Over at the Column, writer Adam Johnson makes a good point about an obnoxious breed of political pundits: the Not Surprised Guy and his close cousin, the Well, That’s Just How It Is Guy.
I’d like to turn to the Well, That’s Just How It Is Guy, because one of their most pernicious habits is to drag any criminal justice reform to a soft, soggy center (which in reality given the scope of the problem is like doing nothing or making everything worse with band-aid “reforms”).
A few Truisms for That’s Just How It Is Guy:
a) Voters are obsessed with public safety
b) In order to win votes, Democrats must pursue “tough-on-crime” policies and reject reforms.
“What is the constituency for reducing the penalty for carrying illegal guns around DC? Why is the Council voting to do this?” — Matt Yglesias.
I don’t know, maybe because studies show that people act based on their fear of getting caught, not the length of sentence. Because US jails and prisons are expensive hellpits where young people are traumatized and have their futures severely restricted with felony convictions, which is not a great recipe for a long and socially productive life?
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Substance to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.