Belated wow.

Seth Williams appeared on local NPR program Radio Times last Friday morning, with Lynne Abraham coming on separately in the second hour. I only got around to listening to the program this morning, and anybody who is uncertain about this choice owes it to themselves to tune in online if they can. This isn't somebody full of hot air; it's clear that he knows the ins and outs of the legal system, where it works well and doesn't, where the D.A. can influence how things work and where things are more beyond their control, etc. Good chat on a whole range of issues---gun violence, community-based prosecution, which ADA's should be deployed on which case types, how to prevent crime, police overtime, government corruption, etc.---with Marty Moss-Coane doing her usual job of getting to the heart of the questions at hand. A winning performance, much more telling than any rousing-the-troops speech at a rally or fundraiser. This is the real deal.

Update: have now heard Abraham's half as well. She came across as cranky as heck about having to defend her record, accusing both Williams and the host of citing inaccurate facts, and complaining about the influence that the NRA has in Harrisburg. She was informed and well-spoken, of course, but still "passionate" about the death penalty (on behalf of victims). Unfortunately, she didn't really address the structural issues that are the center of Williams' campaign proposals. Instead she claimed that her opponent had "no experience, just a litany of complaints." Not too impressive, Lynne.