon and his attorney general John Mitchell lobby very, very lard to pass a controlled substantive act of 1970 you may rkdz to the five schedule in which it places drugs schedule one are drugs that are considered incredibly prone to abuse and with no recognized medical value and down to schedule five afrin things like that nixon works hard to convince congress to place in schedule one. Pending results and able to do that by suggesting that the placement would actually be temporary. Pending results of the twoyear investigation that the control substancive act also sets u up. This is essentially called National Commission on marijuana and drug abuse also known as a the commission because it was run by ramon shafer republican 6 my home state of pennsylvania. So chafer commission is 13 minute task with conducting a twoyear investigation that would finally explore scope and depth the marijuana use. Nixon naturally hoped to find horrible things about the drug. That would benefit his criminalization of it. He hopes they would link to violence to harder drug use, to bad grades to be generally in declining moral nation and he even strong armed shafer several times bringing it to the office promising him a federal judgeship that he was really going for. If the results match what nixon is searching for. But things dont work out that way. Rather extraordinary. Instead Shafer Commission finds no connection whatsoever between marijuana and any of the things that nixon is trying to blame pot for. Instead they find that about 24 million americans tried pot at that time 11 of the population and 12 million were regular users so 5 or 6 an found that marijuana users were basically no different than average american citizen. They were no more lazy, or o violent or whatever. They decide that marijuana laws are essentially unfair. And he was responsible for that Commission Law in oregon by the 1973 they passed a statewide criminalization turning possession into the equivalent of a parking ticket. What is remarkable is the sky does not fall people are supportive of the law the National Organizations for the reform of marijuana laws is founded in d. C. In 1970 very supportive of these laws and then they start to pasty criminalization laws as well as in 1878 mississippi minnesota and the brass to decriminalize personal possession so one third of the country lived where it was nothing more than a civil fine. Jimmy carter went on that with his president ial run 1976 by 78 people think decriminalization or maybe legalization is around the corner. While decriminalization lies spread across the country another industry is popping up. Remember the economy in the 70s there was gas lines around the block around the block, inflation, but one Significant Growth industry is marijuana paraphernalia. So in 1977 the market brings 250 million per year off of pipes and papers that is the equivalent of 1 billion today now thanks to increasing interest and the variations of titles with the new marijuana culture that they could advertise these new things but it becomes problematic and inadvertently or purposely. There was the frisbee with a pipe you puff and past and then a boardgame and while promoted and marketed to adults, some people start to notice there is the trickledown effect and now adolescence skyrocket during this time now how many seniors report smoking pot everyday and it is very easy to get. So this situation with near nationwide rapid acceptance of decriminalization compounded by the boom of paraphernalia with the rise of adolescent marijuana use launches the first counterrevolution and actually started in jimmy carters hometown but it really had a bad rap the past couple of years people say they are angry or hyperbolic they were legitimate about the marijuana use it seems to have come out of nowhere now it is prevalent so now it is ingested they could do irreparable harm to their children. The federal government reports it makes young boys grow breast and Young Children young girls in fertile. Where kids would give up on life before it had begun. So they gathered together and with this conscious groups to share information to collectively pair into their kids now we will give them alternative options after school. A couple published pamphlets and it become so popular into be distributing over 1 million copies of that campaign. Parents everywhere here this and they join in droves so the movement takes off and by 1980 now across the country there is a lobbying group in d. C. Called the National Federation for drugfree but not only that it spread like wildfire across the country but that it was effective marijuana use plunged and by 1981 year later i School Students actually believe it is really dangerous and so it drops and the parents win. Right . The problem is solved. But not so fast. In 1980 the year reagan is elected to the oval office and i am not kidding you the climber with more social ambition more than lady macbeth. And to see more maternal. So to transform transforming into the most famous activist in about eight years i have a whole chapter how she starts from just say no from a grandmother in oakland i highly recommend you read it that this is where we see the pendulum take the big shift. With that passive acceptance of decriminalization to the demonization in the 1980s. And this is because parent activists change the conversation in the United States. So decriminalization laws were passed on the idea the adults have the right to do what they want in the privacy of their own home assuming youre not hurting anyone else. But nancy reagan turn this around it wasnt about adults that the right of a child to grow up drugfree. It didnt matter what the adult thought they could or could not do because as soon as the drug would trickle down they would use it that becomes problematic and dangerous so they are also worthy to be locked up and criminalized for marijuana use. So the movement gets really hot and it becomes the demon drug of the nation easy episodes of different strokes or punky brewster so even though rates are plummeting at the