4 ms·

Bush senior was big on incarceration and the war on drugs was a central tenant of his platform. It's pointing out that he [Barr] has a long history of doing wha

Bush senior was big on incarceration and the war on drugs was a central tenant of his platform. It's pointing out that he [Barr] has a long history of doing what the President wants for political purposes.

rayiner 6y ago
Is it? Or is it evidence that Barr is a traditional, religious, law-and-order conservative, writing at a time when law and order was in vogue even among Democrats? It should be noted that in 1992, the increase in crime rates compared to 1960 was still significantly larger than the increase in incarceration rates over that same period. (In 1992, crime rates had increased by a factor of 5x, while incarceration had increased by a factor of 3x.) Likewise for your point that Barr endorses a theory a unitary executive. So do many people. What does that prove? It’s not a controversial idea. The very first sentence of Article II of the United States Constitution says: “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.” It doesn’t even say something like “there shall be an executive branch and the President shall be in charge of it.” It vests the executive Power (capitalization in original) in a single person. Article I and Article III, by contrast, “vest” the legislative and judicial powers in institutions (Congress, and the Supreme Court). The choice of phrasing appears pretty deliberate. And notably absent from Article II is any mention of career bureaucrats who can exercise the executive Power" of the United States independently of the person in whom that Power is vested.
- jorblumesea 6y ago
  > Is it? Yes. Barr was well known as a controversial politician even in those times. You can find numerous news reports affirming this. His entire political career is one giant walking controversy. While I agree that his words and opinions were more mainstream at the time, he was at the storm of more than a few scandals. Iran contra pardons are another obvious one. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/03/05/barr-takes-center-stage-at-justice-department-with-new-script/b75dac1d-36da-4440-9287-e1ac33c78038/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/03/05/b... > "{Are his actions} politically motivated? {Or} self-serving? I'm asking myself those same questions," said one key Justice Department official > Much of what Barr has done since his confirmation seems to benefit the administration politically. He pleased conservatives by reversing policy and offering Justice Department help to states that want to get out from under court-ordered prison population caps. https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/19/opinion/essay-the-patsy-prosecutor.html https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/19/opinion/essay-the-patsy-p... Lots of stuff out there.

rayiner 6y ago

Is it? Or is it evidence that Barr is a traditional, religious, law-and-order conservative, writing at a time when law and order was in vogue even among Democrats? It should be noted that in 1992, the increase in crime rates compared to 1960 was still significantly larger than the increase in incarceration rates over that same period. (In 1992, crime rates had increased by a factor of 5x, while incarceration had increased by a factor of 3x.) Likewise for your point that Barr endorses a theory a unitary executive. So do many people. What does that prove? It’s not a controversial idea. The very first sentence of Article II of the United States Constitution says: “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.” It doesn’t even say something like “there shall be an executive branch and the President shall be in charge of it.” It vests the executive Power (capitalization in original) in a single person. Article I and Article III, by contrast, “vest” the legislative and judicial powers in institutions (Congress, and the Supreme Court). The choice of phrasing appears pretty deliberate. And notably absent from Article II is any mention of career bureaucrats who can exercise the executive Power" of the United States independently of the person in whom that Power is vested.

jorblumesea 6y ago
> Is it? Yes. Barr was well known as a controversial politician even in those times. You can find numerous news reports affirming this. His entire political career is one giant walking controversy. While I agree that his words and opinions were more mainstream at the time, he was at the storm of more than a few scandals. Iran contra pardons are another obvious one. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/03/05/barr-takes-center-stage-at-justice-department-with-new-script/b75dac1d-36da-4440-9287-e1ac33c78038/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/03/05/b... > "{Are his actions} politically motivated? {Or} self-serving? I'm asking myself those same questions," said one key Justice Department official > Much of what Barr has done since his confirmation seems to benefit the administration politically. He pleased conservatives by reversing policy and offering Justice Department help to states that want to get out from under court-ordered prison population caps. https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/19/opinion/essay-the-patsy-prosecutor.html https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/19/opinion/essay-the-patsy-p... Lots of stuff out there.