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News & ArtsMonday, November 30, 2009
Crime Fox News Lets Huckabee Off the Hook for Releasing Clemmons
Posted by Dominic Holden on Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 6:24 PM
Mike Huckabee on Fox News a few minutes ago said that commuting Maurice Clemmons's sentence, resulting in his release from prison, is "not something I'm happy about at this particular moment,"
But Bill O'Reilly responds, "It's not your fault, governor... I'm not saying it's your fault. I don't think anybody watching thinks it's your fault."
No doubt, this is exactly what O'Reilly would tell a Democratic Governor who commuted the sentence of man suspected of killing four police officers.
2
O'Reilly knows that the bail was $150k, right? Not $15k? $15k was just what Clemmons had to put up to the bond company.
Unfortunately, that doesn't give Billy a righteously indignant intro with which to back Huckabee's "failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington" defense...
Unfortunately, that doesn't give Billy a righteously indignant intro with which to back Huckabee's "failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington" defense...
3
Not that this wasn't a colossal failure of the criminal justice system, mind you. It's an awfully conveniently misinformed intro to the interview, though. Just sayin'.
4
Mercy, we are taught, is something that Christ came to earth and taught and frankly is one of the few "Christian" virtues that I can appreciate and value. Mercy is the reason we allow our executives to pardon the convicted though it is assumed there are reasons to allow such a pardon.
In the early days when the US was a semi-democratic republic our leaders issued pardons and writs of clemency like candy on Halloween. Some were offered up to political cronies, and some went to people who went out and committed more crime but most went to the thankful who truly made a new life for themselves.
Sadly, as we have become the empire we are today mercy has become undesirable. We allow ourselves to think that no matter the ability of people to change mercy and forgiveness must never be granted. I help out at a homeless shelter and one gentleman has a past criminal record for some property crime from 10 years back. Guess what? He can't find a job or a place to live: can't pass a background check and our "christian" nation doesn't value forgiveness. So we have said as a society to him to drop dead.
The point is we need to encourage our executives to offer mercy more, and not less (yeah, clemency is offered far less today than at any point in our nations history). And yes, Huckabee screwed up on this case and you know what? So have other governors. I am sure we will learn that Huckabee should have done better screening (obviously) and sought out better consul before releasing him.
And yes, I know the Republicans would shit themselves silly had Huckabee been a Democrat but we're not going to act like Republicans right? We can step back and look at the bigger picture right?
In the early days when the US was a semi-democratic republic our leaders issued pardons and writs of clemency like candy on Halloween. Some were offered up to political cronies, and some went to people who went out and committed more crime but most went to the thankful who truly made a new life for themselves.
Sadly, as we have become the empire we are today mercy has become undesirable. We allow ourselves to think that no matter the ability of people to change mercy and forgiveness must never be granted. I help out at a homeless shelter and one gentleman has a past criminal record for some property crime from 10 years back. Guess what? He can't find a job or a place to live: can't pass a background check and our "christian" nation doesn't value forgiveness. So we have said as a society to him to drop dead.
The point is we need to encourage our executives to offer mercy more, and not less (yeah, clemency is offered far less today than at any point in our nations history). And yes, Huckabee screwed up on this case and you know what? So have other governors. I am sure we will learn that Huckabee should have done better screening (obviously) and sought out better consul before releasing him.
And yes, I know the Republicans would shit themselves silly had Huckabee been a Democrat but we're not going to act like Republicans right? We can step back and look at the bigger picture right?
5
Didn't Roger Ailes (head of Fox News Channel) come up with the revolving door Willie Horton ad used against Dukakis? THERE's your answer when it comes to whether they would treat a Democratic governor the same way....
6
It's not Huckabee's fault. O'Reilly is right, for once. Not that it'll stop Palin and Romney et al running a vitriolic advertising campaign against him in the primaries.
7
@ 4 - "I know the Republicans would shit themselves silly had Huckabee been a Democrat but we're not going to act like Republicans right? We can step back and look at the bigger picture right?"
Sorry Cato, I truly don't mean to slam you too hard here because you actually wrote a great post (even though I disagree), but that kind of thinking is why the Democrats have lost 7 of the last 11 presidential elections.
