McConnell remains, unquestionably, the chief obstructionist in the Senate, but it was usually under a democratic presidency. What's going on? Is he saving this 'goody' (Criminal Justice Reform) as a weapon to use in future negotiations when the democratic House takes over? Trump's incompetence is always mixed with personal interests, no matter how devious and against the public interest, which may be causing his lukewarm approach in allowing McConnell a 'free' pass into inaction; this makes him the most unrepresentative in Congress, a swine by any other name, and a clear dereliction of duty.
73
Republicans were just pulling everyone's leg. They never had any intention of making changes in the criminal justice system. They pulled the same stunt on immigration reform during the Obama Administration.
47
Mr. McConnell is, by far, the most anti-American, anti-constitution, anti-freedom representative to ever stain the halls of congress. Yes, that's right, he is even worse than Trump. If you want to know why Democrats and Republicans cannot get along, simply look to Mitch, the "leader" who thinks that the best thing for America is to focus solely on making Obama a one-term President. Well, he failed at that, but he never failed to throw a wrench into any legislation what might help America, Americans, the environment or the economy. He did however, debase our Founding Fathers by never giving Merrick Garland a shot at being on the Supreme Court, and he did take care of his rich friends by ramming though a big tax cut that has added to our deficit. I can't wait until he's gone and America gets a chance to recover from the cancer that is named Mitch McConnell.
108
Wait, I thought Kushner was on it!? You mean he isn't going to solve all our political problems?
Maybe its because he's also busy with his involvement in white-collar criminal justice reform with Mueller.
25
After Mueller nails the Trump family to the wall for their fealty to Russia, he needs to turn his microscope on McConnell and Ryan for their roles in this conspiracy.
59
What's wrong with advocating sentencing drug dealers to death? My cousin was a victim of one and this insidious, illegal trade that is destroying our youth.
5
I'm going to laugh heartily if McConnell cans this legislation, and then, through his collusion/association with Trump and his cronies, gets a 20-year "trial stay" in one of those fine, privately-run institutions. I wonder if prison reform will resonate a bit better from the other side of the bars?
23
I remain confused as to who is a greater threat to our country: Trump or Mitch McConnell?
29
Democrats - Reid's obstructionism knew no bounds, right down to his bogus pretensions about gun reform after Sandy Hook. It was he who decided senior executives of bailed out banks be allowed their bonuses and golden parachutes. He made sure nothing came to the floor that didn't have the full complement of changes already written in so that they could not be discussed on the floor, or changed before going to the House. He and Pelosi were outrageous! Yet, you talk about McConnell. I'm not a fan, but I cannot ignore the hypocrisy of the NYTimes and it's readers.
As far as criminal justice reform is concerned, the states are enacting their own experiments. ATL doesn't jail gang members and bad guys guilty of home robberies, smash and grabs, or much of anything short of murder these days. We give them seminars on why they should 'change their ways' at the detriment of the city residents. Our crime is out of control. Anyone with knowledge of the city knows they are taking a risk to even go to areas that are 'upscale' and presumably safe as those are the targets for the gangs. Yes, we need reform. Let those in jail convicted of smoking pot out, now. But please bring back broken windows and please do not let violent criminals out on the streets because they are poor and cannot afford bail. Please, bring back a sense of responsibility for one's actions so that society is not a vulnerable target because some reformer in an Ivory tower feels better.
3
I believe Trump is saving his deal-making mojo for the deal he needs to cut to resign and keep his family out of prison. He will try cut a deal to pardon his family members and keep his business if he resigns. I believe the "keep the business" may be a deal breaker with the IRS. Who cares if he pardons his family, but I certainly hope the State of New York doesn't sign on. He can still be prosecuted there, no matter the agreement he cuts at the federal level.
If you think this is just bunk, watch the filings tomorrow by the special prosecutor's office in both the Cohen and Manafort cases. Hopefully, that will leave enough un-redacted to allow people to start seeing what is coming.
14
When trump is behind bars, he will wish he he given this more attention.
15
One suspects that Trump doesn't want to rile McConnell because he will need him to stand firm and make the senate do likewise once the Mueller probe reaches its denouement. McConnell clearly hasn't reached his obstructionist quota since Obama left office and its hard to fault a guy for having a personality quirk that must be stroked in order for him to feel whole. Just look at the current president.
10
McConnell, a despicable human being and a sad excuse for a Senator. His obstructionism will be what defines his terms as the Senate Majority Leader. He gets a pat on the back by other low life that inhabit the White House, the Cabinet and the GOP. When Americans finally wake up to the damage to democracy that McConnell, Trump, Pence, Scott Walker and other GOP losers have inflicted on this country, they will broom the charlatans and restore this country to the democracy envisioned by the signers of the Constitution.
29
The solution is simple. COMPROMISE!!!
Include funding of 10 billion dollars, earmarked solely for construction of the wall on the southern border.
Truly a win-win!
3
@vonmisian You mean the wall that Mexico is going to pay for? Liar in Chief is what we have.
12
trump was never serious about it.
It was just a post-midterms diversion.
