Democrats have a crime problem.
These aren’t my words. These are the words of Politico, a digital news outlet that, as AllSides succinctly notes, “focuses more on issues of importance to people on the political left, and sometimes describes issues in ways that match the left perspective.”
In other words, disgruntled team members are calling out their own team.
And for good reason.
The Democrats have a crime problem, a really serious crime problem. If in doubt, let me point you in the direction of Numbeo’s latest crime index. Of the world’s 50 most dangerous cities, seven are located in the United States—and every one of them is run by a Democrat. The not-so-magnificent seven include Detroit, Albuquerque, Oakland, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Houston, Texas.
These cities are literally riddled with burglaries, gun crimes, property crimes, and homicides.
In Albuquerque, from January to August 2023, for example, there were 2,372 weapons violations in the city, representing a 24 percent rise compared to the same time period in 2022. In Oakland, as the San Francisco Chronicle just reported, compared to 2022, reports of violent crime rose 21 percent, “while robberies climbed 38% and burglaries ticked up 23%.” For the second consecutive year, the city recorded 120 homicides. That averages out at about one every three days.
In Philadelphia, as Brookings, a left-leaning think tank, has reported, the people “are scared. They’re afraid to walk on the streets.” Of course they are. That’s because the so-called “City of Brotherly Love” is defined by an air of lawlessness. Vandalism, assault, arson, and sex crimes are frighteningly common in Philly.
In Seattle, meanwhile, according to the Brookings report, issues of “security, substance use, and mental health” are causing many a sleepless night.
Although Texas is a majority Republican state, its largest metropolis, Houston, is run by John Whitmire, a decades-long member of the Democratic Party. A city renowned for its diversity, Houston is also home to a diverse range of crimes: larceny, vandalism, motor vehicle thefts, etc. Robberies and aggravated assaults are also on the rise.
When one examines the Numbeo report a little more closely, they'll see that, of the world’s 100 most dangerous cities, 16 U.S. cities are on the list. None of the 16—San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Portland, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Seattle, Tucson, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, the homeless capital of America—have Republican mayors.
As Vera Action, a branch of the left-leaning Vera Institute, has shown, to win in elections where crime is a major issue—and crime is almost always a major issue—“candidates must first demonstrate that they are serious about safety.”
Interestingly, once the threshold is actually met, a distinct pattern starts to emerge: when given the option to select either a “tough-on-crime” or “prevention-first” strategy, a majority of voters, especially Democratic voters, opt for prevention. Most readers, I imagine, regardless of their politics, would opt for a “prevention-first” approach. Prevention is almost always better than cure. Proactive approaches to crime keep people safer.
In the 16 cities listed on the Numbero report, however, there doesn’t seem to be any sort of approach to combating crime. Nothing effective, anyway.
This could cost Democrats dearly, and a failure to address crime could cost President Joe Biden dearly. After all, when it comes to combating criminal activities, nearly half the country believes the current president has done a particularly poor job. The disaster at the border—the worst border crisis in U.S. history—certainly hasn’t helped. In fact, it appears to be directly contributing to crime waves in American cities.
The American people, especially those living in the 16 cities, deserve better. They deserve to be represented by mayors who actively work to reduce levels of crime. As the analysts at Vera warn, the voters most alarmed by issues of safety can “make or break” a political race.
