Governor O'Malley (MD) Begins Quest To Repeal Death Penalty

[madinmaryland]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/15/AR2009011504191.html?hpid=topnews

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) said yesterday that he will for the first time personally sponsor a bill and do "everything in power" to abolish capital punishment in Maryland, signaling his desire to make the issue a chief accomplishment as he enters the second half of his term.

O'Malley said in an interview that he plans to invest heavy political capital to persuade the General Assembly to pass a repeal bill during its current 90-day legislation session, even asking lawmakers to work around a Senate committee that has kept such a bill from passing before if necessary.

During his first two years, the governor has established a track record of muscling through difficult legislation, including a bill setting up a public vote on slot-machine gambling and a package of tax increases and spending cuts. But his promised introduction of a death-penalty repeal bill will face strong opposition, probably leading to a major political battle.

O'Malley said the death penalty is not a deterrent, wastes resources that could be better spent fighting violent crime and leaves the state open to the possibility of executing innocent people. "That risk alone should be enough to repeal it and substitute it with life without parole," he said.

..snip

[Tommy_Carcetti]

1. Hey Marty!!!!!!!!!

Awesome on him. Politically risky as hell, but so awesome.

I'm a big O'Malley fan--wish we had a governor of that conviction here in Florida. (Instead we have Charlie Crist. But it could be worse, we could still have Jeb Bush!)

He is the coolest governor in the United States, I'm convinced of that:



I believe had he been in Blago's situation, Marty would have choosen the Senator based solely upon his drumming skills.

[madinmaryland]

3. You never know, he might just pull it off!

I thought there was more interest in the death penalty on DU, than exhibited by this thread.

:shrug:

[Tommy_Carcetti]

4. You would think.

But centuries old eye-for-an-eye "justice" is a hard habit to break, I'm afraid.

[John Q. Citizen]

2. i hope he is successful.