11
Trump is one of those bullies that when confronted, folds like a deck of cards. In fact it is likely Stone or someone like him is the brains behind the thrown. McConnell should go back under the rock he came from.
10
Wow. The Republican-controlled legislature and executive could double the number of significant pieces of legislation they have passed by enacting this bill. And yet, they cannot. A do nothing and done nothing Congress and White House if there ever was. Well, except for the crazy stuff from the president.
17
Maybe we should ask the Wisconsin Legislature to pass this bill!
hahaha!
5
Not feeling much sympathy for criminals.
4
McConnell reminds me of J. Edgar Hoover in so many ways. He probably has a room full of compromising files he uses to keep Congress in line. Like Hoover, he'll die in office.
10
McConnell is a cancer on America. He dislikes playing by rules that he himself has put in place. He cares not a whit about the majority of American voters. He is a charlatan, and the most un-American member of Congress, though there are many other contenders. He is the ultimate, failed result of our "money talks" system of non-government.
33
He can't be bothered. The fate of the people is not his priority. He is not alone in this. There are many to busy in more lucrative pursuits to find the time to bring any ounce of relief to those beset by a system, a "justice" system that eats them like a big fat burger. Chubby fingers, grease dripping down it's face, just like Trump. Fascist, fat and ugly.
7
I'm getting real sick of Mitch McConnell.
18
Is the party "RepubliCONs" or "RepubliCANT'S", or both.
It would appear to be both unless there is something to be gained from the corporate sponsors of the party in the form of tax cuts that we the people pay for.
Many berated Harry Reid when he was the leader for obstructionism. McConnell has taken the obstruction of the work we demand and expect to a whole new level of do-nothingness.
But, we the people foolishly tolerate incompetence by sustaining their terms in office, and electing an orange fool as president.
6
Jared is championing this bill because he knows he and his wife will benefit from it while incarcerated. Trump, as always too stupid to grasp anything that doesn’t provide immediate gratification can’t see that he’s going to prison soon and will be suffering under the very conditions he doesn’t care about now.
9
Maybe "Bourbon Mitch" and Traitor Trump can get the Central Park Jogger case of 1989 reopened.
10
McConnell is leading the charge of political nihilism. Add Trump’s pathetic inability to recite the Apostle’s Creed at Bush’s funeral which is religious nihilism and you’ve got the hellscape all of us are sliding down. Where are the outraged evangelicals?
McConnell is pathetic. He isn’t going to change.
And on we go.
10
Trump thought 'prison reform' meant that the cells for his pals would be redecorated with gold plating, and Melania's new company would get the contract. Or maybe that Ivanka could design a new line of shoes for poor black inmates convicted of carrying pot.
Now that he read the first paragraph (before dozing off), he finds that it means blah-blah-blah for 'not the trump family or Mrs. Adelson', so he wrapped his leftover cheeseburger in the memo; onward to new Art for Deals! BeBest!
8
While it is thought Trump is the greatest hurdle to rational democracy and future consequences to it, the reality is that since his rise to power McConnell has impeded the previously accepted norms of the legislative branch in their duties.
The most obvious example was his naked political "tell" when voicing that his most his most important job as Majority Leader was to ensure Obama would be a one term president. [And let's not forget the Supreme Court debacle]. McConnell has used the arcane rules of the chamber to prevent any meaningful bipartisan legislature, guiding his "rich-only" policies to fruition.
McConnell has to be the most useless politician for the American people, but sadly the most useful idiot for the plutocracy.
12
Mitch McConnell's obstructionism including blatantly ignoring the Constitution to deprive Obama of a Supreme Court nomination is disgusting and anti-democratic. Most days I can't decide who disgusts me more, Trump or McConnell. Trump is an in your face disaster who doesn't care about openly destroying democratic norms and institutions. McConnell destroys democratic norms and institutions beyond a veneer of acting like a public servant, which he is not. Kentuckians--please get rid of this grumpy old man in 2020. Drain the swamp.
13
The definition of an impenetrable wall would be Trump/McConnell. These two men also define rotten.
10
If Kentucky is still interested in seceding from the Union, I say Go for it, provided you take Mitch with you.
21
Mr. Calm and Cuddly is the proverbial sheep in wolfs clothing. The man is absolutely ruthless. He is also the personification of evil.
14
First, how come all the resistance to this bill?What about it is so bad that repubs don't want it? next, Trump may very well be interested in prison reform when the Mueller report is released.
5
What did Einstein say, and I'm paraphrasing, crazy is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. McConnell will never change.
7
Convicts are not in there for what they’re in there for.
The convict officially imprisoned for a nonviolent crime has, in fact, most often plead down from a violent reality - and a violent past. The “reformers” know this, but they’re not telling you.
So the essential outrage underlying this movement is simply untrue. Ordinary men with a marijuana cigarette do not go to jail. The guys in jail have hurt people and have stolen hard-earned property. Real criminals are a real problem and if you do not like mass incarceration you had best come up with a real alternative.
@Charlierf Is that a fact or your belief? All the many studies I have read show that the vast majority of prisoners are for non violent crimes and drug use. Drug dealers?Yes they should be jailed, but drug addicts need medical treatment
8
I'm sorry, when has Trump ever lobbied effectively for anything? For that matter, when has he ever paid attention to anything that didn't pertain strictly to his own self interest? We need to stop pretending this man is a functioning president, or that anything he says can be believed or trusted.
24
The idea that Trump is a master deal maker or anything of the sort is entirely a Trump myth he created.
12
@Pat
as we know and we have seen, he is the master of doing nothing but opening his mouth
Nov 6th showed that
it back fired spectacularly
nov 3 2020 will amply demonstrate that he is the master of.....absolutely nothing..again
and "his" party will begin the speedy process of disintegration
3
The country is waiting for some bipartisan legislation-it would encourage us that our democracy still works.That Mr.McConnell would not bring up a bill to reform the Criminal Justice is beyond comprehension!It is a rebuke to the American people, not just to legislators in either party.The Democrats took over the House in 2018 and they will surely take the Senate in 2020 if obstructionist McConnell keeps reform from happening.He may not even be re-elected from Kentucky- he is a fossil, holding back all progress!
6
Trump may pride himself on deal-making, but he's shown no sign of any such ability since becoming president. And now, he shows strong signs of dementia. I don't think we can expect anything from him at all. Imagine a wheelchair and a nursing home--doesn't he fit right in? (No insult intended to wheelchairs or nursing homes; I've had family in both, some with dementia, and some without.)
4
Some of those that work forces,
Are the same that burn crosses!
trump looks, yawns if it not about him.
mcconnell looks, if no power is gained, he yawns.
5
Someone actually thought this bill was going anywhere?
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Under THIS congress?
In the Lame Duck session, not likely. In the next one McConnell will concentrate on obstructing anything and everything that Democrats do in the House. He will also extract massive concessions for anything they do get done.
The Democrats would be well advised to gridlock anything and everything McConnell wants. As Nancy said: Just say No.
7
Trump does not know how to make a deal in the sense of two sides arriving at a mutually acceptable decision. All he did during his real estate days was bully people in less powerful positions to get what he wanted. And after the 'deal' was made, if the situations changed in ways he did not like, he would just walk away. Just ask the many, many people he has stiffed over the years.
And as for prison reform, his post-midterm support for it probably was due to a combination of (a) not having a clue about what prison reform meant and (b) a diversion from the midterm disaster he and his party just experienced. Honorable people will tell you 'my word is my bond'. With Trump, you have to assume that his word is as wispy and inconsequential as his comb over.
6
We need to change the rules for Congress.
First, any bill, once submitted, needs to be sent to all relevant committees at the same time. These committees need a hard deadline, like 30 days, in which they will return the bill recommended, not recommended, or no recommendation.
Once out of committee, a bill needs to be voted on within 30 days.
If Congress adjourns during this period, the clock stops on any bills in the pipeline, and resumes at the same point as soon as they reconvene.
No one person, or group of persons, should have the ability to stop a bill dead in its tracks.
All the above should also apply to nominations needing Congressional approval.
21
All the necessary heavy lifting of a President in a $20 Trillion Dollar economy is being ignored and put on the back burner. We are rudderless and will never reclaim the "America's cup" under this administration.
Instead, the priority is getting his name in the headlines and figuring out how American can get a great deal while also allowing the Trump organization to benefit.
Knowing this, I am still puzzled by the composition of the senate.
8
Wake up folks! The Republican used this issue to soften their image and fool some progressives and persons of color into believing they could be trusted. They can’t be. Remember Trump’s advice to his daughter: it’s all about perception.
They keep up the facade only as long as they need to and rarely deliver. Think Susan COLLINS of Maine. She may appear less objectionable but she only has better optics.
24
@Justice HolmesSusan Collins of Maine is a joke. She dithers around to get some press and then votes with the herd. She is gone, gone, gone in the next election.
8
On the day when the nation honors the memory of the 41st president, McConnell shows us that he doesn’t believe in a kinder, gentler nation.
10
McConnell is basically a dishonest person. There has also not been an up or down vote on DACA, which he promised. He has also blocked infrastructure and progressive taxation and not abided by his oath of office in judicial appointments.
22
@loveman0, don't forget Merrick Garland. When I watched Lindsey Graham froth about how eeeeeevil the Democrats were for their treatment of choirboy Kavanaugh....... Then remembered Mitch McConnell weaseling his way through the hijacking of Garland's nomination after Scalia's death...
Now the "art of the deal" blowhard president can't seem to keep a deal in place despite Pompeo and Bolton running around spouting 'strong, powerful, almighty trump!' everywhere.......
It starts to look more and more like that guy behind the curtain on the Wizard of Oz. We're supposed to pay no attention to the sputtering little man projecting his false power to impress and amaze us. I'm not impressed, but I AM amazed...... at those Americans who fall for this.
6
I believe McConnell is the most destructive man in Washington. In the end it is he who decides how the country will run, not the rest of the Senate, House or the president. This is a great example. Trump is the president and leader of the GOP. He calls McConnell and says to have a vote on the bill and gets told no. I believe the DEMs should spend the majority of their time and money to take back the Senate of at least get rid of Mitch,
33
GIVEN THE LONG SENTENCES White Collar Criminals allegedly involved in breaking the law in some way related to Trump, it could be understood why he would want to change sentencing guidelines and prison conditions. Who knows--he himself might be on far more intimate terms with the insides of a prison than he could imagine. He chants, shamanistically, Lock Her Up, referring to Hillary. But in fact, he might as well be singing, Lock Him Up, referring to his goon squad and himself. It's a free country. He's the president, so he can sing whatever he pleases, unless the song has terroristic lyrics. I do imagine that Trump would get a great photo shoot in prison orange that completely matches his orange hair and pancake makeup. Why would McConnell, who allegedly owns mutual stocks that invest in private prisons, wish to take actions against his own financial interests? Mitch still dreams of making coal king again. If he does that, he may well end up on a street corner wearing a hand-me-down Santa costume, singing, Old Mitch Coal, was a Merry Old Soul! Etc, etc, etc. (To borrow line from the King and I.)
6
You would think that Trump should be backing this with both hands. It might come in handy when he walks out of lockup in a few years, an old man much in need of assistance, what with his empire in shambles and his family in hiding, those not in jail.
4
Trump may one day soon find himself resident in a federal correctional facility. Self interest should goad him to mitigate the plight of prisoners.
7
McConnell either hasn't read, or ignores the studies that show that brown people are grossly disproportionally incarcerated.
And he likes not just the idea of for-profit prison, in KY and elsewhere, but the money that industry sends to his campaign.
This is all about business - for Mitch. (pssst- he doesn't really represent the people.)
Why would he ever want to stop the flow of money and the flow of money-making inmates? cha ching ching.
And donald?
Well, he is just off to the next shiny object dangled in front of him that he can see as a "win". .
10
"Trump’s much ballyhooed salesmanship skills could really come in handy." There's the rub; all those salesmanship skills exist only in the ballyhoo.
51
I believe this is a Kushner driven business, because he was moved when visiting his father in jail. Of course his father KNEW he was ripping people off, >50% of the prison population is there because the government continues too insist on applying law to selected psychotropic drugs while the necessary repeal of Prohibition has been neatly tucked away. This land is just ripping with interminable nonsense.
6
You'd think with all the Trump cronies facing jail time that criminal justice reform would be a priority. Then again the Trump form of "criminal justice reform" has been to pardon political allies. Nevertheless, it's shameful that two mean-spirited men can subvert the will of a bipartisan Congressional majority. Maybe they can force a vote by following Lindsey Graham's recent successful threat to withhold all votes to support judicial nominees that finally forced the administration to allow C.I.A. Director, Gina Haspel, to testify about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
5
They will change their mind about criminal justice reform as soon as they and they kids get convicted, which hopefully is sooner than they think.
5
One wonders if Trump will feel that criminal justice reform is a more urgent matter once Don Jr.- or, for that matter, Trump himself- is indicted...
9
Trump will only care about criminal justice reform when he is incarcerated for his many crimes. Until then? Nope.
4
Trump openly pushing for prison reform would not play well to his base, predominantly white people. And we know who makes up a large percentage of the prison population. Remember the pardon to his favorite sheriff, Joe Arpaio. Joe would not approve of anything that doesn't involve some level of humiliation.
4
Who among the venal and despicable characters in this shameful political tussle cares about the Americans affected by this legislation?
Not Trump, who never looks beyond personal glorification when he makes a decision. Not McConnell who throws sand in the gears of progress and Democracy whenever he can. Not Jeff Sessions (don't let the door hit you on the way out, Beauregard).
The men and women in prison for non-violent crimes and their families matter not one whit to these evil clowns. And they're perfectly happy to spend my tax dollars to line the pockets of the prison industrial complex.
Shame on all of them.
5
I wonder how much CoreCivic and GEO Group (the private prison companies), bail bond lobbyists, and various other interests that profit from mass incarceration have donated to Mitch McConnell's campaign fund. As always, follow the money!
9
Trump is the person who wanted the boys accused in the central park jogger attack executed. He promoted it vigorously. As far as I know, even after they were cleared, he still wanted them executed.
He would go for a bill that gave him the right to decide the innocence or guilt of everyone. Hilary included
6
McConnell The Doorstop & Trump, Individual 1, are both up for reelection in 2020. That's 23 months from now.
7
Somehow, for all of the damage he has caused in Congress and at large this country with his obstructionism and hypocrisy, Mitch McConnell receives nowhere near the acrimony he deserves for his behaviour.
Everyone likes to focus on the President i.e. Obama (whom he worked towards trying to make a one term president, among other underhanded actions) and Trump while McConnell has been around, but it's high time we start looking around the Presidency to see who is aiding and abetting political dysfunction in the United States. He is just as effective as Donald Trump in this regard, only much quieter.
It is of no surprise to me that this bill is being pushed aside, as Mitch McConnell and others of his ilk are only interested in passing what they are interested in, regardless of how many lives are ruined by their inaction. This country will be much better off when politicians like McConnell no longer have a place in Congress, or politics period.
7
The Long Game: A Memoir by Mitch McConnell 2016
“Well, I’ve been taken out of context in the past, but never more relentlessly than with regard to this comment,” McConnell writes. “Over the next few months, it seemed that every Democrat was handed the same talking point: remind people Mitch McConnell said his greatest legislative goal is to make Barack Obama a one-term president.”
Trump: The Art of the Deal
Book by Donald Trump and Tony Schwartz 1987
"I don't do it for the money. I’ve got enough, much more than I’ll ever need. I do it to do it. Deals are my art form. Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals. That’s how I get my kicks."
The obstructionist liar and the money worshiping liar.
A perfect match.
7
"Even [occupant] and bipartisan support may not be enough to overcome Mitch McConnell."
By design. This allows the GOP to say that "partisans" in "Washington" blocked it, when in reality every GOPer is as much for criminal justice reform as they were "never" "covfefe".
They ARE "partisans", polearms at the throat of our democracy.
2
Bush I promised us a kinder, gentler nation. The downward shift in the national marijuana arrest rate during his rule over the Executive Branch supports that notion. Bush I took no part in the racially-tinged reefer madness campaigns of Nixon and Reagan. Under Bush I, the national marijuana arrest rate dipped to less than 250,000 per year.
I have to wonder what would have happened if he'd beaten the guy I voted for -- Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton made a Devil's bargain with the Red State reefer madness cabal of Bob Barr, Trent Lott and Newt Gingrich. The ONDCP called medical marijuana a hoax and proceded to pseudo-scientize reefer madness.
Clinton bragged that he was tougher on crime than Bush I had been. By the time he left office, the national marijuana arrest rate had climbed to 750,000. That 500,000 per year increase came mostly from brown or black young men, statistics have since revealed.
People like me voted for Clinton. Because he was a Democrat.
That is largely why we need criminal justice reform today. And now I kinda wish I'd voted for Bush I instead of Clinton.
1
Through out the years McConnell has repeatedly shown himself as a small minded, vindictive, and ignorant man. His promise to vote against ANY of Obama's bills regardless of merit, his total lack of understanding ANY tax bills, and interpreting the label "Dr. No" as a compliment leads to a congressional approval rating of 20%.
Coal counties love him, which is understandable. The Know Nothings far right like him, but don't know why beyond Twitters. He will be remembered, at the very least, as a bitter and mean spirited man who contributed nothing to our country.
10
Too bad the only thing for certain is that Trump does not read the Times op-ed page, unless it is written by anonymous members of his own staff. And I don't think anyone will have the guts to bring this one to his attention; maybe we can get Sean Hannity to quote from it?
2
Ms. Cottle, why are you disappointed that the hard-line segregationist and Obama-obstructionist Mitch McConnell would “weasel out” of sentencing reform?
It’s an issue that would benefit (mostly minority) offenders for such trivial offenses as getting busted for a joint at a traffic stop. As you noted, this problem is not a “core Republican” concern but when was anything that would benefit anyone not white, rich or privileged a “Repubican concern?”
As for Donald Trump, when was he ever all-in on anything that didn’t concern the one percent or his family? He’s sulking about all the hemorrhaging that’s gripped the old House. And he’s too busy golfing.
6
Mitch "Machiavelli" McConnell - our long time (12+ years) chief obstructionist. The coal king whom Trumputin seeks to appease by weakening coal industry regulation. Why? Mitch is a long recognized scheming worm. But, if impeachment comes to the fore, Trumputin will need Mitch to delay and obstruct its progress. These two need each other. A symbiotic relationship - a vile partnership made up of two unprincipled parasites.
5
When the Republican leadership lined up obediently behind Mr. Trump's clown act, everyone thought he had emasculated them, that they had abandoned their principles. I suspect they saw him as a puppet all along.
4
Mr. Trump needs to get prison reform done before his son goes to jail.
2
The version I heard was that Trump lost interest in prison reform when McConnell caught him in the oval office telling Ivanka to work up a nice Orange Jumpsuit with a long red necktie. Might not be true though.
2
When dust settles we will realize that Chinese Mitch was the main crime boss.
Looking for a patriot in law enforcement to put this guy into Chinese jail. Anyone?
2
If you want to know what trump will support, just follow the money. Although I think that mcconnell is just another toad, in this case if he will not support a trump idea, I'm all for him.
Trump shrugs off everything that doesn't directly affect him. He doesn't worry about the deficit balooned by his tax cut because he won't be around when the economy implodes. He doesn't worry about climate change because he will be dead and gone long rising oceans drown Mar-a-Lago. By now we all know the type of man sitting in the Oval Office. What we don't know is how much money private prison corporations are giving Mitch?
5
About 77% of prisoners reoffend within 5 years. https://www.nij.gov/topics/corrections/recidivism/Pages/welcome.aspx
So it seems pretty clear that the first question to be considered when it comes to prison reform is whether it makes any sense.
It is time to have a national boycott of Kentucky whose citizens are responsible for thrusting the disgraceful and dishonorable McConnell on our country. Hurt them where it counts: their pocketbooks.
3
Trump should become very involved with prison reform because he and his children's comfort is at stake. . .a new Trumpian Club Fed.
3
So what would you expect?
They are just a couple of republicans.
3
trump was never serious about the topic and never actually cared about it. he just repeats whatever the last person who talked to him said then disavows responsibility.
Expecting leadership from him on anything is a pointless effort.
43
Outrage fatigue wins another round.
Trump can't get behind a vanilla (albeit extremely rare) bipartisan piece of legislation because it does nothing to make him look great, does not cast his enemies in a bad light, he has not been told to do so by his donors, and it will not create a distraction from the Russia/Mueller investigation. McConnell will stop it because his modus operandi is also to pull all of government away from helping anyone other than his donors and he has a compulsion to eliminate any last shred of decency from government. It's such a sad state of affairs. I do hope that we can forge a recovery from this place.
5
Justice reform would only interest Trump if it protected him for doing time!
3
Criminal justice “reform” is not a priority.
Immigration, specifically, building the wall on the southern border is. This is a national security issue. Everything else is secondary and can wait.
5
@Cjmesq0
National security?
I am more concerned about a young, disaffected full blown American white male (likely a trumpet and a "christian") swaggering around with a gun or assault weapon in my place of worship, mall, school, movie theater, gym, etc. than I am about exhasuted, impoverished brown people, many with little kids, fleeing armed and murderous despots.
(psst- thousands of people a day have and continue to get processed at the southern border- going both ways, and in accordance with the law.)
15
@Cjmesq0
Yeah, God forbid that our hardworking representatives should have to do more than one thing at once.
16
Let’s not forget that Clinton was the catalyst for the horrific system we have in place now. Let’s hope politicians can fix it.
4
@Joe Yoh
I agree Clinton enabled the bad system, but simplistic "Tough on Crime and Drugs" Republican rhetoric over the course of decades has been the prime mover.
So why single out Clinton?
2
@Joe Yoh -- started under H. W. Bush, expanded by Clinton. Make sure all your facts are straight before blowing out your accusations.
3
The Republican base does not want criminals released early from prison and does not want criminals not yet in prison cuddled with lighter sentences.
The status quo is fine. Thanks Mitch.
1
Gee I wonder if this might be connected to for-profit prison companies like Geo Group giving McConnell money? We already know Mitch is all about selling his soul to his corporate overlords; some of them own prisons and need steady clients aka prisoners to make money.
12
Mitch is afraid many of the released will vote. Even in Kentucky, and certainly in other states, their votes could tip the balance in local races. He delays so the Republicans can implement state laws disenfranchising ex-convicts so they don't pose an electoral threat.
5
Mr. Trump should support this bill --he could well be its first beneficiary.
4
Trump could care less about criminal reform. He will not get press, money or accolades from it.
2
Not getting behind and pushing criminal justice reform is Trump not 'looking past the end of his nose' at what may prove to be beneficial in the months and years to come...
"And therein lies the problem. Overhauling the criminal justice system doesn't seem to be of real interest to Mr. Trump." That's because Trump only knows what pertains to Trump. He doesn't understand the justice system, the laws he swore to uphold within that system, the DOJ's mandate to protect that system and the results when one ignores those systems. Indeed the only thing our president understands about the phrase "criminal justice system" is the word "criminal". That's because Trump only knows what pertains to Trump.
2
We knew all along that Trump was never serious because the proposed bill affected mostly minorities who are not part of his base.
The individual US Attorneys should step up to the plate and use their prosecutorial discretion to achieve some of the goals of the bill, like limiting mandatory minimums for non-violent drug offenders.
3
McConnell is a just say “no” guy like his idol, Gingrich. We are reaping what they have sewn and it is damaging the country for its forseeable future. The whole world will pass America by while bad men insist on doing bad things simply because they can.
4
Trump will not act to move the criminal justice reform bill because it is a bipartisan effort, therefore, by definition anti-Trump. All Trump has is his partisan base, just as all McConnell has is his Republican majority in the Senate. Neither man can afford to lose even one supporter, or the whole house of cards will collapse, and along with it, their power. Criminal justice reform will have to wait for more far sighted leadership in some new Congress and Presidency. It along with climate change, medical care, schools, infrastructure, care for the aged, and the growing national debt will be there for the real leaders of the future to take care of.
3
Prisons for profit means the more prisoners the more profit.
McConnel represents the capitalistic interests of the investment class- essentially the party of business. When prisons were privatized, our incarcerations rates began to soar- currently to 6X the international norm.
The health care, military and incarceration industrial complexes are destroying our country while our politicians gleefully take their money.
Yes, we badly need campaign finance reform and the first order of business should be to control the influence of the profiteers of killing, jailing and keeping people alive.
