All Five Democratic Candidates for MA Governor Oppose Death Penalty for Tsarnaev

[morningfog]

During a debate this afternoon, all five Democratic candidates for governor of Massachusetts said that they do not support putting accused Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death. The candidates -- Joseph Avellone, Don Berwick, Martha Coakley, Juliette Kayyem, and Steve Grossman --were all in agreement on the issue of capital punishment for Tsarnaev during a debate in the Globe Lab.

http://live.boston.com/Event/Massachusetts_gubernatorial_debate_at_The_Boston_Globe?Page=0

[Mass]

1. Good to hear.

I knew for Mayhem and Berwick. Happy to see the other ones agree.

[oldandhappy]

2. Five??!!

Is that a good strategy for having a healthy run against the repub candidate in the general? Don't tear each other up, people. We need a healthy candidate and MONEY after the primary. Please. Winning involves lots of strategies.

[alp227]

4. Obama got in after a pool of 8 candidates in '07...

don't panic, and after all this is friggin' Massachusetts, not like a Republican will win again after Mitt Romney and Scott Brown.

[oldandhappy]

11. OK Smile

That was a line up alright!

[Vox Moi]

3. We could learn a lot from Tsarnaev

Yep … as a cautionary tale.
It's my guess that in years to come, Tsarnaev will be filled with remorse and loathing for what he did.
He will certainly have a long time to think it over.
If he does come to hate what he did, he would be a good person to speak about how he come to do what he did, especially to young people.
Killing him destroys the possibility that the story he has to tell might prevent some other kid from going the same way.
There's nothing to lose ...

[morningfog]

7. Totally agreed.

[alp227]

5. realistically there's nothing a governor can do about it since the feds will carry out his execution

After Eric Holder announced his intention, it's unlikely any future presidential administration will want to renege.

[morningfog]

6. The President has the power to pardon or commute.

If Tsarnaev is convicted and sentenced to death, I hope we have a future president evolved enough to correct the mistake.

[alp227]

9. It would look bad to single out D.T. I think only CONGRESS can abolish the fed DP.

I doubt a president has the authority to issue commute all prisoners on federal death row to life without parole. Am I wrong?

[morningfog]

10. The Supreme Court can do it, and will eventually. The President can commute

a death sentence to life. Or anything less than death, really.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. Good. Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.

Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. Friedrich Nietzsche