Republicans tried to put criminality onto the 2020 ballot – Crime would be the final straw in the favor of Republicans in Pennsylvania in the midterm elections in 2022. Like 1994, where the then U.S. Tom Ridge clobbered Lieutenant. Governor Mark Singel with Reginald McFadden the victim of clemency, who committed murder shortly after his release.
In Pennsylvania’s highly watched U.S. Senate race, Republican candidate Mehmet Oz slammed Lt. Governor. John Fetterman for his role as a member of the Board of Pardons. But the difference is that Singel’s campaign fell to the pressures and Democrat Fetterman won.
Why? Despite claims made by Republicans that violence is a problem, the rate of crime in 2022 isn’t anywhere near the same level as it was in the 1990s.
The topic of crime is not something new for American politics. In the past, President George H.W. Bush introduced Willie Horton into the 1988 presidential race, openly inciting fears about race and crime In 1992, the former president, Bill Clinton, departed the campaign trail to supervise the execution of his home State of Arkansas-having a tough stance on criminals has been a major part for American politics.
Crime as a hot-button issue was first brought up in 1964 by Barry Goldwater. The GOP candidate for president, Barry Goldwater, established the concept that crime was a dividing problem, a fear mongering one, and America has never been the same since.
In the time that Republican Richard Nixon was making his second presidential run in 1968, the Civil Rights Act had passed and riots erupted across the nation in cities following the killing of Martin Luther King, Jr. And murder rates were up 50 percent from 1950.
Race relations were insecure at the very least at worst, and Nixon recognized that. Crime control was a substitute for race-control. And every person in America is paying for it in many different ways.
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In the 1980s, drug laws became more burdensome. The president Ronald Reagan introduced draconian mandatory minimum sentences and even more severe punishments for drug use.
George H.W. Bush and Clinton have made their crimes-fighting credentials well-known through their campaigns and government Clinton’s crime bill of 1994 continues to resonate throughout our criminal justice system.
While violent crime declined in the early decade in the 20th century, crime slowed down during the campaign season until it returned in the midterm elections in 2022.
But, fear of crime wasn’t the path to success that the GOP believed. According to the Associated Press exit poll just 8 percent of voters identified crime as a factor which prompted their vote.
Republicans were not successful in many states where crime was a problem. As in Pennsylvania however, several states like Michigan and Minnesota were able to overcome the issue of crime.
The state of Michigan when the GOP has criticized Democratic Governor. Gretchen Whitmer for being “soft on criminals” Whitmer and the Democrats took over the state offices of governor secretary of state as well as attorney general. They also took both chambers of state legislature.
For Minnesota, Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison won reelection despite being attacked by state Republicans. In Minneapolis which is still haunted by the tragic death in the case of George Floyd, a progressive district attorney was elected with a huge. In addition, the Democratic governor also got elected, and Democrats were elected to both chambers of state lawmakers.
Everyone agrees that the rate of the number of violent crimes has increased in the last decade, especially since the year 2020. The rise in crime should not be overlooked however, it must be considered in the context of. For instance According to Brennan Center, a nonpartisan law and policy-making organization from 1991 to 2014 the rate of murder in the country decreased to more than fifty in the range of 9.8 to 4.4 murders per 100,000.
While some cities have experienced a recent rise in the number of violent crimes, the perspective is crucial. The year 1990 was the most violent. New York City had 245 murders. In 2021, the number was 485 murders, an increase over the year before, but still far from the heinous crime spree of the 1990s and 1980s.
New York governor, Democrat Kathy Hocul, overcame a contest by Lee Zeldin, with the help of Lee Zeldin, despite the continual cries of “out of out of control crimes” by Fox News and the New York Post.
The fear of crime, or the threat associated with it will always be a conflicting topic. The issue of crime is a hot topic in Pennsylvania, GOP legislators are trying to remove Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner — recently elected — due to the rise in crime within the city.
It doesn’t matter that legislators aren’t from Philadelphia or in the vicinity. It’s a good political theater.
