OPINION | Chris McCarthy: Mass GOP Supports Death Penalty

Prior to the murder of Yarmouth Police Officer Sean Gannon, the Mass GOP supported the death penalty in its party platform.

The Republican Party is known nationally as the “law and order” party when compared to the Democrats. The Democrat Party is the party of second chances for criminals, and pointing to society as the cause of crime rather than the individual.

Of course, this description of the two parties is not 100 percent applicable to every member of the parties, but it is the accepted brand by the public.

When the public is subjected to the realities of violent crime, they ask for solutions. We are fortunate to live in a society that is still shocked when a police officer is murdered. The shock and resulting anger of the public is a tribute to the reality that murder is not commonplace or accepted as normal.

The relative peace and law and order we are accustomed to is also a credit to the professionalism of our local police officers. Most of us appreciate police officers and the work they do, without spending much time thinking about it. We know they are going to be there when we need them. The men and women who volunteer to be police know we appreciate them, and understand we know they will be there when they get the call.

The men and women who serve as police officers are of us and among us.

But there is an active subversive element in our country that wants to divide the citizens from the police who serve and protect. Every mistake is amplified and used to condemn local police. Fictional accounts of police misconduct are used to vilify and dehumanize local police officers. The result of this subversive propaganda against police is a culture of distrust, chaos--and the death of police officers.

Killing a police officer is both a crime against an individual and a crime against society. The local police are a symbol of the community and the rule of law. A person who will kill a police officer will rape, rob and murder anyone in their path. Society gives the police the judgment to use a weapon in a manner that preserves the life and liberty of the public. When a criminal decides to kill a police officer, they are challenging the rule of law and civilized society.

Civilized society has the power to decide what happens to people who are convicted of murdering police officers. The voters elected representatives to make the laws for them. The voters understand that laws should change from time to time to reflect the shifting times.

The voters this year are looking for justice. The voters appreciate the police who protect them, and they want to protect the police.

The GOP will benefit because they are asking for justice for the police when they recommend the death penalty.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.