10
but they are not leaders - Trump at the nadir - they are venal followers of whatever they think will preserve their power and wealth. Wisconsin, once known for open honest accountable government is demonstrating in the dark of night the flaws of believing that Republicans believe in any principle beyond self-dealing and self-preservation. Everything that comes out of their mouths is a deception, if they even bother to conceal their motives. On criminal justice reform, just ask who is profiting from the current missystem, and there you will find Mitch and his friends - Citizens United.
4
Considering that Mr. Trump faces the possibility of firsthand experience with the criminal justice system, one would think he’d take this bill more seriously.
6
Certainly no fan of trump, but in my view mitch mcconnell has done more to undermine the Republic and our democracy than any one person during my 61 years roaming the planet. He is a stain on this nation and needs to be relegated to the dust bin of history. The sooner the better.
9
The bill addresses some serious inequities in sentencing for crack and cocaine. But how did we get here? It's because back in the 60s 70s 80 s rampant use of heroin and crack was largely an inner city problem. I clearly recall the publics attitude was one of throw them in jail as fast and as long as possible. Politicians responded. Now that drug overdoses are affecting middle class white communties nationwide we now hear how this is a health problem needing solutions AKA rehab centers, and for citizens to have access to Naloxone and how to use it.
Interesting how attitudes change when people walk in someone elses shoes.
Even though Trump has expessed his support for the Criminal Justice Reform Bill I don't think he ever read it. Why would he, he doesn't even read his own tweets and correct the misspellings. His support is already waning and after Republicans like Tom Cotton get to him, he will abandon his support for it.
2
Since the GOP has run on a "demonizing Pelosi" platform for many years now, turnabout seems fair play for the Democrats.
The amount of legislation that did NOT go forward under McConnell's reign in the Senate should be highlighted. It could easily be shown to the electorate that his self-touted retrograde leadership has kept any critically important laws from being passed on behalf of the "common man" while supporting legislation that benefits the top 1% at every turn.
It's not only bipartisan criminal justice reform that McConnell has blocked, but legislation protecting Robert Mueller's investigation, along with military pay protection, gun control legislation, and blocking Merritt Garland's SCOTUS nomination from coming to the floor, for starters.
Why not take a page from the GOP playbook and use it against them?
2
What's "vital" and "desperately needed" about a Federal criminal justice reform bill that would only effect a small portion of the nation's prisoners? The author surely is aware that 90% of the prisoners in the country are held in atate, not federal, prisons.
2
Private Prisons, private detention centers for toddlers, Private $ from publicly funded schools, Public $ for mercenary armies. These are the true Trump constituents.
57
What I want to know is whether McConnel has received donations from the American prison industrial complex in the form of campaign contributions.
Currently we are incarcerating 6X as many of our citizens as the average modern democracy. 6X!
Before the privatization of our prison system our rates were not remarkable, but once the private sector could profit from locking people up, the rates soared. Maybe this is a coincidence but there is clear evidence people are being thrown into prison for profit- just look at what we pay for health care compared to other nations. Our politicians are for sale to the highest bidders.
The party of business needs to be put out of business. This is capitalism completely run amok.
101
Could somebody explain to me why the system is designed in such a way that the chamber needs leaders to introduce bills in the first place? In the parliamentary system in the Netherlands, I believe every member is allowed to introduce bills and motions that the chamber then votes on. Certainly avoids this problem
24
@Daniel,
Same here...It's not the introduction that's the problem, it's scheduling. The "leadership," a partisan ideologue in the Senate and a retiring party hack in the House, hold hostage the schedules.
4
The alignment of the stars - Trump and McConnell - will be remembered as the worst combination for the benefit of the common man. The former for weird ideas and behavior and the latter for extreme conservatism, i.e., the conservation of the status quo and dismantling of anything evenly remotely progressive. How does this man live with his conscience? May be he does not have any.
71
Democrats in the run up to 2020 should start running against Mitch McConnell (as his obstruction of House legislation becomes more and more evident) equally as much as the run against "President" Trump.
219
@Paul
Mueller might get to him first.
5
So many problems with this piece. First, as far as the part of the bill that would end shackling of pregnant women, Trump can do that by executive order, he doesn't need legislation.
The bill is also opposed by reform groups, a point the author fails to mention. In part because the assessment tools it calls for would very likely promote racist results.
Beyond that, it's safe to say that any "reform" bill that gets significant Republican support, not to mention Trump's, will be at best symbolic and at worst a step backwards disguised as progress.
27
@Chrissy
Trump could end by executive order the shackling of pregnant women in federal custody. He cannot end the shackling of pregnant women at the state and local level, which is where almost all cases of such shackling occur. The bill would outlaw the practice, which you only do to include state and local governments by a law. Not by executive order.
48
This would apply to federal prisons, not state. Rules about state prisons are made at the state level.
20
@Chrissy What you really mean is that this particular bill does not call for dangerous, violent criminals to be released early. And that is one of the best aspects of the bill, because public safety should always be the primary consideration. Murderers and other violent predators should NEVER be released early, because they are a danger to others.
2
GEO and CoreCivic (the other large private prison company) combined donated nearly $500,000 in support of candidate Trump – half went to a super PAC that helped elect him and the other half went to support Trump’s inauguration.
