Will Democrats Fall Into The Crime Trap?

Most of the highest crime cities are run by Democrats. Boston, NYC, Chicago, Baltimore, SF, LA, Seattle, Portland (it wasn’t that long ago that Seattle and Portland were pretty decent. Pre-COVID they were around a 28, meaning safer than 28% of cities, at worst. Now it’s a 1 for both). They’re horrible policies led to the crime explosion. In some cases they’ve tried to get a bit tougher, like, say, San Francisco, but, it’s a little late, so, crime still flourishes. Until there’s a serious crackdown, nothing changes. So

Trump’s DC move forces Democrats to again grapple with crime

President Trump’s use of federal resources to combat crime in the nation’s capital is forcing Democrats to once again address the issue of law and order, something that has been a vulnerability for them in recent elections.

Democrats were quick to note — following Trump’s announcement Monday that he would federalize the city’s police force and deploy the National Guard — that violent crime in Washington, D.C., is down.

However, Republicans see the message as a winning one as signs suggest voters are concerned about crime regardless, leading some Democrats to warn their party against falling into the same political trap some see as having damaged them in the past.

“My advice to Democrats is don’t take the bait,” said Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist and former senior adviser to former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Nellis noted that voters could still feel strongly about crime even as statistics show improvement in metropolitan areas like D.C., thereby opening Democrats up to easy attacks from the GOP.

Too late! Democrats are already trying to die on the hill of “yeah, crime is still really high, but, it’s down!”

Polls show Republicans have the upper hand on the crime issue. According to a CNN survey released in June, 40 percent of voters said the GOP’s views on crime are closer to their own, while 27 percent said the same about Democrats.

“It’s obviously a winning an argument for Republicans, especially anytime we’re talking about crime in Democrat-run cities,” the national Republican operative said.

OK, this goes on in political calculations for a bit, but, here’s what Democrats do not get: we would rather not let it be a political issue, we just want to reduce crime to acceptable levels, and punish those who commit crimes. I’m sure most Democrats would like crime reduced, as well. They want to feel safe walking down the streets, in their homes, in their cars. But, if Democrats want to be super soft on criminals, then it becomes a political issue, and the GOP will bludgeon them with it.

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