Has David Yepsen turned into a partisan hack? In his April 26th column “Stop ducking death penalty vote,” Yepsen calls Democrats “chicken”, “gutless”, and “weaselly.” He even manages to squeeze in cheap shots at Sen. Grassley’s former opponents, the judicial filibuster in the US Senate, and the voters in Iowa City. This type of juvenile name calling hurts the real debate over this important issue.
If the death penalty is such a good idea, why didn’t the Republicans bring it up when they controlled both houses of the state legislature? Only now, after the tragic murder of a child, when the passions of the populace are bent on retribution, do we hear the call to reinstate state sanctioned killing. As in the Schiavo case, partisans see the opportunity to exploit a personal tragedy by turning it into a divisive political wedge.
Yepsen’s column is emblematic of the current state of political discourse. His shrill cries drown out discussion on the merits of the death penalty. They serve only to deride and divide, rather than inform and persuade. To paraphrase Jon Stewart, when he was confronted with similar outrageous rhetoric on CNN’s Crossfire: Stop, stop, stop hurting Iowa.