same time. So now the race of other drug use is dropping so that is the time marijuana becomes the target drug of choice. So now it is entirely predicated on what is or is not being used at the same time. These decriminalization laws were passing because the United States is going to a severe heroin epidemic so they got it under control with multimillion dollar programs. So by the time the 80s rolled around there are other drugs being used but nine that are as prominent as marijuana becomes. So pot can become the demon drug of the 80s and who is being pretrade as a threat to children and the drug use is so limited at the time causes concern so this changes big time 1986 specifically in june when a new drug comes on the scene called crack cocaine. When the basketball phenom from the universal one university of maryland when he was drafted for football for the Boston Celtics two days after the huge thing he dies of a cocaine overdose but it had such an impact on capitol hill legislators they go crazy passing anti drug legislation that it was the demon drug calling it instantly addictive that a crack baby is born to mothers using it in utero that it is a destructive sprint across america. By taking that National Focus away from marijuana now is been use more than anything else and it sets the stage for the resurrection so that crack crisis in the United States at the same time as the hiv aids epidemic made National Headlines as well. So they are succumbing to a strange new disease the symptoms of all these other diseases and nobody is sure someone activist named for the brownies that she would cook with a special ingredient she finds that marijuana can help them that few other drugs can. You can give them an appetite or strength and they start to feel better. Other start to pick up on this and marijuana started to be used for a wide variety of illnesses glaucoma, nausea from chemotherapy, now after a decade of demonization now it is no longer the national scourge it is medicine. And can provide relief that very few can understand. So brownie mary who was an activist who actually passed away on january 27foot forward proposition 215 and eight to 96 allowing doctors in california not prescribed recommended the use of marijuana for treatment of any disease and by 1987 New York Times reported nearly one third they knew somebody who use marijuana for the treatment of some medical issue so it has transformed to the panacea. No people were less concerned about the addictive use and more of the drug itself so to see a cancer patient getting busted for pot so this was a powerful argument because with widespread support throughout d. C. To allow doctors to recommend it and 89 National Approval rating the only thing is medical marijuana or bb puppies. So instead marijuana arrests actually rise pot accounted for 30 and in 2007 the year in the United States all those that were arrested for pot for possession not necessarily intention to distribute that is nearly every 37 seconds the majority of people arrested were africanamerican males were four times as more likely to be arrested as whites even though they use an equally rough numbers. So a lawyer working for the aclu in california in the early 2000s she noticed a trend she wrote a book called the new jim crow which is incredibly powerful and influential book in detail the negative effects of america incarcerating a wider percentage of black africans band africa had with apartheid. So she demands action for social justice to stop the mass jailing of nonviolent black male offenders that is a renewed form of segregation. This is an incredibly important argument so as the adjusted legalization is the answer to the problems to mention the words legalization wants and say it ought to be legalized but that occurs along with a long other list of recommendations so her book is not a call for legalization but showing about the problematic system. Instead looking at a social justice issue with the new generation of activists with a 20 year history of the medicine and essentially see that as a concrete step to do something to equalize the playing field. In fact social justice is the most powerful argument for legalization yet everyone from republican right leaning to the Lieutenant Governor of california has adjusted not just because of the tax dollars but the social justice effects legalization can have. In 2014 when we voted to legalize that was the core message white was being passed. This argument has been so persuasive in eight states and washington d. C. Kind of like vermont but now 70 Million People live where marijuana is legal so now we have to ask how is it going . Has it worked . The answer is yes and no. Marijuana arrests are down. Definitely that blacks are still more likely to be arrested even in legalized states especially here in colorado. A few states have included additional legislation to expunge a prior record. All of this is in addition it is the wealthy white people controlling larger sections of the industry so white people will continue to profit off of the substance that have been incarcerating blacks. So there are some problems so states are doing Different Things to work on that in california is the most forward thinking on that but not everybody does that and it is still piecemeal legislation. Of course you have to note that they are pinning their hopes on america they will have disappointment. Pot is not what makes America Racist and legalization will not perfectly disrupt the custom of racism. So where do we go from here . Legalization is popular and that you could legalize in vermont so a new counter revolution is forming as well that birthed the counterrevolution and essentially will never stop moving so Jeff Sessions joining the threat against pot that no good people use marijuana is a symbolic shift and perhaps more problematic big pharma is launching a multimillion dollar lobbying and pain against legalization they actually spent 500,000 against legalization in arizona in 2016. In those pharmaceutical manufacturers they spent a lot of money to oppose