Can you support the death penalty and be a progressive?

[Puglover]

I'd love to know how people line up on this.

[LeftyMom]

1. Absolutely not.

The rest of the civilized world figured this out years ago.

[stepnw1f]

2. Certainly Not for this LIBERAL/Progressive

It's a personal choice really... I guess I would prefer that Liberals/Progressives didn't but to each their own.

[lcordero2]

3. yes

the corporate death penalty and the white collar death penalty

[MrSlayer]

4. Certainly.

One issue doesn't define a person.

[GreenArrow]

5. no.

The death penalty is reactive; a failure of morals, imagination and compassion. Being a closed ended solution, it's regressive on its face; there's nothing progressive about it.

[TroglodyteScholar]

6. I don't see how you can be a HUMAN and support the death penalty...

I say murder is murder, regardless of what someone's done. I'm not black/white on many issues, but I see no gray area in this one. People killing people is wrong regardless of what any government has to say about it.

[Jed Dilligan]

7. Yes, but not for any of the crimes

it currently applies to.

I think execution would be a good deterrent to corporate crimes and crimes of office. I think elected officials and corporate officers should regularly end their careers at the end of a rope.

[SheilaT]

8. For one thing

we're practically the only first world country out there that has the death penalty. Makes you wonder how so many others get along without it, doesn't it? Makes you wonder if there's something about this country that inspires people here to commit heinous crimes that just don't happen elsewhere, hmmm?

[cboy4]

9. I'm still opposed, even though my friend was shot and killed this

summer during a rampage in California.

I think life behind bars is true punishment.

[ecstatic]

10. Yes and no... I don't care if a proven pedophile murderer is executed

I'm against the death penalty. If I had the deciding vote, I would vote against death, but I won't lose sleep if a man who commits such acts is executed. A murderous pedophile can never be rehabilitated--if loose, he will always be a threat to society.

[Crunchy Frog]

11. Other.

I don't support the death penalty, but I don't rule out the possibility that someone could support it and still legitimately call themselves a progressive.

[DireStrike]

12. It would be difficult.

Deterrent? Nope.
Save money? Nope.
Revenge? Whether people want revenge, or feel good about it when they get it, seems completely random.

Life in prison is superior in every situation. I should say, life WITHOUT POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE. Parole needs serious reforms IMO but that's besides the point.

The only way death could be a worse punishment than life in jail would be if the person went straight to hell.


Why bloody our hands for no perceptible gain?

[NC_Nurse]

13. It doesn't work.

So why support it. It costs far more than incarcerating someone for life. Doesn't deter people.
Mistakes have been made. Innocent people die.
Non-violent criminals should not be incarcerated AT ALL. If that were the case, then they would have the room/resources to
incarcerate violent criminals
for as long as need be- even life.
The public doesn't realize what a losing proposition capital punishment is, they don't bother to learn about it.
That's why this senseless stuff continues. That's why A LOT of senseless stuff continues.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

14. You can be a progressive on balance, but it's not a progressive position.

Whether or not it's right, supporting the death penalty certainly isn't progressive.

However, it's nowhere near a litmus test - if all your other positions are progressive ones, then you're still a progressive even if you support the death penalty.

[bigwillq]

15. I hate labels.

You can be whatever you want to be no matter what you believe in.

So you believe in the death penalty. So what? Doesn't make you less progressive than me or anyone else, imo.

[originalpckelly]

16. There is a good way not to even have to worry about the death penalty:

DON'T KILL ANYONE!

How hard is after all not to kill someone?

[fishwax]

20. good thing nobody's ever wrongfully convicted n/t

[Guaranteed]

17. I think you can, but, if you do, you should rethink your DP

position.

[smaug]

18. Yes. For ALL BUSHEVIK SUPPORTERS`

Send all ReTHUGs to Iraq. Let the Sunnis and Shi'ites execute 'em. No medical deferments. Limbaugh, Halperin, O'Reilly, and Hannity first.

