Following up on yesterday’s news that Gov. John Hickenlooper is willing to commute ChuckECheese murderer Nathan Dunlap’s death sentence as a lame-duck governor should Hick lose his reelection, The Gazette points out in an editorial that Hick is the only one politicizing the situation. And, it is well within Hick’s power to take politics completely out of the situation. As The Gazette writes:
Gov. John Hickenlooper should decide right away whether Nathan Dunlap lives or dies. No more should this man’s life be a political football…
No one has politicized Dunlap more than Hickenlooper. He wouldn’t grant clemency because doing so would annoy his base. He punted. Now, if Republicans want to make an issue of it, Hickenlooper will change his decision. He’ll reclaim the ball and forfeit the game, granting full clemency the moment he has no more chance of winning. [the Peak’s emphasis]
The Coward-in-Chief for Colorado claims he hasn’t changed his mind on the issue, that he still favors making no permanent decision on the issue rather than just having it settled once and for all. As his campaign spokesman said in a statement:
“He expressed his position on the clemency issue in May of 2013 when he signed the executive order on this matter, and his position has not changed since then,”
Yet, completely lacking in the position Hick expressed then was the revelation that he was 100% anti-death penalty, a position he has only acknowledged over the past few weeks. How can a man who claims to be 100% against the death penalty leave a man on death row given the fact that his successor as Governor has publically stated he will support the Colorado justice system’s decision in this endeavor when he wins? If Hick thinks the death penalty is so wrong, there is no way he will allow this sin of omission to burden his conscience the rest of his life. We agree with The Gazette when they say Hickenlooper needs to make a decision sooner rather than later:
Governor, you can’t be a leader who won’t make tough decisions. This attempt to have it both ways turns Dunlap and his victims into political sport. But this isn’t a game. If the governor wants clemency, he should grant it now – before the election. Voters deserve to know Dunlap’s fate before they determine the governor’s future. They deserve the truth. [the Peak’s emphasis]
Yet, waiting for Hickenlooper to show any type of strong leadership skills is like waiting for the Rockies to turn it around this season: it just ain’t going to happen.