legalization worried that marijuana will lower the number of opioids prescribed. They are not wrong. Opioid overdoses have fallen in legalized states and those that have medical programs prescribing 1800 fewer prescriptions annually that is extraordinary. So what will happen next . Unfortunately i am a historic 81 historian and not an oracle. So we cannot say for sure but i do know sessions to revoke that memo as a counterrevolution all following the historical model. So i do know we are doing better than we did before. This november colorado will celebrate six years of legalization that is one year more than the. In the 70s the decriminalization laws were passed that is huge. Also we learn from her past mistakes that is pretty extraordinary. Marijuana use is down sales to adolescence are essentially at zero. And this guy has not followed it was beautiful yesterday so the problems of decriminalization from four years ago from the industry skyrocketing with adolescent use with the backlash they dont seem to be appearing today. Not yet. Bravo colorado you are doing things right. Good for you but there are still problems with legalization. They were passed through ballot initiatives. Those are only available in half of the States New York or new jersey pennsylvania that is not an option for you. Passing new laws through the state legislature is lower and far more conservative process. Keep in mind 50 of state governors are republicans and less supportive of marijuana laws in maine is a great example legalizing in 2014 but the governor is opposed to the loss of essentially vetoing it. Also with a one year long difficult process so looking at federal level it is schedule one. So it does remain tricky because of its history. Cannabis is the only drug that has the ability to go back and forth between legality and legality and repeatedly. Both starting and ending with constitutional amendments. These are state laws the pendulum approval that will never stop swinging because the activists keep rising up so only 60 of americans support legalization so 40 that oppose oppose it or dont really care. Also only 10 smoke pot with any regularity so although tied to the same issues it doesnt have that same personal cachet and doesnt quite reach everyone. After all we all are still talking about an intoxicating drug. So arguments about the drug itself is more than just the drug. Cannabis can often times mean many things at once so for some it could represent freedom or freedom from mass incarceration but at the same time it could also mean fear that the person behind you on the highway is high or children could access the drug the National Communities shows that we are willing to act on them so over 50 years those better fit our concepts of right and wrong. So from this many people so constantly antiwar activist in the 60s or in the 70s and 80s or social justice activists today to see that as a threat and a promise there is a way something bigger for legislation. But also we believe those changes are to be expected it is a change for good that only comes by working together to ensure they fit the communitys values and if activists are to succeed they need to respect that position because if it is any type of lasting or bipartisan change will occur it never works it really is the only way to do that so until we learn how to do that i will always think those declarations of the permanent legal status is temporary. I think pot is like the weather whenever you think the wall plug the law is settled just wait five minutes it will change. Thank you so much i am excited for your questions. [applause] a lot of people are asking is marijuana a gateway drug . I see a lot of people come off that greyhound and bad things going on every night. It is a gateway drug. The research on that, thank you very much is inconclusive for the most part some say it is and some say that it isnt the problem with that because it is a schedule one drug it is hard to access although organizations and universities are scared to get into it and research from abroad is not considered relevant to america so there is no distinct answer but for some people it is or isnt. I have heard from both sides parents who have watch their kids who smoke pot every day and they have lost them are those who have witnessed harder things and now using marijuana instead is it a gateway drug . For some people, yes but so is alcohol or heroin or meth so it is difficult to pin the gateway drug specifically on only marijuana with those of toxicants so their arguments from both sides. You mentioned the rise of the Parent Movement from nancy reagan and the reagan presidency but that was one of the saddest things. So the Reagan Administration was the downfall which was kind of remarkable because they come together and it is influential nancy reagan embraces that but then starts to realize that larger emphasis that it should be so small you can drown it in the bathtub so they work very hard on working on adolescent drug abuse going to schools and form Community Groups so the drug budget is slashed remarkably even though these parent groups like parents for drug for use actually become very dependent on federal grants to do their work so activism isnt free but to print material and to travel so while they are celebrating the Parent Movement as communitybased activism they are spending a lot of money to the federal government so the budget gets slashed and slashed than they are strangled becoming very upset promoting this as a free program benefiting the country while there is oodles of money with tennis competitions on the south on at the white house, people are donating checks anywhere between 10,500,000 all the money is coming in and no longer from activists and nobody knows where it is going on ultimately becomes more than a marketing term for organizations and businesses give that halo of a good deed so just say no logo on your program. So it is the giveandtake relationship between the white house with these efforts and becoming wellfunded because of it and then the ratings go through the roof