There have been been more than 130 executions in the U.S. since President Obama took office

[EffieBlack]

More than 450 executions took place during G.W. Bush's two terms.

Nearly 500 people were executed during Bill Clinton's presidency - in fact, the number of executions peaked to an all-time high (since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty) under President Clinton.

So, why all of a sudden are some people attacking President Obama for not stopping the one that took place last night?

And why is he being criticized for not "speaking out" against last night's execution? Has this demand been made of any previous president? Did either George W. or Bill Clinton ever comment publicly on a state execution? Were they ever attacked by Democrats for not doing so?

Is it because this one got a lot of media attention and therefore those people are just now noticing that people are wrongly executed - but until now they really didn't give a damn?

Or is it because they see in this poor man's tragic death one more opportunity to try to score political points against a President of their own party?

Or is it a little bit of both?



Source: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions-year

[sharp_stick]

1. I think it's because a lot of people really have no idea

that the President has no power to commute or pardon State sentences.

From the DOJ website
http://www.justice.gov/pardon/commutation_instructions.htm

Under the Constitution, the President has the authority to commute sentences for federal criminal convictions, which are those adjudicated in the United States District Courts. In addition, the President's clemency power extends to convictions adjudicated in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. However, the President cannot commute a state criminal sentence. Accordingly, if you are seeking clemency for a state criminal conviction, you should not complete and submit this petition. Instead, you should contact the Governor or other appropriate authorities of the state where you were convicted (such as the state board of pardons and paroles) to determine whether any relief is available to you under state law.

That and some people just can't manage to shake off a general dislike for Obama and would probably blame the guy if their cat shits on their pillow.

[elleng]

2. Little bit of both, along w LOTS of ignorance.

'Death penalty' is virtualy 100% a STATE matter, Feds, including POTUS, have nothing to say about whether a State has it on its books or implements it.

Unfortunately our education system doesn't do its job, doesn't explain our federal system, thus lending to the ignorance.

[OHdem10]

3. The executions have been in the states and carried out by

State Governments. I do not believe there have been
Federal Executions. Obama would only speak to Federal
Cases.

[valerief]

4. these don't count the executions overseas, I'm guessing. nt

[Dragonfli]

19. Those don't count because mostly robots kill them, Bin Laden was just to appear "Macho" /nt

[frazzled]

5. Both Bush and Clinton oversaw executions as governors of TX and AR

I remember the one in which a mentally retarded inmate was executed was a big deal before Clinton's election.

George W. Bush oversaw the only 3 federal executions that have taken place since 1963: Timothy McVeigh, Raul Garza, and Louis Jones, Jr.

By contrast (and please read James Warren on this issue), Barack Obama's efforts in the Illinois Senate to have interrogations videotaped played a large part in the movement toward abolishing the death penalty in Illinois. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/07/get-over-it-this-is-who-obama-is/242600/

[Tesha]

6. Or maybe it's because the Innocence Project and others are finally waking America up to...

...the reality that a lot of wrongfully-convicted folks are
languishing on our death rows.

Tesha

[FrenchieCat]

7. Because for whatever the reason,

this President is blamed for everything, no matter what it is,
and no matter what happened before he took office.

It is a strange phenomenon that I have noticed, which includes oil spill,
extreme weather, the entire world economy, Olympic site selections, and
on and on.

There is a specific reason for this, I'm sure, but I don't know what makes him
so different from prior president in this respect. Do you? :shrug:

[Yavin4]

10. I'm Still Mad At Obama for not Explaining the Ending to the TV Show, L O S T

Come on. Where the official Whitehouse explanation??

:sarcasm:

[Mr Deltoid]

12. He could have used his bully pulpit to affect the outcome of the series

He needs to grow a pair.

:):):)

[Proud Liberal Dem]

14. Obama did it!!!!!

Devious fellow he is!

:sarcasm:

Blame Obama first (and for everything)! :eyes:

[phleshdef]

8. Its just something else to latch onto. Nothing more than that.

I'm against the death penalty. And I believe the wrong thing was done with this particular case, for sure. But it wasn't a federal case and its the kind of thing that most every President has kept his nose out of.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. But MAAAA! Everybody ELSE is doing it!!!! nt

[Mr Deltoid]

11. Obama is right to stay out of it

[Mimosa]

20. AGREE.

Most Presidents have been supported death penalties to some degree or another.

This is not a matter for presidential statements.

[Tarheel_Dem]

13. More ammo for the anti Obama contingency. Topics previously given

wide berth, or dismissed out of hand, are suddenly earth shattering and cause for impeachment under this president. Say it with me, h-y-p-o-c-r-i-s-y. If the president had "intervened" here, wouldn't he likewise have had to "intervene" in Texas as well, lest he be accused of being a big ol' "racist"? :shrug:

[Arkana]

15. And he pulled the switch on ALL of 'em, that sumbitch.

[geek tragedy]

16. Because not all idiots are Republicans. nt

[Pisces]

17. Good question.

[ClarkUSA]

18. Because no matter what his white predecessors have done, Pres. Obama is expected to ask how high...

... when certain folks with a plantation mentality say, "Jump!"

Exhibit A: PUMA Jane "Blackface" Hamsher
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Jane+%22Blackface%22+Hamsher&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

[butterfly77]

21. Its because...

they want to blame him for everything that happens in the world but,they never did with other Presidents.

Those in the Democratic party started in on him since day one and msking their damn threats on every damn issue under the sun which is why the RepubliCONS have gotten away with so much shit..