What IS it with Dershowitz? Wasn't he at one point a 'good guy'? I'm missing big chunk of history

[bobbieinok]

[elleng]

1. He was a good guy, and at some point he lost his mind.

I don't recall the timing.

[LisaM]

2. Around 9/11?

I think he might be like Dennis Miller, freaked out over 9/11.

[TheSmarterDog]

8. Yep

[GWC58]

26. And Ron Silver, too!

He went all conservative after 9-11. Just what they, the terrorists, envisioned. Only it went beyond even their wildest dreams.

[Crunchy Frog]

37. Happened well before 9/11.

http://articles.latimes.com/2000/apr/27/local/me-24126

I don't think he ever was a "good guy".

[doc03]

3. He sold his soul for a job on Fox Nuz.

[HopeAgain]

4. He has advocated for individual rights throughout his career

But I think he got drunk on fame and ego very quickly. I think he wants attention and is willing to be the contrarian just to get it.

[Mike Nelson]

5. He has always been...

... a turn off, to me.

[LeftInTX]

6. Criminal defense attorney...of course, he'll support The Con!!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

7. Maybe since OJ

[bettyellen]

23. Or Claus Von Bulow- got seduced by jet setters....

[gibraltar72]

9. Think I remember a story

that puts him very close to Jared. Kind of a mentor. My own take, time has passed him by. Likes the limelight wants to stay relevant.

[unc70]

10. Became fanatical supporter of Israeli RW

I think much of the rest flowed from his positions related to Israel. That support trumped his earlier liberal bent. 9-11 certainly hardened his views, particularly towards Muslims.

[njhoneybadger]

29. Yes, Christian Zionism

[RhodeIslandOne]

11. Like a lot of NY liberals he loves him some Trump

[elleng]

15. Where have you been?

[Voltaire2]

19. He hasnt been a liberal for at least 17 years.

And, no they don’t.

[oberliner]

24. NY liberals love Trump?

What are you talking about?

[smirkymonkey]

25. What? NY liberals HATE Trump!

What are you talking about? In fact, just about everyone in NYC hates Trump, even most conservatives.

[Bradshaw3]

28. Here's a map of how liberal Manhattan voted

Most precincts went 90 percent for Hillary, she carried NY by almost 80 percent of the vote.

https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/numbers/clinton-trump-president-vice-president-every-neighborhood-map-election-results-voting-general-primary-nyc

[RhodeIslandOne]

36. "Liberals" should be in quotes

I posted from my phone and the quotes were not added.

There is a segment on NYC's elite that hobknobbed with the guy too long.

[Cicada]

12. He sides with all defendants even Trump, to protect civil rights of everyone

[Hassler]

13. As long as the defendant has deep pockets.

[Cicada]

32. Deep pockets fund his work for poor people

[pnwmom]

14. I think it's more than that in this case. He's hated Mueller for a long time. n/t

[bobbieinok]

17. Why does he hate Mueller?

[pnwmom]

18. Maybe because of the case mentioned here.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-alan-dershowitz-went-from-hillary-donor-to-trumps-attack-dog-on-russia

[bobbieinok]

33. Thanks for link. If Mueller is quoted correctly, M's attitude a bit off-putting IMO

[pnwmom]

34. No way to know. But Derschowitz is a slimy character who dines out with Newsmax

buddies at Mar a lago, while pretending to be a liberal.

So I'd trust Mueller over him any day.

[Voltaire2]

20. Nope. He is not a civil libertarian.

For example he supported torture of people.

[Cicada]

40. He argued torture will happen so better to have judicial supervision

He didn’t say he wanted torture or condoned torture, tho maybe he does, but that regardless of the laws or what we want torture will happen.mgiven that reality he said we should pass laws requiring judicial supervision to restrain harms. And in other contexts I suspect he does support civil liberties. Arguing against broad powers for prosecutors, as he does with Mueller, strikes me as a good idea. Our prosecutors in many cases have become monsters. They need to have powers reduced, IMO.

[Voltaire2]

42. Sorry- puts him in the war criminal category.

[Cicada]

43. Proposing judicial supervision will not lead to a war crime conviction

But maybe you have a valid point, maybe that’s enough

[Voltaire2]

44. We are outside the ICC. So sure nobody here

is getting charged. But putting judges in charge of torture doesn’t make it not a war crime, it just involves more people in the criminal proceeding.

[Adrahil]

27. Lol!!!

He holds the position that Trump cannot commit obstruction of justice because he he is supreme executive. That’s a helluva civil liberty!

[Cicada]

41. If Hillary were the target would that claim sound so odd to you?

The President does hold many powers beyond the reach of other branches of government. We don’t want the government unable to function so some powers can’t be blocked. As a safety valve against excess congress can impeach and remove from office, and elections are held every four years. What Alan claims is disputed by some experts, supported by others. But what he claims is a limit on the power of prosecutors, a view shared by many civil libertarians. Our prosecutors have in my opinion become monsters in too many cases. I too tilt toward restraining their power.

[Crunchy Frog]

38. Hahahahahahaha!

Good one.

[kskiska]

16. He was an advisor to the defense at the O.J. trial.

That was back in 1994.

[Girard442]

21. I was annoyed with Dershowitz from way back.

I'm fully onboard with the idea that accused people deserve vigorous representation in every case, but Dersh would jump in and sell his whole soul and I got sick of it.

[procon]

22. Well past his Sell-By date, Dershowitz needs to retire before

he starts talking to imaginary friends.

[Jake Stern]

30. Dershowitz is a bad guy when he sides with Trump BUT

I seem to recall many DUers having no problem citing Dersh when it came to backing up their opposition to Keith Ellison as DNC Chair.

[Iggo]

31. He's one of the 9/11 Psychosis motherfuckers. (n/t)

[David__77]

35. Is it purists complaining about Dershowitz?

There may be too many litmus tests.

[Scurrilous]

39. He defended sex offender Jeffery Epstein.

Should count for something...

[BootinUp]

45. First thing to ask is whether he is an attention whore.

If yes, then you can forget trying to analyze him further.