John Nichols: An Inconvenient Political Truth: That St. Louis Prosecutor Is a Democrat

[marmar]

from The Nation:



St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch’s handling of the Michael Brown shooting case has inspired a storm of controversy.

After a grand jury refused to bring charges against Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson in the August 9 shooting death of the African-American teenager, an attorney for the Brown family told the Associated Press, “We said from the very beginning that the decision of this grand jury was going to be the direct reflection of the presentation of the evidence by the prosecutor’s office.”

Long criticized for failing to adequately investigate complaints about the police, and for failing to demand accountability in cases of officer-involved shootings, McCulloch’s approach to the grand jury inquiry was the subject of concern from the start. And the prosecutor sparked anger at the finish by delaying the announcement of the grand jury’s decision deep into Monday evening. The prosecutor seized his prime-time platform to delivera rambling and frequently defensive forty-five-minute speech. He went on and on about aspects of the case. Yet he failed to mention that Brown was unarmed when he was killed.

.....(snip).....

What has not been much discussed is the fact that McCulloch is a Democrat—a member of the same party as President Obama, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Congressional Black Caucus chair Marcia Fudge, the Ohioan who on Monday evening referred to the failure to bring charges against Wilson as “a slap in the face to Americans nationwide who continue to hope and believe that justice will prevail.”

Across America, counties elect top law-enforcement officials as state’s attorneys, district attorneys and prosecuting attorneys. Hundreds of them are Democrats. Some, like Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney Ken Thompson and Bronx County District Attorney Robert T. Johnson, have impressed progressives by taking bold stands and developing innovative policies on everything from the drug war to the death penalty to gun violence and domestic abuse. Former San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan, a “wild Irish rogue” who was arrested sixteen times as a civil rights campaigner before his election to the DA post, often clashed with the police on accountability issues during his tenure. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blog/191593/inconvenient-political-truth-st-louis-prosecutor-democrat

[hobbit709]

1. No Democrat I want to associate with.

[Scuba]

2. According to some DU members, that means that what he did was OK.

Our party is infested with right-wingers. McCulloch's just the latest example.

[Fred Sanders]

4. I bet there are even some Democratics that are racist.....really, some are. Just like some support

the NRA, it is sadly true.

And Landreiu, what can you say about her?

Maybe we need litmus tests also, supporting efforts against climate change and protecting the environment, not being a racist, must be among them

[TheKentuckian]

8. The party is largely right wing, distorted by the other major party being radically regressive

You could replace the most right wing governing level party in any country in the developed world with our "liberal" party and they would be more regressive as a nation rather than less while our "pony demanding fringe" would be mostly middle of the road moderates in sane places in the west.

[SomethingFishy]

26. +1 It's been a slow move but we have arrived...

where they want us to be.

[kickysnana]

11. We did used to be Dem UNDERGROUND but we were thrown under the bus in 2008.

It was at the time that the Solidarity smiley disappeared, election fraud was relegated to the dungeon, and progressives were run out of GD.

Sadly, still the best place for news and analysis. But we only get 60% overtly now ie OP posts. (looking for and not finding a glass half full smiley.)

[m-lekktor]

15. "if only those Ferguson people would have voted!1"

because getting out to vote for a Democrat will solve everything.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

28. The party and anywhere the party meets to discuss things, or they are undercover Rovian's

out to disrupt.

[KingCharlemagne]

3. For that matter, Gov. Jay Nixon is a Democrat, as is Senator

Claire McCaskill (who signed off publicly on McCulloch presiding over the case).

It's really disgusting (to put it mildly). Makes me question whether Howard Dean's so-called '50-state strategy' was really worth it. If one loses one soul in order to gain power, was what is gained worth what was lost?

[libodem]

5. That excuses nothing

Has no one ever heard of DINO? Especially in the south after LBJ signed in civil rights, we lost their democrats. They are deeply afraid and deeply prejudiced.

[geek tragedy]

6. White people, including Democrats, tend to be badge sniffers. nt

[gollygee]

17. +1

[Number23]

42. More succinctly, alot of white people "close ranks" regardless of political affiliation

when one of their own is threatened. This is something that every black person in the world has noted and is one of the many reasons that many blacks don't see much difference between white liberals and conservatives when it comes to race issues.

This article is astounding in that there are some people here who seem to be a) surprised at being reminded that McCullough was a Dem as if that is just so terribly jarring for them or b) who feel that this is an instance of "right wing infiltration of the Dem party" instead of white people -- left and right -- doing what they've historically done when it comes to race issues.

[Iggo]

7. Who gives a shit.

This ain't about that.

[rhett o rick]

31. So you recognize the "inconvenience" of learning that some that claim to be Democrats

can have the same world view as conservative Republicans? "Who gives a shit?" I do. I think it's time to chase the conservatives in our party back to the Republican Party where they belong.

"This ain't about that." You wish.

[Cha]

40. Exactly. Nothing "inconvenient" at all about that. BFD. Stupid distraction.

[unblock]

9. it would be inconvenient if people were going around trying to make it about partisan politics

but all i've heard is complaints about racism and injustice and such. i haven't heard people trying to use this specific case to specifically talk about republicans vs. democrats. except this article, of course.

in any event, while i don't know mcculloch's politics, it's not uncommon for prosecutors or otherwise politically ambitious lawyers to choose their party affiliation based on their own career prospects rather than anything to do with any personal ideology.

[Cha]

41. I know.. surprised at John Nichols on this. Bob McCulloch is a slimey pos I don't care what letter

he has after his name.

[Xipe Totec]

10. Police blue trumped Democratic blue. nt

[Bettie]

12. Mr. Nichols seems to miss the point

If you are wrong, it doesn't matter if you are of our party, we'll still say you are wrong.

If you are a racist and of our party, we'll still call you out on it.

Right wingers don't get that because they will close ranks on their people and declare them 100% in the right in almost every situation.

It doesn't matter if he's a Democrat, if he's wrong, he's still wrong.

[marmar]

13. Actually, I think that is his point if you read the article.

[Bettie]

16. Just realized that, I was confusing him with someone else

It has already been a long week and I'm coffee deficient yet this morning...read two articles and mixed them up.

[FiveGoodMen]

23. "If you are wrong, it doesn't matter if you are of our party, we'll still say you are wrong"

Unfortunately, there are groups at this site whose daily thread contributions refute that.

Indeed, DU official policy sometimes takes a dim view of calling out those who declare themselves to be on our side.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

29. Liberals might need a place to meet and discuss things where rightwingers wont be tolerated

[tblue]

14. A (D) by a name does not a liberal make.

There are countless Democrats I have no use for. But I guess it's their right to join the party. You can't kick anybody out.

[IdaBriggs]

18. I'm not Republican; I want corruption investigated REGARDLESS of party.

I don't care WHAT he calls himself - I expect him to DO HIS JOB. His team failed to do so in spectacular fashion, and in this one case they are experiencing significant oversight.

What the heck else has this man been doing when people weren't watching so closely?

[Faryn Balyncd]

19. He should be disbarred.

[99Forever]

20. John Nichols might consider this POS a Democrat, and he might call himself...

... a Democrat, but I sure as fuck don't.

Furthermore, if this is what passes for a Democrat these days, perhaps it's time to change my party affiliation. Where are the NATIONAL Democratic leaders standing up to this clear violation of We the People's basic human rights?

Hillary?

Barack?

Harry?

Nancy?

Any of you got something to say?

[rhett o rick]

21. I have something to say.

You are stepping on some people's reality with no regard to the harm you might cause. They have carefully crafted a denial bubble reality and posters like yourself have the audacity to come along, haphazardly throwing truths here and there, disturbing their bubbles. IMHO they were raised to follow authority and never question it. They've made it easy for themselves to tell the good guys from bad guys. All people that say they are Democrats are good, period. If Chris Christie became a Democrat, they wouldn't bat an eye and follow him across the bridge of conservativeness.