[Beaverhausen]

19. Wow. this poll shows just how many trolls are here

You CANNOT support the death penalty and be progressive. Period.

[Mike03]

21. Dichotomous Thinking and Ideological Polarity is what Destroys Unity

It's precisely thinks sort of "You can't be X if you are Y" thinking that is currently obliterating our opponents. You can't be a member of my club unless you believe in what I believe, across the boards---.

Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

Self-defeating.

And Arrogant.

PS: I'm against the death penalty, but it took me ten years to get to that place, and I was a Liberal Democrat all along.

[Habibi]

22. Absolutely not.

Progressive does not = approval of death penalty. You need to re-name yourself if you're for the death penalty. Progressivism doesn't approve. Sorry.

Progressives are for re-education. Progressives are for compassion. The death penalty doesn't fit in with either of those.

[nevergiveup]

23. I am 61

and I have still not heard a good argument for the death penalty.

[michreject]

25. I'm 54 and I have

Tookie Williams.

[Arkana]

24. I have to say yes.

I personally support the death penalty for child molestors--when you hurt children, I don't really think life in prison will cover it.

Otherwise, though, I don't think it has any legs to stand on.

[madmusic]

37. Would you support child molestors killing more children...

since they will get death anyway?

[Arkana]

41. Uh, no.

Where the heck did that come from????

[cobalt1999]

26. Of course.

First off, there are literally 100's of issues to take a position on and I doubt there are but a few people here that are 100% in agreement on all of them.

Can you be a born-again christian and a progressive?
Can you be a vegetarian and a progressive?
Can you be a communist and a progressive?
Can you be a muslim and a progressive?
.
.
.

One issue does not define a person. Most progressives think things out for themselves w/o waiting for some "official party line".

Personally, I believe in the DP for extreme cases when there is no doubt about guilt. I've thought about it myself and I'm not the type of person to change my mind due to peer pressure.

[Solo_in_MD]

27. Polls like this sure make it easy to see who thinks about hard issues

and those who are doctrinaire purists

[boolean]

28. NO. Innocent people have been killed. That is a FACT.

Only backwards uncivilized regimes have the death penalty.

[Vidar]

29. Defining "progressive" by any single issue is wrong & self-defeating.

[Beacho]

30. No, the basic reason being,

Besides opposing it on philosophical grouns(which I do), my prime reason is that until fallible human beings can know ultimate truth about anything, they should not wage the ultimate punishment.

[Hippo_Tron]

31. Other: I don't hold one issue litmus tests for progressiveness

And my opposition to the death penalty has absolutely nothing to do with whether the criminal has committed a crime heinous enough to deserve it or not.

[leftofthedial]

32. the death penalty is grossly underutilized

[Mr_Spock]

34. Bushco?

:D

[leftofthedial]

36. I can't advocate deadly violence against any specific group of "people"

but then maybe I don't have to

[mvd]

33. Yes

Though I'm firmly against the DP. What would make someone not progressive IMO is not supporting equal rights for gay people, or supporting the Minutemen.

[Selatius]

35. What would Jesus say about the death penalty?

If you believe in the doctrine of forgiveness, that would naturally put you at odds with the death penalty.

[BlooInBloo]

38. You can, as soon as you tell me how many innocent deaths....

... are an acceptable error rate.

[last_texas_dem]

39. I tend to agree with the posters

who say that support for the death penalty is not a progressive position but that you can still be a "progressive" even if you support it. Most liberals/progressives have issues that others would not consider their stances on to be substantially "progressives." If the vast majority of stances are progressive, though, I think it's fair to consider yourself a progressive. FWIW, I think it's a truly screwed-up aspect of American culture that we still institute the death penalty. It's one of the worst examples of people supporting something based on their emotions and not their brain. Not that that's always bad, but when the emotion winning out is simple revenge it allows atrocities like the death penalty to still be on the books.

[Richard Steele]

40. In THEORY, or in actual practice?

I can support the IDEA of it; but I am
completely OPPOSED to it being used in a world
where mistakes can be made and dishonest people
can pose as public servants.