Are we wrong about the politics of crime?
A Fox News story published Sunday declares, “Crime has become an important concern for voters ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections.”
Has it?
The article proceeds to ask political hacks — sorry, “strategists” — whether hammering Democrats on crime is a good idea or a very good idea for Republicans ahead of the midterms.
But then they cite an ABC poll that shows voters are far more worried about inflation, the economy, and education.
According to the survey produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates in New York City, the economy (89%), education (77%) and inflation (76%) topped out the issues voters consider "highly important" as midterms loom, but those issues were followed closely by crime at 69%, which beat out abortion at 62%.
It’s really not all that close! 89% vs 69%? It’s a hefty majority that’s worried about crime, for sure. But the fact that it beats out abortion just means that after the seismic shock of the Dobbs decision the issue faded from many people’s radar. Crime, meanwhile, is a perpetual top story in prestige publications, local news outlets, tabloid rags.
It’s a political truism that the public is petrified of crime and any effort to reform policing or prisons is a political liability. So Democrats try to outflank the GOP on crime, which is impossible, as most Republicans are fascists. In turn, Republicans double down on painting Democrats as criminal-coddling anarchists.
The media does its part by asking, over and over and over again, just how big of a liability crime is for Democrats.
G.O.P. Redoubles Efforts to Tie Democrats to High Crime Rates
Deadly Democrats: The Crime Wave No One's Talking About
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How Democrats are trying to counter a wave of GOP ... - Politico
And so it goes!
A recent Gallup poll on crime and criminal justice suggests things aren’t all that clear cut, with many respondents relatively unconcerned about crime and many with little faith in the criminal justice system and police.
Q1: “Is there any area near where you live — that is within a mile — where you would be afraid to walk alone at night?
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