Why They Cheered

Wall Street Journal ^ | September 8, 2011 | JAMES TARANTO

[Cincinatus' Wife]

[snip]

Williams: Governor Perry...Your state has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times.

(APPLAUSE)

Have you struggled to sleep at night with the idea that any one of those might have been innocent?

Perry answered: "No sir," pointed out that death-row convicts are entitled to extensive appeals, and crisply declared: "In the state of Texas, if you come into our state and you kill one of our children, you kill a police officer, you're involved with another crime and you kill one of our citizens, you will face the ultimate justice."

[snip]

[E.D.]Kain implies that there is a contradiction between supporting capital punishment and opposing abortion, as if the establishment of guilt by due process meant nothing....

[snip]

"It's true that all of America's G-7 partners, save Japan, have abolished capital punishment, but the reason isn't, as death-penalty opponents usually assume, that their populations eschew vengeance. In fact, opinion polls show that Europeans and Canadians crave executions almost as much as their American counterparts do. It's just that their politicians don't listen to them. In other words, if these countries' political cultures are morally superior to America's, it's because they're less democratic."

[snip]

There are, of course, reasonable arguments against the death penalty. But opponents are too resentful at their inability to steamroll over public opinion as if this were Europe or Canada to argue their case effectively. One of their most ludicrous tropes is to liken the U.S. to authoritarian regimes that also practice capital punishment. In reality, as Marshall showed, America still has the death penalty because it is less authoritarian than Europe. Thus whenever someone makes that argument, we feel a tinge of patriotic pride. We believe a similar sentiment lay behind last night's applause.

[Retired Greyhound]

It was a fascinating moment, when sanctimonious abortion supporter Brian Williams cringed at the cheers of the crowd.

That was a California audience, and CA conservatives are sick of people sitting on death row for 20 years in our state. So when we see Texas actually carrying out their executions (after exhaustive appeals, in which the inmate has access to the best anti-death penalty lawyers in the country, and can challenge their case up to SCOTUS), we appreciate it.

[agere_contra]

Pretty good stuff from Perry.

[5thGenTexan]

Kain implies that there is a contradiction between supporting capital punishment and opposing abortion, as if the establishment of guilt by due process meant nothing....

The reason some people cannot see that there is no contradiction is they do not have a grasp of the concept that actions have consequences. They are simply trying to create a gotcha question. The criminal on death role earned that fate thru their actions; that unborn child did not.

[nuconvert]

I laughed. Poor Brian was really disturbed.
Hey Brian, the majority of the population isn’t like you & your liberal friends....the majority vote in favor of keeping the death penalty....SURPRISE

[Vigilanteman]

No fan of either Rick Perry's open borders stance or his sorry record on the issue. But he hit a homerun here:

"In the state of Texas, if you come into our state and you kill one of our children, you kill a police officer, you're involved with another crime and you kill one of our citizens, you will face the ultimate justice."

I can only wish that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania valued the lives of our citizens as much.

[SMARTY]

He kept his head, stuck to the facts, answered the question and didn’t get emotional.

Everything Liberals cannot do and HATE!! I think it is the main reason I like Perry

[Carry_Okie]

Hey Brian, the majority of the population isn’t like you & your liberal friends....the majority vote in favor of keeping the death penalty....SURPRISE

It would have been a perfect moment to tell Williams, "Brian, how do you purport to be an objective observer of fact when you don't even realize that this audience reaction indicates that your values are not representative of most people?"

[Yo-Yo]

"Other states are trying to abolish the death penalty, my state is putting in an express lane."

[absolootezer0]

the only way he could have said it better would have been to quote ron white on the issue.

I’m from Texas. In Texas we have the death penalty. And we USE it.

That’s right, if you come to Texas and kill somebody, we will kill you back. That’s our policy.

They’re trying to pass a bill right now through the Texas Legislature that will speed up the process of execution in heinous crimes where there’s more than three credible eye witnesses. If more than three people saw you do what you did, you don’t sit on death row for 15 years, Jack, you go straight to the front of the line.

Other states are trying to abolish the death penalty … my state’s puttin’ in an express lane.

[BelegStrongbow]

He was just channelling Ron White (Some states are eliminating capital punishment, but here in Texas, we’re building an express line. You kill one of us, we’ll kill you right back) but you could pick a worse example on the subject. :)

[slapshot]

Cue up the Ron White

In Texas we have the death penalty and we uuuuuuuuuuussssssseeeeeee it. Y’all kill someone in Texas, we’ll kill you right back.

[slapshot]

Cue up the Ron White

In Texas we have the death penalty and we uuuuuuuuuuussssssseeeeeee it. Y’all kill someone in Texas, we’ll kill you right back.

[BelegStrongbow]

Drat. Wasted time trying to find the clip at youtube. Just drat. :P

[GraceG]

Stop killing Innocent Children and we will stop killing GUITY ADULT CRIMINALS!

[jeffc]

Kain implies that there is a contradiction between supporting capital punishment and opposing abortion...

But not, of course, between opposing capital punishment and supporting abortion.

[jeffc]

FYI, I know that this was implied in the article and not something Kain said. Still, I’m sure he thinks this way.

[cuban leaf]

—The reason some people cannot see that there is no contradiction is they do not have a grasp of the concept that actions have consequences—

It’s actually even worse than that. I noticed something back in the mid-80’s that I now see as a strong axiom:

Show me a person who is against the death penalty and I will show you a person that is probably pro-choice. Show me a person who is for the death penalty and I will show you a person that is probably pro-life.

The two groups act on completely different core principles.

BTW, almost ALL of the people that I have met that are both against the death penalty AND pro-life are Christian women. It may be a maternal thing.

And almost every person I have met that is both pro-choice and pro death penalty is, well, kinda scary in many ways. Seriously.

[hosepipe]

Newt murdered them...
Perry maimed the rest..
Bachmann spit on their mangled bodies..

Romney threw rocks at them.. and cursed them..

The producers of this event are walking with a limp..

Note: Much to be learned by this.. Hire the lamest dumbest liberals you can find to be the moderators.. Make sure Newt is asked many questions.. and Perry given the mic to respond..

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

Kain implies that there is a contradiction between supporting capital punishment and opposing abortion, as if the establishment of guilt by due process meant nothing....

The real contradiction is that liberals oppose putting a convicted murderer to death but have absolutely no problem with killing an unborn child whose only offense was being conceived to parents who don't want it.