Democratic Candidates and the Death Penalty
If you're looking for enlightenment about the death penalty from this year's crop of Democratic presidential contenders, you're unlikely to find it. Only Kucinich, Sharpton and Mosely Braun oppose it. This article in the Boston Globe traces the other six candidates' evolving positions on capital punishment--three, Dean, Lieberman and Edwards, have moved from opposing it to supporting it--at least in limited situations.
The article traces the shift first to 1988 and the disasterous Michael Dukakis bid for President:
In 1988, Dukakis's stock crashed after he was asked whether he would favor the death penalty if his wife was raped and murdered. He replied with detachment: "I don't see any evidence that it's a deterrent, and I think there are better and more effective ways to deal with violent crime. We've done so in my own state." He went on to lose 40 states to George H. W. Bush.
The 1992 emergence of Bill Clinton, who supported the death penalty, was another factor. Here are the shifts among the major candidates:
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