Reaction to the “Killing Applause” at the GOP Debate

I did not watch the GOP debate last night …

This morning I heard something that seriously disturbed me.

Watch the clip below where the moderator, Brian Williams asked Rick Perry whether or not he struggled to sleep at night since Texas has murdered 234 inmates … which is more than any other governor in modern times.

  

A few things disturb me …

First: Rick Perry is not bothered by that at all? Not even a little? So does he think he is God? Does he seriously think there is any system that never makes a mistake?

Second: the people cheering … what the hell is that?

I don’t follow politics too closely so I have a question … since it was a GOP debate would that mean most of the people in the audience are Republicans?

They cheered twice … once when the question was asked and then again when Perry answered it, which some said was the loudest applause of the evening.

I agree with Andrew Sullivan from The Daily Beast when he said,

“Any crowd that instantly cheers the execution of 234 individuals is a crowd I want to flee, not join.”

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If you were there, would you have cheered?

Why or why not?

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  • http://www.alise-write.com Alise Wright

    Okay, well, I wouldn’t have been there since I am decidedly NOT Republican. However, even in my far more conservative days (which honestly, were probably never THAT conservative, save for the abortion issue), I never supported the death penalty. To me it flies directly in the face of a pro-life ethic. That has been my stance for always. Either we value human life or we don’t. And if a murderer’s life is worth protecting before he/she is born, why not later? I have never found a suitable answer to that, so I’ll never be okay with capital punishment.

    And yes, I have thought a lot about the “what if it was my family” thing and I genuinely believe that my response would be the same. I can’t say it for certain, but given that a friend of mine has been down this path (saw his parents murdered and was then shot and left for dead himself) and is still opposed to the death penalty (not that it was an option here in WV, but still), I believe that my response would be the same. I can’t imagine losing my husband or children to a violent crime, but I don’t believe that the loss of further human life can ever be considered “justice.”

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      Struggled with the same questions myself and I’m with you … thanks for sharing. 

      When will people learn that killing someone for killing someone doesn’t make killing right?

    • Leahbeth793

      One can definitely be pro-life and pro-capital punishment.  In the abortion issue, a mother is killing an innocent unborn child.  In capital punishment, a government after a very long legal process is executing a convicted murderer.  Huge difference.

      • http://www.alise-write.com Alise Wright

        And, in some cases, people on death row have had new evidence come to light that shows their innocence – both before execution and after. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_exonerated_death_row_inmates) And some who are wealthy are able to avoid the death penalty even though they are just as guilty as those who are not, which indicates that the system is not fair.

        Ultimately, there is a difference between being anti-abortion and pro-life. What you have described above is anti-abortion (which is not a bad thing, by any means), but it is not pro-life. Being in favor of killing someone cannot be pro-life no matter how you slice it.

  • Leahbeth793

    Sorry Janet, I’m on the other side on this one.  I would have applauded both times. Any time justice is served given the rules of our society, it is a good thing.  He made it very clear that there are certain crimes when the death penalty is appropriately applied after all the appeals processes are completed.  As governor he probably has to sign off on all these executions, and I’m sure it’s not an easy decision.  I don’t rejoice in these executions (NOT murders) but the fact that he (and Texas) is willing to do the difficult to punish murderers is the reason for the cheering when the question was asked.  He gave a clear, concise, well-thought out answer, which is the reason for the cheering following his answer.  I, and I think the  audience, was not cheering the death of the murderers, but his courage to follow the law and his excellent response to the question.

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      Leahbeth, 
      I respect your choice to believe that.

      I tend to think the applause was for the killings … because the crowd cheered when Williams asked the questions which had nothing to do with Perry’s answer. Plus other candidates also gave some clear and concise answers and they weren’t applauded as much. 

      Do you think any person, state or system (no matter how many appeals are completed) is always right? I think it’s a given that all people make mistakes sometimes and since states and systems are made up of people … mistakes could be made. So are you comfortable thinking that maybe a person or two or more that they killed was innocent?

  • Laura

    For me the whole subject of death penalty is extremely  sobering – cheering would not be in my repertoire for any mention of the subject.  I can only hope that this is the beginning of the end of Rick Perry’s candidacy.

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      Agree!
      Whether I loved the candidate or the party or not. You don’t cheer for lives lost.

  • Janis

    How many people have been killed by any war that’s been pursued when anyone’s been in office as president?  I dislike the fact that Texas is so quick on the button, but I’m sorry — it is not fair to buttonhole ONLY this one guy on this and act like everyone else’s pet candidate isn’t just as guilty.

    I’ve never been a conservative in my life, but I fled the Dems just as fast when I heard THAT crowd bay like blood-crazed hounds looking to rip out the throats of two quite well-qualified and civilized women candidates in a way that they would never have wanted to rip into any man.  THAT is a crowd I want to flee and not join.  And flee I did.  And I will never go back.

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      Your first question is a sobering one and is why I am a pacifist. 
      You’re right, Perry and Texas are not the only ones guilty of this … but since the exchange that brought the applause was with Perry/Texas, they will feel the brunt of this. I understand fleeing a party … I keep my distance from both parties.

  • sebbie

    We don’t have the death penalty in the UK for which I am grateful.  If we punish people for killing people surely it is an oxymoron that the punishment itself is killing.  Prison serves three purposes to my mind, it punishes the offender, it protects the community but most importantly it should offer the opportunity for rehabilitation.  I’d prefer prison over the death penalty every time.

    • http://www.JanetOberholtzer.com Janet Oberholtzer

      Great points sebbie! 

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