The Contenders: on Crime

Barack Obama: Legislated protecting police detainees during interrogation

[Obama’s] record as a state senator, especially on civil liberties, is strong. Obama sponsored successful legislation to combat racial profiling and to protect police detainees during interrogation. He sponsored an unsuccessful bill banning discrimination against lesbians and gays. Source: The Contenders, by Laura Flanders, p. 22 Nov 11, 2007

Joe Biden: Biden Law of 1994 created several new capital offenses

Biden is credited for authoring several significant pieces of legislation in the area of federal law enforcement, including The Violent Crime Control & Law Enforcement Act of 1994, widely known as the Biden Law, which:

Banned the manufacture of 19 specific semiautomatic “assault weapons”
Allocated more money to build prisons & set up bootcamps for delinquent minors
Designated 50 new federal offenses, including gang membership, and created several new federal death penalty offenses, including murders related to drug dealing, drive-by shooting murders, civil rights-related murders, murders of federal law enforcement officers, and death caused by acts of terrorism or weapons of mass destruction.

The law was passed shortly before the Oklahom City bombing, and its provisions were applied to execute Timothy McVeigh. The legislation received bipartisan support, but was reviled by death penalty opponents and civil libertarians. Some believe it broke ground for the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001. Source: The Contenders, by Laura Flanders, p.179 Nov 11, 2007

*The above quotations are from The Contenders, by Laura Flanders, Dean Kuipers, James Ridgeway, Richard Goldstein, and Elizabeth Sanders, published Aug. 2007.* Click here for definitions & background information on Crime. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by Dennis Kucinich on Crime.
*Candidates and political leaders on Crime:*
*Incoming Obama Administration:* Pres.:Sen.Barack Obama V.P.:Sen.Joe Biden State:Hillary Clinton Staff:Rahm Emanuel Treas.:Tim Geithner DoD:Robert Gates A.G.:Eric Holder DHS:Janet Napolitano DoC:Bill Richardson	*Outgoing Bush Administration:* Pres.:George Bush V.P.:Dick Cheney A.G.:John Ashcroft(2005) DEA:Asa Hutchinson(2005) USDA:Mike Johanns(2007) EPA:Mike Leavitt HUD:Mel Martinez(2003) State:Colin Powell(2005) State:Condoleezza Rice HHS:Tommy Thompson(2005)	*2008 Presidential contenders:* AIP: Frank McEnulty Constitution: Chuck Baldwin GOP: Sen.John McCain GOP VP: Gov.Sarah Palin Green: Rep.Cynthia McKinney Independent: Ralph Nader Liberation: Gloria La Riva Libertarian: Rep.Bob Barr NAIP: Amb.Alan Keyes Socialist: Brian Moore
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