Philly: “This is not a normal election”

This post is not meant to express an opinion on any of the local issues here in Philadelphia or express support or criticism any candidate. The fact is that I don’t know much about criminal justice and I don’t know any of the candidates in the DA race. This writing simply expresses my fear of the possible effects of next week’s election in Philadelphia that is dramatically different from any election I can remember.

Six months ago we concluded a national election where most would agree was not a normal election. We are still trying to figure out what happened and may not know the truth for months to come.

Meanwhile here in Philly we see big outside political money, questionable tactics by the party and increased political activism by lawyers, all add up to risks of instability to our system of government.  Our basic approach to criminal law is apparently at stake.

I strongly recommend viewing Laura Galante’s TED talk “How to exploit democracy” and reading the profile article about George Lakoff for insight into what’s happening. It might be too late to change the outcome of Philadelphia’s DA election but it is important to recognize the radicalized election strategies that will resurface in 2018 and beyond.