Sorry Cato, I truly don't mean to slam you too hard here because you actually wrote a great post (even though I disagree), but that kind of thinking is why the Democrats have lost 7 of the last 11 presidential elections.
8
@ 6 - To say that it's not his fault isn't to say that he doesn't bear at least some responsibility here.
9
@7, they lost for not making the argument for liberalism. No one has sat in the Oval Office who made the argument for liberalism since LBJ and before that FDR.
These aren't your granddaddies democrats we got these days. Two generations ago they had these things called balls.
These aren't your granddaddies democrats we got these days. Two generations ago they had these things called balls.
10
Bill should not have let Huckabee off the hook so easy. Had Huckabee not been a Fox news employee, Bill would have been all over him about failing to protect children.
11
Unfortunately, something like this will happen again, something that can be Kevin Bacon'd back to a prominent Dem. Then we will be able to see how Bill'O and his homies treat it. In fact, I'm sure the Daily Show has already found plenty of clips that make O'Reilly a hypocrite. But that won't change anyone's mind who doesn't already know that.
12
The Dems lost for not espousing liberalism? That doesn't seem well supported.
I don't think it's why Kerry lost. I don't think it's why Dukakis or Gore lost. Unfortunately, personal appeal is a strong factor in deciding elections, and these guys lacked that in spades.
And yes, none of these espoused liberalism. They didn't turn lead into gold, either, but I'd have trouble supporting that as the primary reason.
I don't think it's why Kerry lost. I don't think it's why Dukakis or Gore lost. Unfortunately, personal appeal is a strong factor in deciding elections, and these guys lacked that in spades.
And yes, none of these espoused liberalism. They didn't turn lead into gold, either, but I'd have trouble supporting that as the primary reason.
13
I'm sorry, but I don't understand how you could blame this on Huckabee. All he did was commute the sentence of a man given essentially life in prison for robbery at 16, am I right? Does anybody here really believe that life in prison is an appropriate sentence for robbery? The only way I think you could blame this on Huckabee is if he had a time machine and knew this would happen in advance.
14
Well said, Cato @ 4. Our country does not value mercy and forgiveness, IMO.
That said, I don't think we can lay this entirely at Huckabee's feet. He does share some of the blame, but others share it as well.
That said, I don't think we can lay this entirely at Huckabee's feet. He does share some of the blame, but others share it as well.
15
I sort of don't even care.
Repubs and Fox "news" annoy me constantly, but in this case, I just really feel sad for the cops' families and the Washington PD as a whole. I'm sure Hucklebee and those two judges feel like shit for being the main guys in charge of releasing this psychopath, and I like schadenfreude at some times, but Huckabee and Billo can annoy me some other time. I'm going to just ignore them for now.
Repubs and Fox "news" annoy me constantly, but in this case, I just really feel sad for the cops' families and the Washington PD as a whole. I'm sure Hucklebee and those two judges feel like shit for being the main guys in charge of releasing this psychopath, and I like schadenfreude at some times, but Huckabee and Billo can annoy me some other time. I'm going to just ignore them for now.
16
I don't think anyone thinks this is entirely Huckabee's fault, or wants to solely blame him for what has since occurred. What sticks in the craw is knowing that if it was a Dem, he would not been let off the hook so easily. That if it were a Dem, FOX news would be slaughtering the guy. That if it were a Dem, this would be a news story until the end of time, as the case with Dukakis/Kennedy/Clinton, etc, etc.. But Huckabee is a Republican, so he gets a free pass, and none of us will be talking about this in a month or forever thereafter. And if we (or Dem politicians) do bring it up, we'll be whiners, hypocrites, babies, etc., or whatever else the Republicans want to name-call us.
17
I never believed for a minute -- and still don't -- that Huckabee will pay any price for this. Romney and Palin will not use it for fear of backlash or because maybe they did something similar, and if they did it would not stick anyway. Republicans are deemed "tough on crime" (and defense) whether they are or not. Democrats are deemed "soft on crime" (and defense) whether they are or not.
19
No, of course this isn't Pass the Buck Huck's fault, but Willie Horton wasn't Dukakis' fault either, and it still torpedoed his presidential aspirations. The real problem, to me, is Huckabilly refusing to take any responsibility - typical. Pass that buck. Figure a way to blame Democrats.
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