State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg attempted to remove Cannabis Control Commission Chair Shannon O’Brien, alleging gross misconduct, but a Massachusetts judge found Goldberg had committed a “clear error,” ruling the accusations were unsubstantiated and reinstating O’Brien. The court described Goldberg’s case as having evidence “as thin as playing cards,” effectively undermining the legal basis for O’Brien’s termination.
MassGOP capitalized on this by releasing a statement criticizing her “Cadillac catering”, “cronyism”, and “waste”.
As I’ve noted in the past, it’s hard to take them seriously even when the criticisms have validity to them; in this instance, the phrases “clear error” and “thin as playing cards” appear to come directly from judicial rulings. In that sense, it seems like Goldberg’s legal dispute with O’Brien was flimsy and wasteful.
However, as with a lot of problems in Massachusetts, the GOP excels at identifying cheap wins despite not having better solutions (or even worse problems with it). ICE alone has a budget more appropriate for a military than for an agency that punishes civil violations. If we want to care about wasteful spending today, who do we turn to? Certainly not them.
I believe it’s important to call out bad behavior even for allies and people in your coalition; it builds trust and shows consistency. Perhaps this case was frivolous and wasteful; more damaging than that, in my opinion, is the fact that it provides a crack for MAGA to drive a wedge into.
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