Friday, January 16, 2009
Governor O'Malley and the Death Penalty - redux
Front Page, Washington Post:
O'Malley Begins Quest To Repeal Death Penalty
The Governor has been on this kick for awhile but now “O'Malley said in an interview that he plans to invest heavy political capital to persuade the General Assembly to pass a repeal bill during its current 90-day legislation session...”
He still has political capital?
I’ve previously noted that I am ambivalent about the death penalty but this move by the Governor strikes me as pure grandstanding. There are five people on Maryland’s Death row today. If the Governor so wished, he could easily commute all of their sentences with a few strokes of his pen. But he doesn’t do so for if he did, he knows he would have to then answer to those who remember why they were so sentenced in the first place.
I believe the Governor is sincere in anti-Death Penalty stance. I just don't think he has the political courage to go it alone.
O'Malley Begins Quest To Repeal Death Penalty
The Governor has been on this kick for awhile but now “O'Malley said in an interview that he plans to invest heavy political capital to persuade the General Assembly to pass a repeal bill during its current 90-day legislation session...”
He still has political capital?
I’ve previously noted that I am ambivalent about the death penalty but this move by the Governor strikes me as pure grandstanding. There are five people on Maryland’s Death row today. If the Governor so wished, he could easily commute all of their sentences with a few strokes of his pen. But he doesn’t do so for if he did, he knows he would have to then answer to those who remember why they were so sentenced in the first place.
I believe the Governor is sincere in anti-Death Penalty stance. I just don't think he has the political courage to go it alone.
