Willie Horton comes back twenty years later to bite Repubs on the ass...

[kentuck]

Other than looking like Snoopy riding in a tank, the one issue that defeated Michael Dukakis was his release of Willie Horton and his violent crimes thereafter. Bush Sr and the Repubs jumped all over the issue. There were ads of black men marching in and out of prison.

Now, Willie Horton is back. But this time it is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination who commuted the sentence of a cop killer. But will the Democrats use it against this Governor if he is the candidate in the next election? Democrats do not lean to these types of ads against their opponents. Anyway, Bill O'Reilly has already pardoned the Governor.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Huckabee has his work cut out for him.

Overcoming republican hypocrisy if he expects a pass on clemency.

Clemency for someone who subsequently murdered.

Murdered police officers in cold blood.

Executed police officers in cold blood.



BTW, the end of the year is upon us. State governors and President Obama will be deciding on pardons and clemencies for certain petitioned individuals. I would imagine they will be more than judicious in their choices. I would further imagine a trickle this year will be released.

[xultar]

2. When I picture this it's like a Great White bite in the ass. He who throws stones

eventually gets a great white bite in their ass... Confucius

Barr
Rush
Ensign
Sanford
Foley
Craig
Vitter
Haggard

and the list goes on and on.....

[existentialist]

5. You can't fool me

Confucius did not say that.

This does not, of course, mean that you have made an unfair paraphrase.

[xultar]

6. Even if you paraphrase Confucius you gotta give him props.

[napi21]

3. I think they will use it against him. It doesn't appear to matter though.

This AM I've hear a number of comments pn cable news abut the PUBS slamming Huck for releasing this guy.

[FBaggins]

4. Unfortunate timing

Not that I would want anyone hurt/killed... but it would have done more damage to republicans if Huckabee was already the nominee (or at least well into the primary season). This just means that he likely won't run... and that's probably a good thing for republicans as it keeps from spitting their base as badly.

Where I will disagree is re: Dukakis. Willie Horton could have stayed in jail and Dukakis could have stayed away from tanks... and he still would have lost. There was the Boston Harbor business and the flu that took him down before the seond debate. His answer on the gotcha death penalty question was awful.

All of those are really minor issues. They can make a difference in a two-point race... but this one wasn't close.

[existentialist]

7. You are right on all points.

Dukakis would have done substantially better if not for the Willie Horton ad, but he would still have lost.

To what extent he did enough worse to pull some other Democrats down with him must go unanswered.

I remember an Art Buchwald column soon after the 1988 election satirically speculating as to how the Republicans were going to help Willie Horton in return for his help with the election. It was hilarious.

[existentialist]

8. Let us hope that it bites more than just Huckabee.

And this isn't the first time the issue bit Huckabee either . . .