death penalty Republicans
I haven't really done any research to support my opinions, but I've got some after reading about Jeb Bush's decision to suspend executions in Florida. (And no, I don't think he's planning to run for President in 2008, unless his middle name is Stupid.)
My first reaction was queasiness over the description of the execution. Sure, I've 'seen' the highly-allegorical executions in Dead Man Walking and Green Mile [my 'favorite' on-screen killing comes in Silence of the Lambs when the camera encounters the flayed body of the guard Hannibal Lecter has killed to escape his prison cage, hung from the bars, lit from above, and spread like a winged angel of death], but being fiction, they didn't take the breath out of me.
This decision reminds me of a few years back, when Illinois's now-convicted ex-gov George Ryan commuted all death sentences there just before leaving office embroiled in a corruption scandal. One of the (other) causes of his action was some good investigative reporting done by students at Northwestern proving that innocent people had been sentenced to death and later executed. Is Jeb feeling the same need 'to leave a positive legacy' and 'make a difference'? Are his professed Catholic beliefs actually influencing his decision-making? Or is he just jumping on the Florida's issue-of-the-day to pick up style points?
Republicans have, in theory, been tougher on crime than Democrats: Jeb's dad made use of that line to get elected in 1988. So what's a Republican governor doing easing up on executions? Is this some carefully-crafted response to a shift in public opinion?
The obvious rebuttal would be "Well, all the states that have had Democratic governors since Ted Kennedy crawled out of the swamp have naturally also banned capital punishment; the red states are finally getting on the bandwagon". But as a national movement, the anti-death penalty movement has only succeeded in 12 states. [Is there a pro-death penalty lobby? Probably. What are their rallies like? I shudder to think. And Wikipedia informs me that Michigan banned capital punishment in 1847. Who knew?]
Which leads to my final question? Why aren't more Democratic governors against capital punishment?
My first reaction was queasiness over the description of the execution. Sure, I've 'seen' the highly-allegorical executions in Dead Man Walking and Green Mile [my 'favorite' on-screen killing comes in Silence of the Lambs when the camera encounters the flayed body of the guard Hannibal Lecter has killed to escape his prison cage, hung from the bars, lit from above, and spread like a winged angel of death], but being fiction, they didn't take the breath out of me.
This decision reminds me of a few years back, when Illinois's now-convicted ex-gov George Ryan commuted all death sentences there just before leaving office embroiled in a corruption scandal. One of the (other) causes of his action was some good investigative reporting done by students at Northwestern proving that innocent people had been sentenced to death and later executed. Is Jeb feeling the same need 'to leave a positive legacy' and 'make a difference'? Are his professed Catholic beliefs actually influencing his decision-making? Or is he just jumping on the Florida's issue-of-the-day to pick up style points?
Republicans have, in theory, been tougher on crime than Democrats: Jeb's dad made use of that line to get elected in 1988. So what's a Republican governor doing easing up on executions? Is this some carefully-crafted response to a shift in public opinion?
The obvious rebuttal would be "Well, all the states that have had Democratic governors since Ted Kennedy crawled out of the swamp have naturally also banned capital punishment; the red states are finally getting on the bandwagon". But as a national movement, the anti-death penalty movement has only succeeded in 12 states. [Is there a pro-death penalty lobby? Probably. What are their rallies like? I shudder to think. And Wikipedia informs me that Michigan banned capital punishment in 1847. Who knew?]
Which leads to my final question? Why aren't more Democratic governors against capital punishment?
posted by peter at
04:33
1 Comments:
"Why aren't more Democratic governors against capital punishment?"
There are a couple reasons.
1.) They are cowards who don't want to look "weak on crime." We know that's what the Republicans would say. If they took advantage of Kerry bumbling up a joke, they'd take advantage of a Dem not wanting to execute innocent people. In the Reps depfense, the Dems would just be too stupid to adequately defend themselves, so they don't even bother trying to make a stand.
2.) Democrats have no real conviction anymore. Theoretically, they are for the working man. What was the last REAL thing they did for the working man? Can all 51 millionaire senators really have any idea HOW to help the working man? When they are backed by corporations, whose interest do you think will come first the working man or corporations?
3.) Democrats have given into the religious right and have resigned themselves to the incorrect fact that the public only cares about abortion and homosexuality. That being the case, no voters would vote for them if they took a stand on the death penalty. Killing babies and letting gay people get married is wrong, but the state killing innocent people just isn't wrong enough for people to care. The democrats are just in tune to the people.
4.) The Democrats are STUPID and can't defend themselves. This was already mentioned above as was the next reason.
5.) They are spineless pieces of excrement.
6.) They are politicians and have thus given up having the welfare of anyone but themselves in their mind. Capital punishment offer them no political power.
Well, some of these reasons ovelap. I think I may have come off as bitter or disenfranchised or overly critical of the Democrats, but I think the same or worse of the Republicans. Our whole politican system is polluted by corporations, greed, special interest (that is against the interest of the people), and corruption. It is pretty much a hopeless situation unless people who actually care about their fellow man become heads of big corporations, buy out politicians, and have them do the RIGHT thing. Good chance of that happening...don't you think?
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John E., at Tue Dec 19, 01:04:00 PM GMT
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