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December 3, 2005
On the changed politics of death
This op-ed from Friday's Washington Post calls Virginia Governor Mark Warner's decision to grant clemency to Robin Lovitt "a landmark in the nation's debate over capital punishment" which reflects a "a changed political climate." In recent posts here and here and here and here, I have spotlighted a lot more recent signs of a changed politics and new culture around the death penalty.
I agree that these political and cultural changes helped save Lovitt's life. Now the question is whether they might save Stanley Tookie Williams' life (background here).
December 3, 2005 at 08:34 AM | Permalink
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Unfortunately, Mark Warner comes from a rather corrupt state of pols who do favors for each other. He has executed others before and would again if he were not leaving office.
The Virginia Democratic Party is pretty pro-death penalty. Mark Warner's close ally Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), for instance, recently voted in favor of increasing the list of federal offenses for which the death penalty can be applied. Mark Warner's chief fundraiser in his presidential bid, Mame Reiley, has been Rep. Moran's chief fundraiser for years.
Don't expect too much from Mark Warner. He is aligned with a bunch of Virginia good ole boy pols and they are pro-death penalty.
I am married to a corporate attorney. Does that count?
Posted by: Jonathan Mark | Dec 4, 2005 10:09:27 PM
