Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Hillary Clinton's running mate is opposed to the death penalty, yet he presided over 11 executions as governor of Virginia. The New York Times reported that "no issue has been as fraught politically or personally as the death
penalty," Kaine's handling of capital
punishment shows that he recognizes — and expediently bends to, his critics
suggest — the reality of the Democratic Party and the state he represents.
Kaine presided over 11 executions as governor, delaying some but granting
clemency only once. He said that as governor, he was sworn to uphold the law.
Kaine, 58, is well liked even by many Republicans. His centrist appeal is one
reason Clinton added him to her ticket.
Some death penalty opponents cast his decisions as political survival and
ambition. “Tim is a politician,” said Jack Payden-Travers, who ran
Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty when Kaine was governor. “Even
though they say they’re not running for the next office, there’s always
something coming up.” In a 2009 interview with the Virginian-Pilot, he
said each clemency decision had been “very painful,” though his experience as a
lawyer had prepared him. “I’ve eaten the last meal, and I’ve held the
guy’s hand, and I’ve been to the Supreme Court, and I’ve been to the protests,
and I know this very, very well,” he said. “And because of that, it was kind of
demystified.”
To read more CLICK HERE
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment