Bernie Sanders: Everyone deserves to vote, even felons like Paul Manafort & Michael Cohen

[crazytown]

An opinion piece by Senator Sanders
USA Today, April 30, 2019
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/04/30/bernie-sanders-felons-deserve-vote-participate-democracy-suppression-trump-column/3621258002/

Bernie Sanders: Everyone deserves to vote, even felons like Paul Manafort & Michael Cohen

Committing a serious crime shouldn't strip people of their basic right to be a citizen and active participant in our democracy.

I have been attacked in recent days by President Trump and others for my conviction that people who are incarcerated should be given the right to vote. I make no apologies for that position.

Our country has had a long and shameful history of voter suppression. At our founding, despite rhetoric to the contrary, only land-owning white males were given the right to participate in our democracy. Lower income people, Women, Native Americans, African-Americans, and young people were excluded.

We have been engaged in an ongoing 243-year project to expand participation in our democracy. Thankfully, we have made much progress in that struggle. But our work is not done — not even close.

If we are serious about calling ourselves a democracy, we must firmly establish that the right to vote is an inalienable and universal principle that applies to all American citizens 18 years and older. Period. As American citizens all of us are entitled to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and all the other freedoms enshrined in our Bill of Rights. We are also entitled to vote. Yes. Even if Trump’s former campaign manager and personal lawyer end up in jail, they should still be able to vote — regardless of who they cast their vote for.

(Bernie is old enough to remember enough to remember the Willie Horton ads. A policy to give votes to the most heinous felons currently incarcerated in Federal and States prisons would be a gift to the GOP at a time when the very future the Republic hangs in the balance)

[Kurt V.]

1. i have no problem with this.

but jeez, can't we talk about it after the election. when real traction could be had.

[Uncle Joe]

13. To my knowledge no one has talked about it before,

if they have it has been extremely rare.

If you believe in the message then primary season and the G.E are the ideal times to talk about it as real traction can be determined by the will of the voters.

[Kurt V.]

16. dammit. You always make me think twice. Research shows the public take cues from our leaders.

not the other way around as it should be.

[Uncle Joe]

20. ...

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

26. Yup all for it! Bernie's usually 1st to raise progressive issues, then other Democrats jump on board

This issue will be no different!!


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. A number of countries allow inmates to vote, but usually with conditions

relating to the severity of the crime or the length of the sentence. Germany and Norway allow prisoners to vote unless they have committed acts of terrorism or crimes against the state. That would certainly rule out Manafort, and maybe Cohen. And certainly Trump and his spawn, if it ever comes to that (which I desperately hope). I don't want terrorists or the Trumps to vote after what they've done.

[crazytown]

4. If you want to draw an unambiguous line

that anyone can understand it’s this: those incarcerated for capital offences do not have the right to vote. If you have lost the right to life itself, then whether or not the death penalty is actually exacted, you have certainly lost the right to vote.

(There are no capital offences in the EU)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. If a line is to be drawn, I think it would at least be at terrorism or crimes against the state.

If you're in the slammer for trying to undermine your government you ought to STFU about how it should be managed. But it's not a very good election issue anyhow.

[Uncle Joe]

14. You haven't lost the right to life until you have been executed and then the point is moot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrongful_execution

[oldsoftie]

3. Beat that dead horse, Bernie. What voting bloc are you rtying to impress with this?

[Raven123]

30. I agree. Given the problems of our criminal justice system, and our electoral process ...

... voting while imprisoned isn’t even on my radar as a campaign issue.

[JaneQPublic]

5. The Hill: Booker Invokes Dylann Roof in response to to proposal on letting prisoners vote

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/441417-booker-invokes-dylann-roof-in-response-to-proposal-to-give-prisoners-the#.XMiq2z0fMbA.twitter

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) called the debate over allowing incarcerated people to vote "frustrating," invoking the man convicted of murdering nine African American worshippers in a South Carolina church in 2015, according to PBS NewsHour.

"If Bernie Sanders wants to get involved in a conversation about whether Dylann Roof and the [Boston] Marathon bomber should have the right to vote, my focus is liberating black and brown people and low-income people from prison," Booker, a 2020 presidential candidate, told PBS, calling it a "frustrating debate."

"My focus is tearing down the system of mass incarceration so that we don’t even have to have the debate about people’s voting rights because they’re not going to prison in the first place," he added.

[AlexSFCA]

7. WTF

What other constitutional rights should felons serving in prison also get? Freedom to bear arms? Is he going to cherry pick? This is beyond dumb, BS is done.

[crazytown]

8. Freedom to bear cell phones

to check the bookings at their hotels, the state of the greens at their golf courses, the progress of their tax audits, the latest tweets from Vladimir .... that sort of stuff.

(sorry I could not resist)

[dawg day]

9. Good burn, Bernie! Bringing in Trump's own felons-

That will fry Trump's butt. What will his tweet say? Probably that he never met any felons, no, not one.

Nah, he will sputter and insult, which is all he can do in response to a quite cogent Sanders case.

[doc03]

10. I don't think people currently in prison should be able to vote. I do think after

a person has paid for his crime and is released he should be able to vote. West Virginia being wacko Trump supporters overwhelmingly voted against
prisoners having the right to vote in a recent newspaper poll. But in 2012 a man actually in prison in Texas I believe beat Obama in the primary.

[trueblue2007]

24. I AGREE. I don't think people currently in prison should be able to vote.

I don't think people currently in prison should be able to vote. I do think after


a person has paid for his crime and is released he should be able to vote.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. I believe incarcerated people should not lose the right to vote.

I do not think it is a useful campaign issue, and I do not support Sanders.

[AlexSFCA]

19. what other constitutional rights they should not lose while in prison?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

22. Interestingly, voting is not an explicitly granted right in some cases.

There’s been a lot of discussion around what kinds of first amendment rights incarcerated people have, as well. I can’t think of a good reason for incarcerated people not to vote, frankly.

[NYC Liberal]

25. Let's let them stage protests in prison!

[mountain grammy]

12. With the number of people incarcerated in America and our messed up justice system

everyone knows someone who's been screwed. No, I don't think this is giving the GOP a "gift" especially since voter suppression at every level is perpetuated by that very GOP. So yes, let's have a conversation about voting rights, and how about one about representation too while we're at it.

[LongtimeAZDem]

15. Earl Bradley as indicted on 471 charges of molesting, raping and exploiting 103 child patients

Some of the victims were as young as three months old.

He was found guilty on all charges and was sentenced to 14 consecutive terms of life plus 165 years in prison without parole.

I disagree that he should have the right to vote.

[Kurt V.]

17. You're talking about one anecdote. most inmates are not that person.

[LongtimeAZDem]

18. So what? Do you believe he should have the right to vote?

[Kurt V.]

21. well hell no. but making an anecdotal case against this is disingenuous. we need guidelines

[LongtimeAZDem]

23. You disagree with Sanders, is my point

[Kurt V.]

27. I'm not sure. has sanders weighed in on the criminally insane to be included

[LongtimeAZDem]

28. Read the OP; he leaves room for no exception

"I have been attacked in recent days by President Trump and others for my conviction that people who are incarcerated should be given the right to vote. I make no apologies for that position.

If we are serious about calling ourselves a democracy, we must firmly establish that the right to vote is an inalienable and universal principle that applies to all American citizens 18 years and older. Period."

[Kurt V.]

29. i did right before my reply. i suppose it could be taken that way. but surely sanders

(or anyone for that matter) can recognize some exclusions.