Obama, drones, and a shift in policy

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by GBBob

Exactly..there are so many innocent people on Death Row he should be saying that.

Death Row is a state issue, not a federal one. I agree with you absolutely about the abuse of the death penalty, but it's not a federal issue, and, unless you believe a President should actually be a dictator, opining on it is not even remotely part of Obama's job. This is the state's job, and any state can choose to outlaw the death penalty.

The constitutionality of the Death Penalty has already been discussed and decided, and then reversed, by the Supreme Court, back in the 1960s and 1970s (which is why Charles Manson wasn't executed- he was sentenced to death, and then, during the brief period the court ruled it unconstitutional, his sentence was commuted, and then when it was reinstated, the Court said no backsies). Even were it to become a federal issue again, it would be up to the Court, not the President. And I doubt the current court has any interest in revoking the legality of the death penalty (again).

Here's a link with info on which states have the death penalty and which do not:
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/stat...-death-penalty

Again, GGBob, I agree with you about the death penalty, but it's a state issue so it's not an applicable comparison in this instance. And there's been a really disturbing trend the past few decades of the Executive Branch taking more and more power (especially during Bush 43's tenure, but it started before that). It's very, very bad, and something both parties should object to, even when a guy from their own party is in the office.