because essentially they are starving the parent groups for friends who gave them the start to begin with so really they lose some space in the Reagan Administration out reagan is back in california the administration is over and she has the Nancy Reagan Drug Abuse Fund so people wonder where that money goes to but that decriminalization activists said carter but ultimately that did not happen so the Parent Movement does the same thing it gets too close and ultimately it doesnt work out. So the last chapter of my book i have six recommendations for activists right now continuing to pursue the platform with access to marijuana and the one recommendation is dont get too close to the white house they last between four and eight years and that can change peoples money drugs can be for specific federal officials it is hard to figure out who was ever in the white house and i would not recommend it because things will change to fast. When those that shield their success like the Reagan Administration and cause them to self implode as well. Did the dare program of the 80s was that the outcome riding the wave of the just say no because i read recently that was not very successful. It wasnt. There was a lot of problems everybody is familiar with dare cops would come into the classrooms in elementary and middle schools talking about the dangers of drug use. For the most part it may have inspired drug use because now kids knew what to look for. [laughter] that was founded 1983 by a Los Angeles Police official. He formed with the support overt of the white house but not associated not a Parent Movement program either. There are still some programs that have dare for some reason delaware does but its not as widely available as it used to be but i am not young anymore. Any other dare graduates . In the front row. Any other questions . You mentioned activist should not get too close to the presidency so the trumpet ministration is the opposite talking about the president to the point roger stone who tried to join our community recently was rejected by Industry Leaders and activists. Is that a mistake or is that a sound strategy right now . The president himself, you are right. He has come down two different ways to suggest he would be interested in state laws overtly said medical rights but that isnt ultimately who is in charge of the doj i do think they will close the office of National Drug control policy its not super wellfunded but it is an organization that does offer suggestions and control for the white house drug control strategy made ideally by people who are supposed to be objective analyst. So they are suggesting even though we have this epidemic going on right now people dying of opioid overdoses they are focusing more on this symbolic attack but doing very little to counteract the crisis i dont see trump coming out in support at this point. He didnt do it after sessions removed that quote and everything that has the touch of obama on it im not sure but i dont think that is a huge priority for this administration so i cant imagine that he will say sessions, back off. [laughter] so talking the big driver of the Parent Movement the parents who were concerned of paraphernalia being sold do you have any data that showed her estimated that paraphernalia that if they got their hands on . In the 70s was that the activists were arguing or they were acting on it before it hit . Because marijuana use was high in the 70s but were they actually selling . The interesting thing about the 70s and this is the difference between decriminalization and legalization that doesnt have those levels of regulation or oversight. Now you have to show identification at the dispensaries but the way the systems are set up and now they just ask for Identification Cards but what is interesting about the paraphernalia industry in the 70s it was only prevalent in certain areas of the country so maybe like the 711 it didnt necessarily have its own set of stores but not like it crept into the already established places like the cafes or things like that so one of the reasons this was a prominent, the reason at all she was involved in 1877 she went to the record store to get a record for her son and was overwhelmed by the pipes that were there one of the Television Shows in the 80s the facts of life, trudy who was innocent sees a long long and said how do you use it . How do you make a bomb . So it was not as separate and exclusive of the larger market and that was problematic. Not like a liquor store it was just there in prevalent so actual specifics how many kids were buying these but they were not widely available like major newspapers would give an 11 year old and 13yearold to buy Drug Paraphernalia and they could spend all the money so they were feeling because they were selling to children so so to have that scare tactic it did seem relatively easy to access it did not seem to be restricted in any way. Any other questions . Thank you again for coming out it was great to talk to you. This was a total honor. This was great. Thank you. [applause] [inaudible conversations] you can differ with people like democrats we are a little left of center moving right rapidly, maybe moving left, but politics was supposed to be about a way to overcome those differences through extended discussion in the real legislative process through principled compromise. It wasnt supposed to be about one Party Winning on their own. But the times in history when one party can do this on their own or very few 33 and 34 fdr during the depression and lbj but even he reached out to republicans but when mitch mcconnell, we will come back to him a couple of times but when he started to do healthcare trying to get 50 of his 52 votes up to his caucus my reaction was that could not work and it isnt supposed to work that way. Youre supposed to to be looking for people on the other side but of course he would say that would be impossible because they are against trump et cetera. But the notion that one party has to rule by themselves brings us to some bad places [inaudible conversations]