A plea for compassion

[missroserose]

Ted Stevens convicted on all seven counts

I have to admit, I'm a bit conflicted about this. For all his faults, Stevens' popularity is deserved - he's done good things for this state in his long and storied career. That said, it's been time for him to retire for a goodly while now - I mean, the "series of tubes"? Demonstrating so thoroughly that you don't understand the technologies you're in charge of regulating is a good sign that it's time to go, especially when you're an 80-odd year old man.

Frankly, at this point I pity him more than anything else. He's 86, his best friend sold him out for a reduced sentence, and his political career - his life's work - is tumbling down around his ears. While he theoretically faces up to five years per conviction, if I were the judge I think I'd be lenient. Partly for political reasons (he still has many friends in Alaska, and while they probably wouldn't be seen to be helping him overtly, they could still cause trouble), but mostly just out of sheer compassion. Sure, there's an argument to be made that he should serve time, especially given our culture's distressing tendency to give the rich and/or famous a free ride, but the man is eighty-six years old - he's not going to live much longer, and he probably wouldn't even survive long in a prison environment. Slap him with a fine, and let him retire in peace. Assuming he can keep himself out of the limelight for a while, once the hullabaloo dies down people may very well remember him for the good he did for this state, which I'd guess is what he probably wants most.

Comments

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

I'm geographically removed that I can be a bit more impartial -- and honestly, until today, I was both bitter toward the man and also convinced he'd be acquitted. But for all his hubris (his defiance and candidacy during the trial in particular)...prison's not a place for an 86-year-old nonviolent offender. Even if you want to sit down and argue that he might deserve it (and I'm not conceding that), I don't think it's a punishment that we should have to inflict.

I would've been quite interested to see how the election had turned out had the jury stayed out until next Tuesday (or, for maximum drama, came back at noon on Tuesday). The "acquittal=win/conviction=lose" formula's pretty straightforward, and I don't see anything changing that.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

I think that's what it comes down to, in my mind. Prison environments are so incredibly toxic, and at his age and stage, putting Stevens there just seems unnecessary. He's not going to be a menace to society if we let him retire peacefully - even if he got it into his mind to try politics again, no one's going to touch him with a ten-foot pole after this circus.

It would have been interesting if the conviction had taken longer - there are still quite a large number of "Ted Toadies" (as someone on the local newspaper response boards has dubbed them) in Alaska. Hell, I'm curious to see whether he wins anyway - if there's ever been a situation where such a thing could happen, it's this one. I somehow doubt it, though - he and Begich have been neck-and-neck this whole time, and this will very likely tip the scales right into Begich's hands. Let's hope all his talk about improving access to technology in Alaska isn't just talk...

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

I could see sentencing him to house arrest. I'm sure he has a very nice house to stay in...

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

A "modest mountain cabin", perhaps, with wraparound porches, a sauna, and a wine cellar?

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

Shit, I don't care, as long as he also has to pay a large fine and can't leave the place.

And as long as he's out of the Senate.

[errant-variable.livejournal.com]

Damn, you beat me to the joke.

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

I win!

[gracewanderer.livejournal.com]

You pity him? The guy is a shitbag who is willing to sell out the entire nation for any benefit to the people who are lining his pockets and keeping him in power. (Fringe benefits for the state of Alaska were always side effects to keep the people happy.) He willingly, knowingly and repeatedly violated the law. His "best friend" was not a friend but a partner in crime. He deserves everything he gets.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Shitbag he may well be, and I despise his well-known habit of personalizing and delivering retribution for every slight (perceived or actual), a dangerous but sadly common thing in politics. I'm not sure I would classify his violations as "knowing and willing" - that implies a certain knowledge of where the line is, and self-rationalization and internal justification are incredibly powerful forces, especially for someone who's held that kind of power for that long. But semantics aside, yes, he violated the law, and he has repeatedly shown that staying in power is his ultimate goal. (The 'fringe benefits' to which you refer, far from being side effects, were inherent *to* his goals, since they were and are the reason people here keep voting for him.) He very certainly deserved to be convicted.

Frankly, all that is why I pity him. The man has built his entire identity around being Alaska's senator, furthering his interests (and therefore, those of the state) at every opportunity. Given his age, there's literally not time for him to be anything else - having all that yanked out from under him, at the hands of a friend (partner-in-crime or no, they were good friends), has got to be pretty devastating. I truly think he's convinced himself that he was only doing his job, was always acting in Alaska's/America's best interests, that he's being wrongfully persecuted, etc. etc. And having to live with that mindset, in current circumstances, is punishment enough.

That said, if Alaska votes him into office again (which is more of a possibility than I'd like to admit), I do hope the Senate kicks him out on his dusty arse. I was hoping he'd have the grace to retire quietly, but given his record, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that he's fighting this tooth and nail. Way to garner sympathy, Ted.