home

A Desperate Pirro Plays the Crime Card

by TChris

"Tough on crime" posturing has been the fallback position of most politicians, Republican and Democrat alike, for more than two decades. It's nonetheless odd to hear Jeanine Pirro criticizing Democrats in the New York State Assembly for failing to enact sexual predator legislation that would detain convicted sex offenders indefinitely after they've finished serving their sentences. Pirro is running for the United States Senate, not the New York Assembly. Her obvious attempt to paint Sen. Hilary Clinton as just another Democrat who "coddles" criminals is disingenuous, given that Clinton isn't a state legislator and doesn't vote on proposed state legislation.

Pirro claims that "�the difference between Democrats and Republicans" is that Republicans "don't want [sex offenders who have served their sentences] next door molesting children and murdering women." In other words, offenders who have paid their debt to society by serving their sentences should never regain their liberty because they might cause harm in the future. By that reasoning, corporate thieves, illegal polluters, and every other white collar criminal should be detained forever, because there's always a possibility that they'll reoffend, perhaps causing harm to a neighbor. And hey, many of us don't want to live next door to those folks, so why not lock them up forever?

It is not to Clinton's credit that (according to her spokesperson) she supports sexual predator laws, although Clinton's position makes it even more puzzling that Pirro is raising the issue. But Pirro's effort to gain traction in her disastrous campaign by playing the "crime card" is out of step with a public that is increasingly skeptical of the "lock 'em up forever" mentality that has dominated crime debate for more than a quarter century. Pirro's desire to meddle with state law issues rather than focusing on the federal issues she'd have to confront as a senator demonstrates how ill-equipped she is to assume federal office. She should continue her career as a county prosecutor, where her posturing at least makes sense.

< American Forces Accused of Mistreating Taliban Corpses | Another Staged Media Event >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


  • Display: Sort:
    Re: A Desperate Pirro Plays the Crime Card (none / 0) (#1)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:11 PM EST
    oops, looks like Piro's latest smear has backfired.
    Jeanine Pirro, a Republican district attorney looking to unseat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, came under fire Wednesday for portraying Democrats as coddlers of child molesters and murderers.
    link via josh marshall

    Re: A Desperate Pirro Plays the Crime Card (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:11 PM EST
    Well even if Hilary coddles them, Jeanine cuddles with one every night she sleeps in her own bed with her husband.

    Re: A Desperate Pirro Plays the Crime Card (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:13 PM EST
    This IS a sign of desperation in her campaign - EARLY desperation. I can't believe she opted for this assinine shot when she had so many better avenues of offense. Now that she has opened the door on Who Is The Toughest On Crime, her resume of prosecutions should be put under a microscope! And I think some very interesting things may be discovered. Plus, what Randy Paul said!

    Re: A Desperate Pirro Plays the Crime Card (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:41 PM EST
    she honestly has no chance against Hillary, so she's grabbing whatever she can.