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In recent weeks, the Republican Party has been trying to make crime a major issue for the 2022 midterm elections. They have been relentlessly hammering the President and his administration for the supposed “crime wave” that has swept the country since Biden took office. However, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has justifiably pointed out the shameless hypocrisy on display from Republicans when it comes to criminal justice.
Firstly, the Republicans claiming crime is out of control now are the same people who virtually ignored or enabled Donald Trump’s lawlessness for four years. During his presidency, Trump flouted the law and norms regularly, and many Republicans dismissed, downplayed, or even apologized for his actions. Furthermore, Republicans have long held that the police and the justice system should be given wide deference to act as they see fit, and yet after the police’s treatment of George Floyd last year, they became enraged at the Black Lives Matter movement’s “defund the police” demands.
Also, Republicans’ attempts to undermine faith in the voting system last election cycle, even after Trump lost, were far more harmful to our democracy than any petty crime on the streets. They refused to accept the election’s outcome, slapped Americans in the face with lies about widespread voter fraud, and tacitly egged on the January 6th insurrection that attacked the U.S. Capitol.
Moreover, the policies Republicans support have led to mass incarceration, which has not made us safer, but rather destroyed the lives of millions. Criminalizing poverty, drug addiction and mental illness and imposing mandatory minimum sentences have been the go-to tactic of Republicans for decades. The truth is many Republicans don’t care about reducing crime; they only want to exploit it as a wedge issue to win elections.
Despite these facts, Psaki pointed out in a recent press conference that the Biden Administration is committed to reforming the criminal justice system and reversing the long-lasting damage from over-policing and over-criminalization. They have proposed plans to invest in community programs and job training, address the root causes of crime, diminish police powers and conduct, and implement progressive criminal justice policies that will bring much needed reform.
Republicans need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and realize that their hypocrisy is showing. They can’t claim to be the party that cares about law and order while turning a blind eye to the unethical acts of their own party. They can’t call other people “soft on crime” when their policies have done far more harm than good.
Psaki’s words struck a chord with many, and her efforts in highlighting the Republicans’ crime hypocrisy has been both refreshing and necessary. Americans need to hear the truth, and not the lies and distortions that the Republican Party is trying to sell them. Crime is a serious issue, but it’s far from the most significant challenge that our country faces today. We need leaders who understand that, who are willing to take action and risk doing something different, and not those who are content to keep doing the same things over and over again, expecting different results.
In the end, Psaki’s words should serve as a wake-up call to all Americans. It’s time to stop playing politics and start acting in the best interests of the people. If we can’t do that, then we risk losing our way as a nation, and the consequences of that would be catastrophic. So let us embrace the truth, let us work together for change, and let us never forget the importance of justice and compassion, in all our actions.
