(1) Prison reform thread.
Trump brought the Rs and Ds closer together, utilizing Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's Dem-friendly positions to do the leg work. They've spent two years quietly working on this & with a Dem. House the genius of it is clear.
Trump brought the Rs and Ds closer together, utilizing Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's Dem-friendly positions to do the leg work. They've spent two years quietly working on this & with a Dem. House the genius of it is clear.
(2) Whether or not the Ds got the House at this point, Trump's prison reform strategy would still have been a good thing. But it strikes me as an early example of Trump teeing things up so that whatever happened, he has #TwoWaysToWin (a @ScottAdamsSays concept.)
(3) And if I'd been more willing to step back from my desire to keep the House, and objectively assess it, like Trump and his team did, I'd have seen that the odds were almost insurmountable. Not because of anything Trump or the GOP did or didn't do. But bc of political history.
(4) The GOP did #DefyHistory by keeping the Senate, and the Senate is EVERYTHING. Losing the House (for now) could be a good thing in the end.
So, prison reform. An issue of public interest bc we all have a stake in crime reduction and prevention.
So, prison reform. An issue of public interest bc we all have a stake in crime reduction and prevention.
(5) The R position is to be tough on crime, to uphold the rule of law without fear or favor.
The D position is give lip service to the rule of law & common sense, while telegraphing to criminals that they have ways of getting around it. And they do. Until we get tougher.
The D position is give lip service to the rule of law & common sense, while telegraphing to criminals that they have ways of getting around it. And they do. Until we get tougher.
(6) Liberals the world over are soft on crime. They spin a narrative of sympathy and compassion - for those criminals where such a narrative can be spun and believed by just enough people to keep voting them into power. (Voting rights for felons are a side issue in this thread.)
(7) Prisoner/ex-prisoner voting rights are an important issue but they detract from the message of this thread. In NZ, they can't vote while in prison but they can vote afterward. It really makes no difference here. This thread is about "prison reform" as defined by Trump.
(8) IMO, a prison sentence can be the thing that finally gives the person a wake-up call. It serves several useful purposes. The idea that it can increase criminal offending in some cases is no reason to do away with it. "Your mileage may vary" is especially true in this area.
(9) Almost all the mass murderers in the news recently had the kind of rap sheet that *should* have seen lengthy prison or psychiatric detention terms, that *might* have dealt with their issues enough to save lives.
Some prosecutors and courts are not being tough enough.
Some prosecutors and courts are not being tough enough.
(10) It's easy to see why Rs have been reluctant to negotiate with Ds on prison reform. They worry that the existing crime reduction effects will erode further.
Trump and the Kushners have gotten some Ds to the table. By trying not to alienate Ds, this window is open.
Trump and the Kushners have gotten some Ds to the table. By trying not to alienate Ds, this window is open.
(11) The Kushners cop so much hate from a certain portion of the Trump base, esp. Jared.
Personally I get pissed sometimes when I see Ivanka's positions on some issues. But I get what the President is trying to do here. It appears to be working.
Personally I get pissed sometimes when I see Ivanka's positions on some issues. But I get what the President is trying to do here. It appears to be working.
(12) As long as the "tough on crime" aspect is not eroded, I support prison reform as defined by Trump. Some US sentences are ridiculously weak, like 6 months for sexual assault. Others are ridiculously OTT, like 35 years for burglary. It's going to take both parties to fix this.
(13) Trump's prison reform isn't about sentence length, though. It's about what prison agencies can do to have the person come out of the system with a lower risk of re-offending than when they went in. It's the hardest thing in the world, but it is possible.
(14) Trump is the first President I can think of who has used his clemency powers as the Founding Fathers intended. To right genuine wrongs, not to free bombers, terrorist group leaders, and those whose leaked info gets our servicemen and women killed.
(15) Almost none of Trump's clemency decisions get the credit they deserve. I'm referring to cases where non-famous people have been freed, to right genuine wrongs. To me, he gets the balance right. Tough as hell, but also not stupid where there's a genuine wrong. I trust him.
(16) Helping a prisoner become employable on release does stick in people's craw, for all the right reasons. On the surface it appears unjust. But it's common sense. What's the point in ruining someone's life for a crime that wasn't mass murder? There have to be degrees of crime.
(17) Besides, the US is developing a severe labor shortage. Trump constantly refers to it eg re the border "we WANT people to come in, just legally." Government, the private sector, and charities CAN change a life for relatively low cost, and then everyone benefits from that.
(18) A person sentenced to prison is going to cost the taxpayer, whatever decisions are made about them. We are already spending this money. Some of the programs to come out of the prison reform work will be "fiscally neutral," ie cost taxpayers nothing. A net benefit.
(19) I had a vague recollection about this but had forgotten. (1) Plenty of Ds have done worse, (incl some currently in office!). Google the Mezvinskys, Blagojevich. (2) IMO Trump wd be just as interested in the issue without Jared's father's b/g.
(20) I knew when I wrote this thread that I'd get all those "Jared is only doing this for when he goes to jail" replies.
Even if he wanted to lead prison reform for that purpose, these trolls merely reveal they have zero understanding of the policy program, or my thread.
LOL
Even if he wanted to lead prison reform for that purpose, these trolls merely reveal they have zero understanding of the policy program, or my thread.
LOL
