Montage: Media downplays, spins major voting issue of crime ahead of midterms
Media figures on MSNBC and CNN claimed that Democrats have handle crime well and blamed Republicans for ‘sensationalizing’ the issue.
With the midterm elections just days away, liberal media outlets have attempted to reorient voters’ perceptions about crime, painting Democrats as strong on the issue, and blaming Republicans for exaggerating violence in America.
On Tuesday, "The View" host Joy Behar claimed that crime wasn't "on the rise" in the U.S. and that it was actually going down under President Biden. While discussing the recent attack on Paul Pelosi, Behar complained that all Republicans do is talk about crime despite their part in the January 6 Capitol riots.
"I looked it up, murders in major cities have fallen by 4% so far in 2022 compared with the same period a year ago, so crime is not on the rise. It’s actually going down under Joe Biden," Behar said.
President Joe Biden gives a speech in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Just a week earlier, co-host Sunny Hostin claimed that New York City is one of the safest cities in the country.
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Her claim came despite the fact that New York City homicides increased 47% in 2020 (right now there are issues with crime reporting for 2021 and 2022 because of a change to the FBI crime registry). While New York is one of the safest cities for its particular size, it is not listed as one of the safest cities overall, and, as Police Commissioner Dermot Shea noted, it finished 2020 as the most violent year for the city in 14 years.
Law enforcement officers work near the scene of a shooting at a subway station in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., April 12, 2022 (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
Discussions of crime in New York City continued on MSNBC, where host Al Sharpton blasted Republicans for calling out crime issues, but not taking legislative action on guns. He also claimed Gov. Kathy Hochul, D., has been one of the strongest city leaders on crime.
"It’s amazing to me that these Republican candidates, like Zeldin and like Dr. Oz, are all about crime, but don’t want to do anything about guns, which is the real tool of criminals," Sharpton told Hochul. "And they act like you are, and others, are soft on crime, when, in fact, I don’t think anyone has been stronger in many states on dealing with gun control and working with communities."
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 24: New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks, joined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams (R) and the newly appointed ATF Director Steve Dettelbah, as she delivers remarks about their joint effort to combat gun violence at the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) office on August 24, 2022 in New York City. ((Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images))
Numerous other media figures attempted to portray the handling of crime similarly, making Democrats appear tough on crime, and labeling Republicans as fearmongers for running on the issue.
Last month, CNN political analyst Kirsten Powers claimed that voters’ perceptions of crime are not necessarily in line with the reality of the situation.
"Democrats have a pretty good record on crime. And yet, they’re not talking about it. In the same way there is a lot of people in this country who believe the Democratic Party supported defund the police and they didn’t. Right? And they just don’t do a good enough job of explaining what they believe," she said.
Demonstrators hold a sign reading "Defund the police" during a protest over the death of a Black man, Daniel Prude, after police put a spit hood over his head during an arrest on March 23, in Rochester, New York, U.S. September 6, 2020. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
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MSNBC reporters on two separate occasions recently claimed that Republicans were weaponizing and racializing crime two appeal to the voting base.
In early October, political analyst Kimberly Atkins said that racist language on crime stemming from Republicans had been "normalized" in the party, and said that they have been successful in linking crime and illegal immigration.
"Those are the types of issues, the things that drive fear among voters that Republicans think they have been very successful with in the past. And we’re seeing that again. That’s among those things that’s underlying, yes, people are talking about the economy, but on the Republican side, this push on crime, there’s this push about –to scare voters," she said.
Judge gavel, handcuffs with white powder bag on dark table. Crime, robbery, drug trafficking concept (iStock )
On Oct. 21, MSNBC legal analyst Charles Coleman Jr. and Eugene Robinson had a lengthy discussion about crime and its potential impact on how voters cast their ballot.
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Robinson used a mocking voice to speak on people’s concerns that New York and California are seeing upticks in carjackings and assaults, claiming that it is actually red states that have worse crime rates. He added that there is a "mismatch" between the reality of crime in America and people’s perceptions.
Coleman Jr. then urged Republicans to stop "sensationalizing" crime and admitted that while violent crime is on the rise, it only accounts for 20% of crimes that are occurring throughout the country.
Suffolk County Police told Fox News that the shooting outside Rep. Lee Zeldin's, R-N.Y., home happened around 2:20 p.m. on Sunday in Shirley on Long Island. (Fox News)
Print media also claimed the GOP focus on crime was overblown and appealed to racism.
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In the politics section of The New York Times, congressional correspondent Jonathan Weisman wrote on Republicans "seizing" on crime concerns and "injecting race into contests across the country."
He argued that GOP candidates who called their Democratic opponents soft on crime were "appealing to White fears and resentments."
Ads which showed footage of Black Lives Matter riots and illegal immigrants crossing the border were "racist fear tactics," according to the Times reporter.
"Such language, as well as ads portraying chaos by depicting Black rioters and Hispanic immigrants illegally racing across the border, have prompted Democrats and their allies to accuse Republicans of resorting to racist fear tactics," Weisman wrote.
The NRSC is releasing an ad comparing Democratic Senate nominee Mandela Barnes to House "Squad" members, after canceling other ads in the state earlier this week. (screengrab)
Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank also attempted to debunk GOP messaging on crime this election by arguing that it wasn't soaring but actually declining. He claimed crime was higher in red states that voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
"[T]hose who are truly worried about violent crime should consider decamping to blue America. Living in a Republican state is much more likely to get you killed," he argued.
The columnist cited incomplete data from the FBI's annual crime report which is missing complete data from nearly 40% of police departments nationwide.
The columnist also suggested the Republican focus on crime was racist and "paranoid."
"If it’s the fall of a year ending in an even number, you can be pretty sure Republicans will try to scare you with paranoia about crime — specifically, violent crime committed by dark-skinned people," he wrote.
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