Hard question

Democrats vote against arbitrary detention. Republicans vote for it. Which party should opponents of arbitrary detention support this fall?

Forty-four out of forty-five Democrats in the Senate voted against aribitrary detention.

Fifty out of fifty-five Republicans in the Senate voted for arbitrary detention, and one hid in the corner instead of voting.

So here’s the hard question:

Which party should opponents of arbitrary detention support this November?

Footnote Rollcall here.

Atrios has some of the Democratic speeches.

Author: Mark Kleiman

Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out. Books: Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken) When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993) Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989) UCLA Homepage Curriculum Vitae Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com

6 thoughts on “Hard question”

  1. And in the end, 65-34, with 12 crossover Dems. I know this just highlights the need for achieving Democratic control of the chamber — with Democrats in charge, a million amendments would have passed if it ever even came up for a vote. But this plain sucks. As far as I can tell 12 Democrats, including both who represent my native New Jersey, just voted to give President Bush the legal right to imprison me at his whim then waterboard me and beat me without leaving marks. The vote was embarrassing and the bill is terrifying.
    At least now we'll get a chance to see just how moderate Justice Roberts really is.

  2. I feel like I'm going to vomit. What the hell have we become?
    That you have a category labeled "Torture" speaks volumes.

  4. I feel like I’m going to vomit. What the hell have we become?
    That you have a category labeled “Torture” speaks volumes.

  5. Snowe wasn't hiding in the corner — she wasn't there that day.
    I'm sure I am overly romantic, but I can't help but remember the incident in Profiles in Courage where Senator Grimes of Iowa was literally carried into the Senate to vote (against his party) on the impeachment of President Johnson. What more important thing was Snowe doing when the vote on the Habeas Corpus ammendment was cast?

  6. Lieberman isn't a Democrat. He's with the Connecticut for Lieberman party these days.
    So 44/44 Democrats voted nay.

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