Governor Palin, crime and punishment
Last week I had this post reflecting on, and seeking comments concerning, what Senator Obama’s selection of Senator Biden meant for how the Democrats would approach crime and punishment issues this fall. Now that John McCain has now made his surprising VP choice, I am starting to wonder about what this decision could mean for the Republican approach on these issues might be.
Like most everyone else in the continental 48, I knew very little about Governor Sarah Palin before this morning. But the fact that she, as noted here, is a “lifetime member of the NRA” could prompt more interesting post-Heller debate about the reach and application of the Second Amendment. (I am already curious whether Governor Palin has a view about whether a person previously convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor should be federally prosecuted simply for possessing a hunting rifle as in this federal case from Wisconsin.)
Notably, this Denver Post blog is calling Palin the “libertarian VP candidate.” I am not sure this label really fits, but I genuinely hope Palin might have a libertarian streak when in comes to the so-called “war on drugs” and similar criminal justice issues. I hope we will find out this fall (although I continue to expect the MSM will continue to ignore important crime and punishment issues).
Some related posts on Campaign 2008: