Staff Reports
In a dazzling display of political acrobatics, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris recently seized on a crime report to take a potshot at their Republican counterparts, who they claim are opposed to the American Rescue Plan. This plan might as well be renamed the “Bailout for Blue Cities Act,” given its generous “$15 billion lifeline” to cities nationwide—whether they wanted it or not. Apparently, those dollars have worked wonders, at least according to the White House spin machine.
In a statement that must have had the press pool both snickering and wincing, Biden boasted about decreased crime statistics. The report showed declines in homicides, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults, with Biden declaring that “this did not happen by accident.” Sure, because crime just magically resolves itself when kings wave their wands and allocate taxpayer dollars to local governments. Perhaps he should have also suggested that cities sprinkle some fairy dust on their streets for extra effect.
Undeterred by the fact that not a single Republican voted for the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, Biden continued to hang his hat on numbers that are likely less impressive than he would have viewers believe. Yes, crime is down from its peak in the early ’90s, but that doesn’t mean folks will stop locking their doors or that streetlights will suddenly flicker to life because of federal funding. The truth is, crime rates have gone up in various places over the past few years, coinciding with some rather liberal local policies—including a few that would make even the staunchest “defund the police” advocates pause to reflect.
Biden wasn’t shy about mentioning his precious gun legislation either. While the President appears proud of boxing gun rights into an ever-tightening corner, one must wonder how many violent offenders care about the laws of the land when they’re already ignoring the law. The idea that banning so-called “assault weapons” while simultaneously funding more police officers will solve rampant crime is nothing short of naïve.
White House snubs Republicans in celebratory statement about crime decrease https://t.co/VEiapw8WmA
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 11, 2024
Harris, often relegated to the background, was front and center in Biden’s rhetoric during this crime conversation. Their joint foray into crime fighting includes plans to increase the police force and funding for “community violence intervention programs,” which sounds like government speak for more oversight and mandates over local law enforcement. The irony here is rich: Reducing crime may not simply stem from throwing money at police departments while simultaneously pushing policies that handcuff those same officers.
With Biden now preparing to hit the campaign trail with Harris, one must question whether this is a display of confidence or an attempt to distract from his ongoing presidential flop. Is this a publicity stunt that desperately wants to refresh a tired narrative? Or are they genuinely convinced that Americans are happier and safer under their watch? As the two prepare for what could easily be labeled as a two-man show, the debate on law and order in America continues to boil—much to the delight of Republicans who would gladly take center stage.
