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The hypocrisy of Democrats on crime

There's a growing lawlessness in the United States. And regardless of who the Democrats try to blame, voters aren’t buying it.

A police officer unfurls yellow tape last Friday on a closed street near the San Francisco home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi. Paul Pelosi was attacked and severely beaten by an assailant with a hammer who broke into their home Oct. 28.
A police officer unfurls yellow tape last Friday on a closed street near the San Francisco home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi. Paul Pelosi was attacked and severely beaten by an assailant with a hammer who broke into their home Oct. 28.Read moreEric Risberg / AP

The heinous attack on U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s husband illustrates two sad truths about America today. First, no one is safe from violent crime — even the most wealthy and powerful among us. Second, Democrats and their allies will do anything to take the focus off of their policies by scapegoating Republicans.

It was laughable when Democrats initially tried to blame the push behind defunding the police and the ensuing crime increases on the GOP. But for Democrats to now blame the horrific attack of Paul Pelosi on “political violence” supposedly spurred by critiques of his wife from the right is just more demagoguery from a desperate party about to lose its grip on power.

It would be easier to take Democrats seriously about this kind of rhetoric if they had been this concerned about political speech when a gunman opened fire on a group of GOP congressmen playing baseball in 2017, which almost killed Rep. Steve Scalise. The FBI reported that the attack was the result of “domestic violent extremism” carried out specifically against Republicans.

And if the Dems were truly concerned about violence, perhaps they should have been more vocal about pro-choice activists and politicians putting out “a call to arms” after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.

Why hasn’t President Joe Biden held Democrats accountable for inciting “political violence” after a pro-choice activist was arrested and charged with planning the assassination of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after the Dobbs decision was handed down?

Where were the Democrats when Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Republican from New York, was attacked while campaigning for governor this summer? And where’s the outrage when just last week a Republican congressional candidate from North Carolina had a bullet go through a window of his parents’ home not far from where his children were sleeping?

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It all reeks of hypocrisy.

Paul Pelosi, Rep. Scalise, and Justice Kavanaugh may be public figures, but they, like thousands of their fellow citizens, are victims of a growing lawlessness in the United States. Regardless of who the Democrats try to blame, voters aren’t buying it.

Crime is a defining issue for Tuesday’s election. Yes, inflation and economic issues are still top of mind for voters going to the polls. But a Pew Research poll conducted in October shows that 61% of respondents say that violent crime is their top issue. More than three-quarters of voters said that violent crime is a major problem, according to an October Politico/Morning Consult poll.

Across the country, Americans are feeling vulnerable. Here at home in Pennsylvania, homicides are rising — hovering above pre-pandemic levels — in both Philadelphia and the collar counties. No place is immune.

And Democrats know full well that they are losing on this issue. Politico recently reported on the efforts by the party’s candidates to “defuse crime as a GOP attack on them.”

That same piece cited a recent Gallup poll that found nearly three-quarters of Americans are dissatisfied with the nation’s strategies to reduce or control crime. There was also a recent NBC News/Ipsos poll that showed registered voters trust Republicans more than Democrats when it comes to reining in the mayhem.

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It’s no wonder that Democrats are floundering. As one Republican pollster told Politico: “Any time you mention crime or public safety, the advantage for Republicans is significant every time. If I were a Democrat, I don’t think I would try to make the 2022 races about crime and public safety unless I absolutely had to.”

As we get closer to Election Day, American voters have, indeed, forced the Democrats to face their failure on this issue. It is telling that voters have sniffed out the Democratic hypocrisy on crime, as Republicans have led bipartisan criminal justice reform efforts in recent years — both nationally and locally.

Voters saw criminal justice reforms prioritizing public safety and lowering incarceration work. It was Republicans who led the bipartisan First Step Act signed by President Donald Trump in 2018 — and the efforts in Pennsylvania with the Justice Reinvestment Act that reduced the number of state prison inmates by 4,300 between 2012 and 2018, while also lowering crime by 29%.

There is a stark difference between focusing on lowering recidivism and incarceration rates with tried-and-true reform measures, and simply refusing to prosecute violent criminals (ahem, Larry Krasner). Democrats are the party in power in Washington.

If they only have blame to offer as a solution to crime — they shouldn’t be surprised if voters reject it.

Jennifer Stefano is the executive vice president of the Commonwealth Foundation and a fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum. The views expressed are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the perspectives of any entity she represents.