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Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty Defense

By TChris, Section Death Penalty
Posted on Mon Oct 17, 2005 at 09:17:23 AM EST
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by TChris

According to Jerry Kilgore, Republican candidate for governor of Virginia, criminal defense attorneys are unfit to hold a political office, at least if they defend individuals who face the death penalty.

Republican nominee Jerry Kilgore sparked a firestorm with television ads that feature relatives of murder victims criticizing [Tim] Kaine for representing a death row inmate and for once supporting a moratorium on executions in the state. ... But even before the latest ads hit the airwaves, Kilgore had persistently argued that Kaine's legal representation of three death row inmates and his public statements against capital punishment make him unfit to serve as governor.

Assuring that the government doesn't execute an innocent accused hardly seems the kind of radical occupation that should disqualify someone from holding public office. Do Republicans seriously believe that prosecutors the only players in the criminal justice system who are sufficiently "trustworthy" to hold an elective office?

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    • Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty Defense | 16 comments (16 topical)
    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:04 PM EST
    Do Republicans seriously believe that prosecutors the only players in the criminal justice system who are sufficiently "trustworthy" to hold an elective office?
    The answer, for these Republicans, seems a loud and clear (and comical) "Yes".

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#2)
    by cpinva on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:04 PM EST
    bear in mind, this was the same jerry kilgore who swore up and down that no jury in va had ever convicted an innocent person. shortly afterwards, several were released from prison, after dna analysis proved that they were innocent of the crimes that those very same perfect juries had convicted them of. mr. kilgore is proving to be even more disgusting as a candidate for governor, than he was as a candidate for state attorney general. promising to kill people isn't exactly high on my priority list for the governor, but i guess it is for some people. while i do feel sorry for the gentleman in the ad, castigating an attorney, a court appointed one at that, for doing his job, is a new low in political advertizing. sadly, there are a lot of my fellow citizens who are unable to make the distinction between being a professional and doing your job, vs actually liking the client. the two are not mutually inclusive.

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#3)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:04 PM EST
    Shadows of Willie Horton.

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#4)
    by Patrick on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:04 PM EST
    T-Chris, That's not what he said and you know it. The death penalty is a legitimate political platform and he's running on it. Let the voters decide. The guy may be a complete moron, but there's no need to lie about his positions.

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#5)
    by jen on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:04 PM EST
    I hate Virginia elections. Every time I go to the Vienna metro stop I wish I had a "MARYLAND VOTER" tshirt or something to stop all those people from handing me #$@# flyers. And those horrible ads! They are always so hateful, every election its the same. And its not just republican ads either. But that ad with the Policeman's widow went over the top for me. Yes, she definately absolutely positively has the right to feel the way she does. But gee, could we hit anymore bigotry buttons? An illegal immigrant drugdealer killed her husband. He must not be dark skinned or we'd have seen a photo of him. I *really* hate virginia elections

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#6)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:04 PM EST
    Now wait just a minute. The guy who's saying "Damn the consequences, let's kill somebody!" is questioning the qualifications of the guy who's saying, "Not so fast..."? What kind of place is this "Virginia" of which you speak?

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#7)
    by peacrevol on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:04 PM EST
    I cant believe he would say something like that either pat, but in elections, I wouldnt be surprised to hear that anybody said anything. Most politicians are silver-tongued and will say anything to anybody to get the reaction they want.

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:05 PM EST
    Unless their name is Earle or Fitzgerald, prosecutors are THE VERY MEASURE OF MAN. Otherwise, they are dangerous fanatics bent on political destruction and partisan revenge. Virginia is a Commonwealth. That means that whatever is in common belongs to some corporation, or maybe a Reeve. Btw, the number of Republicans in Virginia is a scandal. How's the girl to breathe? (snicker)

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#9)
    by Patrick on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:05 PM EST
    Paul, Funny you should say that. Here I've noticed it's the exact opposite. Coincidence or convenience?

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#10)
    by cpinva on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:05 PM EST
    That's not what he said and you know it.
    that's exactly what he said, and i know it. i've been a va resident for over 40 years, it wasn't until george allen ran for gov. that the quality of campaigns went decidedly downhill, and seems to have stayed there. i blame this solely on the republicans, who went for the "newt gingrich school of political campaigns":if you have no substance, go dirty and personal. oh, and damn the budget, full spending ahead, and don't you dare even think about raising taxes to pay for it! better you should cut programs that affect the poor and the young, they don't vote. before the allen campaign, it was nearly collegial, the old southern manners did play a part. i still want to wipe that smirk off allen's face, with my right foot!

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#11)
    by Patrick on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:05 PM EST
    cpinva, so he said "criminal defense attorneys are unfit to hold a political office, at least if they defend individuals who face the death penalty." I don't think so, but if you can link to a press report with that quote, I'll gladly call him an idiot.

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#12)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:05 PM EST
    Patrick hits the nail on the head once again. Kilgore was simply saying that this man would let murderers go free, not that he was unfit to enforce the law or something. What could be clearer? (Besides Clinton's famous definition of the word "is", of course.) Similarly, Bush never said Saddam posed a threat and/or possessed WMDs, and nobody ever said John McCain had a black baby.

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#13)
    by DonS on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:05 PM EST
    Quick comment as a Virginian, and receiving Kilgore info in the mail. He is doing a Willie Horton, or attempting to. He is promoting comparisons of his opponent (Kaine) as "soft on Hitler". He is running a fear campaign. He is fear mongering against illegal immigrants. The graphics are all police state stuff. I think he's missed the mark by about a half century or more. At least I hope I'm right.

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#14)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:05 PM EST
    Don, Don, Don... you just don't get it. What really matters is that you find an exact quote from Kilgore matching a clearly paraphrased quote Patrick plucked out of a newspaper article. Some might argue that this is nonsensical and impossible, but some might not be Patrick.

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#15)
    by cpinva on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:05 PM EST
    patrick, have you seen or heard the commercials? i'll bet you haven't. unless you're in va, why would you? i have been subjected to them daily, for the past couple of weeks. it is exactly what jerry kilgore said. i can't very well link you to a tv commercial, you're just going to have to find it yourself. unfortunately, tim kaine is running a couple of commercials i wish he wasn't, not quite stooping to as low a level as kilgore, but it is disheartening nonetheless. DonS, you've hit the nail right on the head, it's "willie horton" time in va. of course, all those people suffer from mass hypocrisy: railing against lawyers when they represent someone or thing they don't like, and scrambling for the best one they can afford when it's them in the docket. of course, in the case of poor people, in va and elsewhere, they have to make do with whatever the court appoints to defend them.

    Re: Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty (none / 0) (#16)
    by jen on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:06 PM EST
    cpinva
    have you seen or heard the commercials? i'll bet you haven't. unless you're in va, why would you?
    or dc, or maryland, or west virginia, maybe parts of north carolina and tennesee. Virginia's elections are polluting MANY surrounding airwaves. :p Did I mention I hate VA elections?

    Kilgore Criticizes Opponent For Death Penalty Defense | 16 comments (16 topical)