MSNBC analyst complains voters concerned about crime because GOP 'sensationalizes' the issue

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MSNBC analyst complains GOP 'sensationalizing' crime

MSNBC's "Morning Joe" discussed crime being a focus in the midterm elections, with one analyst blaming the GOP for "sensationalizing" the issue.

An MSNBC legal analyst on "Morning Joe" claimed the GOP was "sensationalizing" crime, after voters shared with the network they were very concerned about rising crime.

Crime was a recurring topic on Friday's show, as reporters talked with several focus groups in Pennsylvania about issues important to them in the upcoming midterm elections. 

In the 8:00 a.m. ET hour, MSNBC played a clip of Oklahoma Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joy Hofmeister saying in her debate with Gov. Kevin Stitt that the red state had a higher violent crime rate than California and New York.

Looking to FBI data, co-host Mika Brzezinski concluded she was "100% right." She bristled at the crowd's poor reaction to Hofmeister's claim. "I was taken aback by how condescending the crowd appeared to be, even the moderator…not knowing their state's information," she complained.

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Judge gavel, handcuffs with white powder bag on dark table. Crime, robbery, drug trafficking concept (iStock )

MSNBC analysts Eugene Robinson and Charles Coleman argued voters were deceived in their perceptions of crime.

"Perception of crime matters more than the actual rates," Robinson declared. "Actually in less populated states, in red states, there are terrible crime problems…worse than in California, worse than in the places that are brought to mind," he stated.

He asked Coleman how politicians should talk about rising crime in an accurate way. The legal analyst's first reaction was to blame the right for "sensationalizing" crime.

"Well, the first thing we have to do is stop sensationalizing America’s crime problem because that leads to inaccurate narratives and that also gives rise to improper solutions that focus on symptoms rather than systems," Coleman said.

MSNBC analyst Charles Coleman claimed the right "sensationalizes, weaponizes and racializes crime."

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Coleman argued there was a misplaced emphasis on violent crime, which he said was only 20% of the total crime that occurs in the country.

He slammed Republicans for "sensationalizing, weaponizing and racializing" crime to appeal to "a certain demographic of their voting base that is receptive to these tactics."

The analyst said the GOP's solutions to crime, like "funding more police, building more jails, locking people up" only treated the symptoms instead of offering "systemic" solutions. He also suggested the media should talk more about former NFL quarterback Brett Favre's allegedly fraudulent financial dealings than gang crime.

In the 7:00 a.m. ET hour, MSNBC host Jonathan Lemire also discounted crime concerns heading into the midterm elections, asking Robinson how Democrats can "set the record straight" in showing voters crime isn't "nearly as bad" as it was in the 1990s in big cities.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at a news conference in Dublin, Calif. Stung by recent headline-grabbing smash-and-grab robberies at high-end stores. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group via AP)

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The claim that red states have a murder problem is a talking point initially pushed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

Critics have pointed out that states with the highest per-capita murder rate also happen to be home to the most deadly Democrat-run cities such as Kansas City, Missouri and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Earlier in the program, co-host Joe Scarborough also blasted"woke" district attorneys and Democrats who dismissed concerns about crime.