Republicans may have found the Democrats’ weakness in taking back the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm election next year, according to a CNN report.
“Crime,” according to CNN’s analysis piece on the midterm election cycle, is the one issue Republicans could use as the Democrats’ “kryptonite” to regain the House and Senate.
The report emphasizes an op-ed written by Republican Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) early this week, explaining how the time has passed for radical socialists to realize “their calls to defund the police are dangerous and foolish,” but has still called for defunding the police.
The CNN report explained that Marshall’s declaration is echoed overall by the Republican Party. The report noted that Republicans as a whole had been successfully seizing on the left’s “criticism of law enforcement.”
Many Democrats have either been vocal about their calls to defund the police, which has been cast as “deeply out-of-touch with the average American,” or have stayed silent and not stood up to their own party.
The Republicans have vigorously seized both. Radical House members who belong to the so-called “squad” have been calling to defund the police since early last year and have not stopped.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are just some of the members who have called for these efforts.
Additionally, there are members like Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) who act like there are no Democrats calling for these efforts. Recently when asked, Schrader said, “no one” in his party is calling for these efforts.
The CNN report also pointed out that the statistics on crime are “jarring.” In April, the news organization reported homicides saw a 33 percent increase in 2020.
Additionally, “63 of the 66 largest police jurisdictions saw increases in at least one category of violent crimes in 2020, which include homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, according to a report produced by the Major Cities Chiefs Association,” wrote CNN in April.
More so, the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) — the largest police union in the nation — announced last week that attacks on police had risen drastically by 91 percent in the past year. The union also blasted politicians and the media for “gaslighting the public into thinking the Police are the Problem.”
The FOP also released a graphic showing homicide and shooting rates rising. Portland, Oregon, was shown at the highest with an unparalleled increase in homicides rising over 530 percent in addition to shootings rising over 125 percent.
President Joe Biden himself has even addressed the severity of the problem. CNN pointed out that Biden last month said, “Crime historically rises during the summer, and as we emerge from this pandemic with the country opening back up again, the traditional summer spike may be more pronounced than it usually would be.”
CNN noted that a Washington Post/ABC News poll had shown nearly six in ten Americans (59 percent) called the issue of crime either “extremely” (28 percent) or “very” (31 percent) serious. More than half (55 percent) said that “increasing funding for police departments” would reduce crime.
The report stated that the challenge the Democrats will have on crime is that “police reform is required,” but in “swing districts where the House majority will be decided, voters are far less willing to support policies like defunding the police or even reallocating resources devoted to crime fighting.”
The report clarified:
Biden — and every Democrat running for House or Senate in 2022 — needs the support of liberal and Black voters to win. But many of the toughest seats and states also require a Democrat to appeal to middle-of-the-road voters who are, polling suggests, far more wary of major police reform.
Lastly, the report explained that attacks on policing and the “defund the police” movement are making it harder for Democrats in the House and Senate to hold the majority. But, one problem will be Biden or other Democrats in leadership trying to muzzle the “outspoken voices” to try and keep the majority.
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