Trump’s administration announced several orders that benefit specific private prison companies in both the immigration and criminal justice systems, creating the appearance of pay-to-play corruption at the highest level.
Trump’s Department of Homeland Security has also dramatically expanded the need for immigration detention centers as DHS sets the stage for mass deportations.
Together, CoreCivic and GEO run about 72% of the privately-owned ICE beds.
These private prisons currently hold 33,000 immigrants, refugees, and human-trafficking victims per day. In February 2017, a letter was leaked in which White House immigration experts suggested to Homeland Security that they increase the quota of people held in immigration detention centers from 33,000 to 80,000 people per day.
https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/civil-rights/324577-trumps-connection-to-private-prisons-proves-why-citizens
Trump and the Grand Old Pri$on party love pri$on$.
"The point is that you can't be too greedy."
- page 48 - Trump: The Art of the Sociopath, 1987
201
@Socrates-Yep. Robert Mercer financed the Trump campaign and backed it through manipulation of Cambridge Analytica's Facebook-culled data on America's voters. Turns out Mercer is an investor in the GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America (now CoreCivic); one of the main operators of private prisons and immigrant detention centers, via Renaissance Technologies. Another principal investor in GEO Group is Eric Prince of Blackwater mercenary-no-bid-billions-contractor infamy, brother to Ed Secretary Betsy DeVos and advisor to Trump.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/fear-factory-robert-mercers-hedge-fund-profits-trumps-hard-line-immigration-stance-090041709.html
https://www.sheilakennedy.net/2016/12/following-the-money-prison-edition
46
@Ann
Deep Throat was supposed to have said "Follow the money". Mueller has, I suspect been doing that; I'm looking forward to Mueller time.
39
@Socrates Who says there is no honor among thieves and the corrupt politicians they sponsor.
Many years ago organized crime was hounded for their bribery of local politicians. I would appear that it is now acceptable to practice con artistry, grifting and participate in graft to be an honorable elected official.
16
This is by and large a just cause that will eventually triumph. Sooner is better than later.
10
According to government statistics, federal prisoners who are released have a 44% recidivism (re-arrest) rate after five years. So, if this program releases 7,000 convicted criminals, within 5 years about 3,000 of them will be arrested again.
I wonder if anyone is giving thought to what it means to reduce sentences and allow convicted criminals to run loose in our communities. Who is responsible for post-release crimes committed by those released early? An apology to their future victims will be of small consolation for those who are harmed.
Over the last 5 or 6 decades foundations and state/federal governments have spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting psychological and sociological research and programs on how to reduce recidivism, all with little meaningful effect.
Providing post-release services to help prisoners transition into crime-free lives seems to make sense, but would add enormously to costs, making US prisoners even more expensive than they already are. (And why aren't existing employment and social service agencies in the US already doing this?)
Early release of thousands of convicted criminals without adequate social support services is a recipe for disaster.
Virtually all criminals are not forced to commit their crimes; there is such a thing as free will. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.
6
First you provide a statistic about high recidivism rates, but then you argue that "Providing post-release services to help prisoners transition into crime-free lives seems to make sense, but would add enormously to costs" Surely those costs would pale in comparison to the costs of additional incarceration?
127
@Mon Ray
Well if we taught them how to become productive memers of society the recidivism rate would go down...and so would prison profits. See the problem?
135
@SW The recidivism figures have little to do with privately or publicly run prisons. Both mete out isolation and brutality. As someone who has served time I can assure you these conditions are largely due to to the CO's, a sanitized term for guards.
Spend a week inside and you can guess with 90% accuracy who would be going back in. These are the ones who use violence, the threat of violence (most are very big guys associated with gangs), and CO bribery to get drugs and weapons.
Four positive steps -
Keep the hard core in separate prisons. Not separate cell blocks as segregation doesn't work.
Keep the petty crooks in another.
Keep the drug dealers in another.
Don't waste money on imprisoning drug buyers and users; provide treatment (detox) instead.
52
I just can't understand why the Senate, and Congress, would allow such seemingly arcane rules that allow one person (the Senate majority leader or Speaker) to arbitrarily bottle-neck legislation. I hope that the changes being proposed by members of Congress to the Speaker will produce more bipartisan legislation and hope that the Senate follows.
163
@Doug
Can’t see it? This is the culmination of Gingrich’s scorched earth policy. The gerrymandered Greedy Old Party is now able to fully enforce its creed of profits over people.
13
@Doug There is no rule. He will ruin any conflicted senator's chance of ever achieving power in the senate. Or of ever having any of their pet projects written into the fine print that accumulates in any legislation.
4
Mitch rules over a den of crime
Ambitious, and filled with foul slime,
Trump they tolerate
Whom they all hotly hate,
But can manipulate with time.
He did put Brett on the Big Bench
Despite Brett's non-virginal stench
But Mitch don’t play by rules
Or rape tries in schools
The sad fact, McConnell’s no mensch
82
@Larry Eisenberg
As ever, Larry, on the nose.
2