Democrats Scrub Death Penalty Opposition From Campaign Platform - For the first time in more than a decade, the Democratic Party platform includes no mention of abolishing the death penalty.
Democrats Scrub Death Penalty Opposition From Campaign Platform - For the first time in more than a decade, the Democratic Party platform includes no mention of abolishing the death penalty.
Democrats Scrubbed An Issue From Their Party Platform — And It's Going Under The Radar
On Monday, the Democrats approved their 2024 platform, which includes no mention of the death penalty. This year’s platform marks the first time since 2004 the platform has not mentioned the death penalty (the 2008 and 2012 platforms called for making the punishment less arbitrary).
Public support for the death penalty has been gradually declining. A Gallup poll last year found that 65% of Democrats oppose the punishment.
The Democratic National Committee did not respond to an email asking if the party still supports abolishing the death penalty.
It's not huge on my priority list, but why? It's just...bad. Maybe it's popular with too many people in the center.
ETA: How can you have the Central Park 5 represent at the DNC and then do this??
Honestly, there’s bigger fish to fry (pun only moderately intended).
If we didn’t have war in Ukraine, and war AND genocide in Gaza and two African countries at the moment, and then whatever the hell is happening in Venezuela and ascertaining its ramifications, along with stupid inflation on just what we need to live, and multiple generations locked out of homeownership or possibly even retirement due to a corporate greed-created housing crisis and predatory student loans, and a SCOTUS that is bent on removing the rights of just about anyone who isn’t a straight, white “Christian” man…then yeah, death penalty talk should have been on the table.
But, Harris is a politician, and all politicians have to focus on whichever sound bites can bring over those who are - astonishingly - undecided at this point. It’s naive to think that any candidate who has it “all” will get the nomination. That’s how Hilary got the nomination over Bernie, and it’s how we got Biden as well.
It blows my mind that anyone could be undecided now, but clearly there are folks out there who simply do not in any way follow the news or put any effort into understanding the candidates or issues until the very last minute.
It's a mindset I simply don't get.
The President can blanket commute federal death penalty sentences. It's been done in specific cases before:
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/president-obama-commutes-two-death-sentences
Would just need the some White House lawyers to draw up the paperwork, and it's done for at least one administration. Literally the minimum that could be done.
Most death penalty cases are at the state level, of course. Even if they have Democrats in the governor's office, this power will depend on the individual state constitution.