I had always been under the impression that the GOP was the "law and order" party. Silly me.
I have some real problems with the early release provisions in this, and I am extremely uncomfortable with politicians -- especially the current crop of them -- setting a new criminal justice course.
And while we're on the subject, am I the only person in the room who smells a conflict in Mitch being the Senate majority leader and his wife being the secretary of transportation? How "independent" can the Senate be under Mitch's leadership when his wife is beholding to the president for a pretty cushy job? Just asking.
2
The bill will go up for vote in the Senate only because Trump proposed it. The fact that is has non-partisan bill is immaterial.
Trump speaks - McConnell hops. McConnell's behavior for the past ten years has done a huge amount of damage to the United States, If ever there was an example of why term limits - a single term - should be in effect, McConnell is it.
131
@pjswfla
Funny to see how this very positive move will be spun and rapidly descend into negative territory. This would be hailed if from another president, but since it's Trump...
7
Trump had zip to do with “proposing,” this bill.
20
Okay I will give him approval for this. When will you speak out against any of his destruction? Just one, please.
8
There is no question that our criminal justice system needs improvement. Felony-level punishment for drug possession is just one area that should be corrected. However, we should not lower the penalties for crimes committed with the use of a gun.
14
The problem with this bill is it is not retroactive. All the people already sentenced will still be in jail. They need to make the bill retroactive so people already sentenced can be freed or have their sentences reduced under the new law.
5
Senator Booker is right. The new bill will help low income people and minorities, who have always been disproportionately hurt by “tough on crime” legislation.
Senator Booker should have also included men in that group. They are also disproportionately hurt by “tough on crime” legislation.
Democrats have lost men, in part, because they seem focused entirely on legislating to help women.
Here is a bill that will help men. They should actually SAY that.
5
Just in time for the hammer to fall on Mr. Trump and his cronies , Mr. McConnell suddenly becomes aware of the corruption and what it might mean for the party, so he is going to support this bill.
I have watched him smirk his way through the attacks on our democracy.
Hopefully the chickens have come home to roost.
As an African-American born in the 60’s, raised in the 70’s and grown in the 80’s, I can’t help asking: where did this sudden well of White empathy for addicts spring from? Oh, I get it. Now it’s people who look like you. This bill is a step in the right direction. But excuse me if I refrain from seeing a hypocritical sop to the despairing base as the miraculous appearance of shared human values or decency.
5
McConnell fought this tooth and nail before the midterm elections. Make no mistake, this is a win for the Democrats, who are finally leveraging some kind of bipartisan support, but not willingly on the part of the Republicans. The GOP hears the death rattle. Maybe they will finally wake up and realize that they have to do some actual work if they are to survive past 2020.
5
Maybe this is a rare good thing that MMc is doing, but it also seems he'll do ANYthing to appease Trump and apparently that now also includes Jared.
1
Don’t trust McConnell.
He needs to go away.
3
Can’t we just be happy that it looks like something positive is about to happen.
2
Good for Senator McConnell, and Trump too!
2
Mitch is a sop for Power. I don’t believe a word he says.
He does nothing for his state. Why to they keep re-electing him?
Oh I forgot. Money.
6
Pushing a bill that provides greater leniency in federal prison sentencing should be a no-brainer for Trump and his inner circle.
10
This bill is very unfair because it doesn't retroactively adjust sentences. But leaving the situation it is will condemn a future generation to vast inequities. So pass it and, in the New Year the Democratic House should pass legislation to adjust sentences.
6
Hurry up, Mitch. The end of the year is nigh.
Or were you referring to the fiscal year?
3
The question is:
If progressives put a fund together that was large enough to afford Senator McConnell, would he take the money?
2
Is this the same Mitch McConnell that has been shoveling incompetent judges through the Senate?
Men that can barely write? That have racist/sexist statements in their past that have "come to light"?
Men, whose only criteria is that they be white, young, conservative and heterosexual?
Sorry. I've been so busy reading up on the incompetent judges that Mitch is pushing through, that I haven't been able to find the time to study what he is proposing for the "Criminal Justice Bill".
Was it good?
Did it get rid of "private prisons"?
Did it finally rid us of judges who own stock in those self-same "private prisons"?
Did he happen to mention those 14,000 children being held prisoner in those NON-PROFIT/privately owned (WHAT in the world is THAT ?) tent cities that the US taxpayer is paying for, yet the "non-profit" is privately owned???
(Oh, we need to shut down every non-profit in this country! What a farce they have become!)
Well, I'll do my best to haul my head out of that "Judge's Thing" before they finally vote. Hopefully, Mitch will do something about the children being held prisoner and doing nothing all day long because this particular "non-profit" will not educate them, even though it has plans that they are going to keep them forever just so they can milk the cash cow of the taxpayer.
Gosh, I do hope that something will be done about any of that.
...but right now I'm watching all of the Fed Society's boys get shoved through without any responsibility.
Busy, busy!
10
Part of what’s going on here, of course, is that years ago the feds along with most states put in ultra-long sentences for many crimes, but especially minor drug offenses. Since then these people have been rotting in our prisons, at a great and unnecessary cost to both us and them. So it is heartening that we may fix this, but a hang up is that some senators fear being seen by their grouchy supporters as being “soft” on criminals.
An odd chapter in this saga is that a few months ago President Trump pardoned one woman who had languished in jail for decades, but only because the celebrity Kim Kardashian interceded for her. If we can keep this law from being watered down hopefully we can extend that mercy to others. FYI, note that President Obama pardoned over 1,700 such people.
8
How ironic that Mitch McConnell is so strong on criminal justice reform when he supports on an almost daily basis, an unindicted co-conspirator in the person of Donald Trump... and that is just the tip of the iceberg. We're soon going to find out just how much of a criminal Donald Trump is when Robert Mueller reveals his findings.
These hypocrites in the Senate, including Messers. Hatch , and Graham and are going to have some big bills to pay in 2020.
And the time for celebrating themselves is about to come to an end.
10
Let us hope McConnell goes to prison along with the Republican miscreants he has supported since he foolishly supported Trump’s criminality these last years in the name of fame, corruption and success.
14
This is corruption at it's unfiltered finest...Jared got his convict Daddy's business in queue to make billions. Lock them all up!
4
Why is that (truly evil) old man smiling like some stage devil?
McConnell NEVER does anything for the public good. Only to advance right-wing extremism, flex his power, thwart anything like progress, and line the pockets of himself and his corrupt gang of thieves. Absolutely corrupt.
Except for the unparalleled likes of Trump when it comes to cancerous malignancy, , it's hard to imagine a more corrupt national politician in the last 50 years.
11
It's insanity - which has become so routine that it's hardly commented on - that the question is no longer if a bill will pass, but if the insanely partisan leadership will allow a vote on a bill, even a bill which has the support of the majority of the House or Senate.
This is just plain wrong, to allow a partisan gate preventing some bills from even being considered.
16
It's encouraging that Senator McConnell is finally willing to consider a criminal justice reform bill which appears to have strong bipartisan support.
However, it may become a bargaining chip for other pressing Congressional agenda items before the New Year (i.e., avoiding a partial government shutdown). This is also a test for the GOP.
4
I agree, shorten sentences but 1) make all terms for the same crimes the same length (IE murder equals 30 years, not a variable depending on the quality of the lawyer) and 2) death penalty for 3rd offense.
Prison should be a deterrent for repeat offenses instead of a revolving door. White collar criminals should also go to the same prisons. Why should we fund cushy country club prisons. If you can't do the Time, don't do the Crime.
3
What are the odds Trump already intends to find fault with the measure and veto it, giving his Tea Party supporters cover to reverse their votes in favor on the 2nd go-round?
6
@Glen Doubtless, you're right since it would threaten Trump's "manhood" and support among his more rabid base to look weak on crime. If Trump was attached to reality, he would realize that federal criminal justice system reform ought to be of the highest priority for the members of the Trump and Kushner Crime Families. Presumably, Jared knows how important the issue really is for the families.
2
@Lona
I have to admit I hadn't put that perspective on it. Nice note.
P.S. Grew up in Waterloo, graduated HS in '65.
Real criminal justice reform begins with ending forced confession methods, stopping zealous prosecutors who will do anything to get a conviction, and requiring DNA evidence before plea sentences are made. How hard is that? Begin at the beginning of the problem.
9
A bipartisan achievement for Donald Trump? First. let us know he has read through the legislation. Secondly, documentation that he has actually sat down, discussed throughly with a cross section of lawmakers & the Justice Dept. on significant points. Possibly then, we can discuss bipartisanship. Trump takes credit, but has little interest, let alone input on key priorities. He is just around for the signing ceremonies and his obnoxious signature.
8
I do not know why McConnell insists on applying the Hastert Rule in the Senate, when a majority of the majority is only 26 votes...out of 100.
And even though GOP supporters said they had that majority he STILL insisted they didn’t. Where does his power come from, enough to thwart the will of 75% of the Senate? Only the President of the Senate and President Pro Tem are named in the Constitution. Yet the Leader has power that seems to rival that of the Speaker Of The House.
Still, at least on this bill, when faced with overwhelming bi-partisan support, including the yutz in the White House, he finally relented. That’s a good thing.
3
I wonder how much the lobbyists for the privately owned for profit prison industry paid McConnell to squash this bill.
9
Gee.
How many months of public hearings and testimony from stake holders; those impacted by current sentencing constructs; the plethora of redundant and overlapping criminal code categories; experts on criminal justice; restorative justice... has there been?
About the only (and skimpy) reportage on this has been "Our-man-about-town" Jared Kushner's role (squeezed in between saving the Middle East and the Spotted Owl). And...now Mitch McConnell and the rest are ready to send a bill to Donald Trump's desk?
There must be a way to prevent this type of travesty called Law Making in its present form:
Throw out every Civics Book ever printed; they are just fairy tales.
5
McConnell "relents," and in an unusual gesture, allows some democracy to take place.
8
Trump administration want to ease prison sentencing before they all end up there.
15
It looks very likely that many of the GOP and NRA will be spending time inside, so McConnell thinks it is a good time to make sentences shorter.
11
He says stuff like this all the time. When we ACTUALLY see a floor vote, then maybe I'll consider this as something other than a lie. But as it stands now, he's still full of it.
5
Let's not forget that this bill fixes the mess that Bill Clinton created
2
@Joe Yoe, no, it doesn't fix Clinton's mess, it creates private half way houses that are going to make billions for the Kushners. Also if we're comparing Clinton to Trump, then Trump must be impeached.
4
At one level it is pretty sobering; all the GOP loyalists demanding that the rest of us recognize that this one piece of legislation reveals that the rest of us have been piteously victimizing their poor Dimwit Donnie.
If I'm following their reasoning it goes like "You see, if you would just give him a chance, he can propose innovative legislation and shepard it through the congress. He's a real, non-partisan leader!"
No reasoning, no sense of proportion, no grip on reality.
5
"Bill Easing Prison Sentences Will Go To a Vote, as McConnell Relents" is what the NYTimes main page said for this article.
For a tiny happy moment, I thought the last word was "Resigns". Oh, well. It's still good news.
4
I thought Mexico was paying for the wall? Promises made, promises kept? I think not.
2
Reality check only one solution to crime make the punishment so bad no one in right mind woudl commit the crime. Send all criminals to jail in china an pay china to take care of them. Saved hundreds billions in what cost here in usa an crime rate for become non existent.
Mitch McConnel - history will not judge you kindly
5
Will this mean that the sentence for Heather Heyer's murderer (life + 489 years) will get softened? Is that why McConnell is relenting? Or because Donald Trump (or he himself) might end up in prison?
3
The president supports some version of this bill, so they should vote on it. Not to mention if they don't have the government funded they should not go home at all. If it shuts down those that don't work should not be paid.
This won't cover the multitude of Mitch's sins, but still I'm glad for it. And America needs to see that raising our voices matters. Never, ever, back down from a fight for justice.
3
Donald Trump in the Oval Office is “obstruction of justice” personified.
Mitch McConnell as Senate Majority Leader is “obstruction of democracy” personified.
When will America be rid of these two carbuncles on the face of the body politic?!
34
Hate to say it but it shouldn't take 50 miles of country road to get a vote done even in the US Senate, but if Mitch McConnell wants to get a veto proof vote out by the end of the year it may actually be too late.
What is the window on a pocket veto anyway? Even though there may be reports of a presidential endorsement, this occupant doesn't usually endorse criminal justice reform unless the criminals involved are on his personal Rol-o-dex.
And what effect does the 21 of December have on the end of the year? Any? Hello?
5
Maybe, just maybe, this will break the stranglehold of the House Freedom Caucus on the Republican party.
Recent NYer article has interesting article re plight of moderate Republicans: forced out, quit, retired, or refused to swear allegiance to Agent Orange.
Like Supreme Court, House Freedom Caucus (which sets Repub. agenda) represents minority of the country, but wields enormous power. I hope that during this break, McConnell will allow infrastructure bill, which AO promised to sign, to come to a vote.
Infrastructure is win-win--helps the country, creates jobs (esp. in Red States), brings manufacturing plants to US. Nobody can be against it. But no Amendments to build a "beautiful wall."
4
Mr. Trump may be wise to approve an easing of sentences. It may benefit him in the future.
14
After Senator McConnell's lawyers reviewed his role in ignoring President Obama's admonitions to the gang of eight, early in 2016, Senator McConnell became more aware of the legal consequences of acts of treason against the United States, for the benefit of Vladimir Putin's Kremlin Intelligence officers hacking the Democrats.
1
I wonder how Senator McConnell’s supporters in the private prison industry feel about this.
12
Hey, Trump and family should build their 5 star Trumprisons. They can use tax payer dollars and purchase some beautiful islands so if he and his disgusting family serve time, they will live in luxury just as they are doing now.
4
Ooohhh, just in the nick of time! Jared, Junior, and Individual 1 will benefit from this.
7
Long overdue. Thank you President Trump for reversing disastrous laws set in motion by Bill Clinton that discriminated against so many African American men and ruined lives. This is a true victory for justice - hope it passes.
10
AVR This was not "set in motuon" by Bill Clinton. This was set in motion by Richard Nixon who decided our drug policy needed to become a War on Drugs with draconian laws and mass incarceration. Reaganites took up the Tough on Crime movement and they were supported in this by our law enforcement establishment across the nation, at local and statewide levels. In California, the prison guards union used their political war chest to get pro-prison hardliners elected as Governor for 25 straight years, ending only when Arnold recalled the prison industry's favorite Democrat, Gray Davis.
What Bill Clinton did was pander to that mostly-Republican incarcerationist element to win GOP votes in the election and in Congress for the other things he wanted to accomplish.
But locking up black Americans was always at heart a Republican project, going all the way back to Nixon and Reagan. They started it, their followers took it up and made it a movement. Clinton just agreed to go along with it so he could win votes on other bills, that was all. He had no choice, really, back then. Republicans slandered anyone not supporting mass incarceration as being "soft on crime."
1
On the eve of a possible impeachment and subsequent criminal indictment our President wants to ease sentencing laws? I can't believe it.
12
@Mark don't be ridiculous - impeachment maybe but conviction by a 2/3 vote in the Senate - not going to happen
1
Wow. The old obstructionist dude from Kentucky has found a glimpse of reason on this legislation despite some prodding from his lord Donald.
This “win” certainly goes against Trump’s base
2
The beginning. Now states need to follow suit if the have not already.
2
@Judith Tribbett Why would any state have to wait, those great progressive states probably don't have the firm rules that the feds do.
1
You know the system is broken when it’s called an achievement and viewed as remarkable that a bill that has the support of the majority of senators of both parties and the majority of Americans is simply advanced to a vote.
14
Ok, I never thought I would say something like this, but I think we should encourage Mr. McConnell to delay easing up on crime at least until after the President is sentenced.
2
Am I misremembering or was Jared Kushner supposed to play some role in reforming the criminal justice system? If so, the lack of his mention in the article is notable. I'm guessing he was too busy helping the Saudis and Israelis and tending to his own business interests to be bothered with lesser-to-do Americans.
5
@Chris - He will, after he gets out of prison.
2
@Chris
Might check and see if he played a role in reversing the reforms directed toward improving & shutting down private prisons.
Oh, come on. Out of the zillion things that make politics work, one of them turns out randomly to not be a smoking, bleeding trainwreck. We can hardly call that a 'triumph'.
8
@Bob T...but then, it does make sense that this Administration is increasingly interested in the conditions within our prisons.
1
Was the US Senate really constructed with this much power residing in one individual? We vote for the whole senate, not just for the majority leader. Why does one individual get to decide what sinks and what swims? This needs a change.
34
@Jimz It is and has been a rule of the senate, it could be easily changed. Same with the 60 vote requirement which should be changed immediately allowing many great bills to be passed this year.
1
@Jim
Along with a whole lot of other things, e.g. the electoral college.
1
Oh, come on. Out of the zillion things that make politics work, one of them turns out randomly to not be a smoking, bleeding trainwreck. We can hardly call that a 'triumph.'.
1
Weird how Republicans are fine with spending taxpayer money to forcibly house black people convicted of having a joint, but not poor people. Wonder why that is...
6
@Randall the For Profit prison industry gives them kickbacks, I mean donations, for all the black and brown people sent their way.
1
Gee Thanks Mitch! You held back President Obama's criminal reform Bill in 2015 saying there wasn't enough time to vote on it (the same line you used earlier on for this Bill also).
Oh well...4 years later you are going to permit it this time...you are obviously a Saint...the saint with some Christmas Spirit...
...because you actually allowed the Senate to vote on a Legislative Bill...which is actually the main part of a Senator's job (Just in case you didn't know, like 2010-2016)
And the best thing about you on this and for doing this...for once you aren't doing it for money, personal gain or because you had been bribed!
Bravo Mitch!
11
The pot convention here in Vegas this year, nice three piece suits everywhere.
4
I've realized after this great bill that it's impossible for Trump to do right in many people's eyes. The fact that some people can never praise Trump should be revealing of their own less-than-objective character and dividing tendencies.
13
@Don Q Trump had nothing to do with the creation of this bill -- he can barely write a grammatical sentence -- he just said he'd sign it.
(Some people's ability to go on praising Trump after he has done so many dumb, destructive things while failing to do anything constructive -- that's pretty revealing of their character and tendencies, wouldn't you say?)
11
Please. Donald Trump is doing this because he was praised by Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, not because he cares, or even knows anything about, this issue.
But yes, Donald Trump is doing the right thing, for once.
(slow clap)
5
@Jim He supported the concept and without that it would not be a bill at all. And those you consider dumb or destructive, I might consider great. We all have an opinion and I bet mine would not be compatible with yours.
1
Mitch is 76 years old . His values were formed in yesterday. He needs to retire. NOW!
10
@mickeyd8 Wait. He has values?? What leads you to believe that?
4
McConnell is the enemy of American democracy, plain and simple. Since Obama’s election he has done everything possibly to attack the constitution and American values. He, along with the rest of the unAmerican Republican party, needs to be removed from office before it is too late.
19
@Philip
Rigid categorical judgements of political adversaries as “enemies” is the acid eating democracy.
5
@KBronson Sometimes rigid categorical judgments also happen to be correct.
7
@Philip Schumer is the enemy of the people and the republic, see it is simple to state anything. Remove all dems immediately no matter what. See simple to say stupid stuff.
2
I just hope this legislation gets passed. It’s long overdue and non-violent citizens are rotting in prison needlessly.
Kind of ironic that it was the Democrats who pushed through the 1994 crime bill and the Republicans who might curtail some of the excesses of that bill.
13
RE: " the majority leader who controls the Senate calendar. "
Is this what you learned in Schoolhouse Rock on how a bill becomes a law, that one man _ who isn't the President with Veto power - could arbitrarily stop it by simply not allowing a vote?
That's a lot of power over which the vast majority of American's have no recourse. Where is the majority leader's role and power defined in the Constitution?
8
@Marie It is not, just as assignment to committees and many other things. The detailed rules of the senate are not in the constitution, perhaps they should be.
1
@Marie - the majority leader is elected by a majority of senators (which means of the majority party). He's their representative. It's up to that majority party to get rid of the leader if the leader isn't doing a good job. So far, that majority seems to like him.
1
Anything Mitch McConnell is opposed to is probably a good idea.
21
@Andrew: ANYTHING?? ....Does this include things like flat-out denying Merrick Garland, Obama's final nomination to SCOTUS?
(and, that's just for starters...)
1
We know that absolute power corrupts. We might also add that excessive power---especially when concentrated in the hands of one man---also tends to corrupt democracy. That we have allowed one person in each house (Majority Leader and Speaker) to have complete control over which bills will be heard is undemocratic. It would be fairer if at least three people could vote on which bills be considered and on their order of presentation---with one of the three people belonging to the minority party.
25
@shimr - if it's a problem, ALL members of the Senate and House can vote on a new leader. So far, the majority party seems to be OK with their leaders.
1
Timing is everything! Just as Individual-1 becomes an unindicted co-conspirator in directing and coordinating the commission of felonies by his personal attorney and fixer, he suddenly is in favor of criminal justice reform.
18
@Steve Griffith- I was thinking that perhaps he was considering his own potential future prison time!!! if only..
2
@Steve Griffith I was thinking the exact thing. Check out today's Borowitz Report in the New Yorker. Trump Talks Prison.
McConnell smiling? Something is terribly wrong.
31
gas??
8
When is the criminal McConnell going to go up in front of a judge?
9
@magicisnotreal
When are proper sentences for white collar and political crimes going to start being imposed. ex: Flynn should not get less than 10 years yet he gets to walk on what was basically treason!
1
What's in it for the #GOP? That is the only question I need answered. Short term, long term. We shall see
5
OK, I'm suspicious. McConnell never does the right thing just because it's good for the general US population. Something behind the scenes must be up.
63
@Mr. SeaMonkey He got fed up with Jeff Flake's "I'm voting no to everything" strike?
2
The devil will be in the details... Dems should beware the last minute, under cover of darkness amendments that are likely to be added by who knows who without anty time to scrutinize the bill before a final vote. I would almost place a bet that somewhere in the bill will tucked in a one line amendment authorizing funding for Trumps Wall.
12
Trump advocates for prison reform is a personal self-less act? Or is our visionary stable genius seeing the future for him and his children?
9
The Republicans should support this bill. It may help out their beloved Individual-1 in the not-too-distant future.
6
Good to see the system can still work, those lost can be found, the blind can see.
The vote that senators will talk about years after they leave the senate, with deserved pride.
Wrongs made right.
6
We may think we live in a democracy but when the power to vote on a Senate bill is up to one man then it is anything but a democracy. Most people don’t realize that there’s a plethora of arcane rules and regulations in our Senate that places power in too few hands. There needs to be a complete overhaul of Senate rules and regulations to bring the Senate into the 21st century.
16
It is very easy to condemn Trump, he supplies so much ammunition. The real villains in our political system are the likes of McConnell, who clearly place retaining power and influence above any considerations of what are, or should be, the responsibilities and ethical principles of elected leaders. Disgust with our political class enabled the election of Trump, apparently the lesson has not been learned. It will take more than this bill to make the current Senate to look good!
59
I would love to know just what is going on behind the scenes not only in the GOP Congress but in the White House. Minds change with lightening speed. Some folks, like Hatch, speak honestly which gives me a good idea of just how wide-spread the corruption and panic really are. Just how long did these Republican elected officials and operatives think that they could keep all these secrets to themselves? They're coming to light ladies and gentlemen. And much sooner than the four years you hoped that you'd have before it all came seeping out and oozing from the cracks. The next two years are going to be a revelation and perhaps a disaster for many on one side of the aisle.
51
@Meg History will not be kind to these traitors, as it should be. Treason will be their legacies. Nice, huh.
39
@Charlotte I agree with you. Traitors is a strong word but the right one for the behavior we have all seen the last 2 to 3 years. I'm not amazed by what comes to light about their corruption any longer, but I am disgusted.
9
At least it will be a move in the right direction, one that a post 2020 democratic congress can further improve upon. We all need to let Trump occasionally fool himself into thinking this will somehow improve his image and take whatever progress we can for the sake of the country (and humanity). The same is true of any infrastructure bills that might get through. Let him think he’s getting wall funding if he signs off on an immigration deal, a future congress can always re-adjust the spending.
44
@AndyW, the one thing I think everybody knows (whether they want to admit it to themselves or not), is that Trump doesn't give a fig about bipartisanship or bipartisan legislation - he probably can't even read the words or comprehend what they actually mean even if he can make out the letters. He will take credit if the bill passes and claim that it was ALL DUE to his great leadership and guidance. If it fails, he will blame the Democrats, and probably work Hillary Clinton in there somewhere too.
47
All too true, but what I was saying is that at this point it pretty much does not matter what he claims. The groups of voters who believe him and those who don’t is pretty baked in at this point, so dems need to take the partial wins whenever we can. It also only proves we are bigger people who are better at governance. Now isn’t the time to sacrifice the moral high ground by obstructing for the mere sake of it. That’s far more of an electoral loser than it is a winner.
14
I sincerely hope this indicates that McConnell is at long last willing to act as an elected representative instead of a gatekeeper. For too long he has treated the senate as his personal fiefdom, and has ham-fistedly imposed his own agenda without regard for the millions of voters represented by the rest of the senate. However, I am doubtful.
74
@fsp
I think the real problem has been Tom Cotton, that utter moron from Arkansas whom is quickly replacing Ted Cruz as the most despised member of the Senate.
Apparently he believes that his beliefs are the only ones that matter and has been threatening other Senators if they support the bill.
81
@fsp Wishful thinking, fsp. GOP Senators are hearing overwhelming support for this bill from constituents. Trump and McConnell are being forced to act by overwhelming voter pressure, pure and simple. If it fails this time, watch the new Democratic House send over even more progressive legislation next year, truly putting the squeeze on Trump & McConnell ahead of 2020. A lot more GOP Senators are up for reelection in two years, and GOP opposition to sentencing reform will be a perfect cudgel to hammer them with.
12
@fsp
McConnell is interested in one thing and one thing only: keeping himself -- and by extension, Republicans -- in power in the Senate. Unlike many of his colleagues, he does not dream of a higher office. He already is exactly where he wants to be, and he'll take whatever actions and positions he thinks necessary to keep it that way.
12
what's liberal or conservative about sentencing laws?
why not address the CAUSE of the problem? - americans increasing demand for DRUGS.
why are so many americans so distraught that they have to silence their minds with drugs?
11
@bob, former president Clinton said it, "It's the economy". Money is the biggest killer of marriage, the largest driver of stress going. We have to get it out of our heads that GDP & the DJIA tell us what the economy is like.
The criminal justice system at this point is as much about justice as the corrections departments are about correction & rehabilitation.
Sentence reform shouldn't be a left/right issue, it should be about fixing something that doesn't work. We tried A, it didn't help, now we try B. Keep politics out of it and focus on reality.
1
McConnell- what a reprehensible cretin. He’s more dangerous then any foreign terrorist
61
@Sofedup lol. Hysterical reactionary.
1
@Sofedup
And how to you feel about prison reform?
1
I'm interested in knowing how much money Republican Senators and House members received from the Russian government. If Butina spills the beans it may be illuminating. Congress is surely in Putin's pocket.
12
This isn’t going to be much of a comment, but I don’t trust Mitch or the president and I sincerely doubt the purity of their motives to get a sentencing law passed before a new House takes over next month.
For one thing, the president took office parroting his (now departed) Attorney General—Jefferson Davis Beauregard Sessions III—that he wanted stiffer sentencing guidelines applied across the board, knowing that local prosecutors would target non-whites for relatively minor offenses. I mean, the racism behind the idea is what got Donald Trump elected in the first place and it’s why an old fossil like McConnell has been in Washington since the town was built.
The other consideration is that opioid addiction is climbing and since this drug abuse affects mostly whites—in Appalachia and the South as these poor folks struggle to get from morning to night with body and soul intact—the Trump administration is looking for ways to shore up its base by throwing them a bone.
Or am I amiss here?
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great news. I hope they can really isolate so-called victimless crimes -- which need sentencing reform if not outright legalization -- from crimes of property and violence, which should continue to be strictly sanctioned. This shows why, in some ways, Trump is a good president.
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@David
Yes, he doesn't obstruct Congress. In fact, it's been very productive since the politician in the Oval Office has left.
2
Great! So now McConnell agrees with Pres. Trump that 95% of the poor blacks took a plea agreement against their own interests?
5
McConnell wants give Trump an achievement in the midst of all these scandals. Hence the willingness to put it up for vote
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Mitch McConnell steadfastly refused a vote on this bill before year end, if ever. He's a lock'em up and throw away the key guy. Then, the puppet master pulled the strings.
Criminal justice reform is a good thing. But the take away is that McConnell is another spineless Trump loyalist.
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Eager to see a "win" before indictments?
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Thank you Jared!
4
@Judy Petersen he's fixing the system in time for his family's arrival.
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This is less a bipartisan overture than it is a plan to confirm all the reactionary judges being held up by Jeff Flake.
McConnell is a pragmatist.
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Well, Jeff wants a bill to protect Mueller, not passage of a criminal justice reform bill. So there's that. :/
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@Occupy Government
McConnell is a sleazebag.
1
Unreported thus far, who in the Senate is opposed and is holding up the bill? And, is this hold-up directly related to which Senators are receiving financial support from the prison-industrial complex? My guess is, some Southern State Senators oppose this bill at the behest of their patrons, the private, for-profit prison operators.
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@Paul
Tom Cotton of Arkansas has been the primary person holding up the bill.
Supposedly he has threatened Republican Senators with a campaign to smear them, claiming they will be causing the release or under-sentencing of violent criminals, which the bill simply does not do.
There are a couple of good articles on this issue out there. Cotton is apparently now despised in the Senate more than Ted Cruz, which is quite an accomplishment.
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If this goes through, congratulation are due President Trump. This is what happens when there's not an ideologue or master politician in the White House. Stuff actually gets done.
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@AACNY
Lock Trump Up1
Perhaps now he will get a lighter sentance...
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@AACNY
Like an infrastructure bill? Oh you forgot that little tidbit of legislation his most high hasn't even considered yet.
22
Lessee here...not Trump’s idea, nothing he’s systematically worked for, White House is in complete disarray so nobody there worked for this either, the bills floated out of a coalition in Congress, Trump ignored them until he got in even deeper doo-doo, he sent out a Tweet and that’s it, nothing’s even on the floor yet, the Repubs are flailing about screaming—and your conclusion is that under Trumpy, Things Get Done.
You might as well argue that stabbing folks with a rusty fork is a good idea, because it gets them lazy old brain and body and immune system woke up and workin’ for a change.
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