What's worse than DINO's? Those that think the DINO'S are legitimate Democrats.

There are two Democratic Parties, one that's owned by the Ruling Oligarchs (and their lemming followers) and those grassroots Democrats that hold out for leaders with integrity.

[Ykcutnek]

22. He even makes the much-despised Third-Wayers look like bleeding hearts. nt

[Marrah_G]

24. Having a D next to your name does not make one immune to racism and corruption.

[LawDeeDah]

25. I would never defend anyone just because of a D after their name.

This person is disgusting. There are even more D's that are fake assholes and disgusting in their own special way but still overall, when you take the average and moosh them all up, it comes out much better than those other assholes with an R branded on their buttocks.

[dawg]

27. When have I ever held back just because someone had a (D) beside their name?

Never! That's when.

[sadoldgirl]

30. So, please. help me out here

If gov.Nixon or DA McCulloch would get the nomination of the
Democratic Party, we on this site by the rules should vote
for either one of them?

Geez, I am glad that I am just a democrat with a small d.

[mmonk]

38. You got it. Unfortunately, that doesn't cut it

for me. As a gerrymandered voter now, I no longer have to pay the Blue Dogs and Third Wayers no mind anymore.

[True Blue Door]

32. He has no future in this party now, so expect him to switch at some point.

And Republicans, of course, will welcome him with open arms as they do all criminals and sociopaths.

[lostnfound]

35. Hope you are right but the Jack in the Box shooting was foreshadowing of this

He already lied to a grand jury to help cops avoid indictment for killing unarmed black men, in parking lot of a Jack in the Box.

[xchrom]

33. du rec.

[AverageJoe90]

34. I hate to admit this, but it really does show, that not every Democrat is a liberal. nt

[Enrique]

36. here's the interesting part...

this is about the Nov. 4 elections:

In the contest for county executive, a number of leading African-American political figures rejected the Democratic nominee backed by McCulloch and endorsed the Republican, who attracted substantial African-American support and lost by just 1 percent of the vote. The Republican, veteran state legislator Rick Stream, was not a progressive by any means. But he reached out to the African-American community in suburban St. Louis, listened and made commitments. In return, he was backed by a number of African-American Democrats, led by State Senator Maria Chapelle-Nadal, St. Louis County Council Chair Hazel Erby and the Fannie Lou Hamer Democratic Coalition.

In announcing the endorsement, Erby specifically criticized Democrat Steve Stenger’s “unbreakable alignment with Bob McCulloch.”

For his part, Republican Stream declared, “Mr. McCulloch had a chance to step aside and frankly it would have removed all doubt about having a fair and independent investigation.” The Republican went further, endorsing a proposal to name special prosecutors to handle all cases of officer-involved shootings. He also campaigned in the African-American community and promised to promote diversity in his appointments.

That wasn’t enough to reverse voting patterns altogether. But it shook the process up; for instance, the Democratic vote for county executive in Ferguson dropped twenty points, from 2010 to 2014. “There was a significant falling off of Democratic performance at the top of the ticket,” said Mike Jones, an ally of the coalition effort. “And you have to argue that didn’t happen by accident.”

[2banon]

43. Quite interesting..

remind me again when the shooting took place? Thanks for posting this news factoid by the way..

[onecaliberal]

37. He might call himself a democrat

But he damn sure isn't one, any more than people on the right who call themselves Christians actually are. He's precisely the kind of people that need to go.

[Cha]

39. I knew that and I say.. "so the fuck what?".. Fucking irrelevant to prosecutorial misconduct.

It's not inconvenient. BFD.

[Demsrule86]

44. He calls himself a Demcrat

You can call yourself a Democrat...Jay Nixon is a Democrat too supposedly...no my sort...racist both of them.