NY Times columnist says Biden's call to fund police was 'callous attempt' to appease 'law-and-order crowd'

New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow wrote in a Wednesday op-ed that President Joe Biden's call for the funding of police during his State of the Union address felt like "a callous attempt to appease the law-and-order crowd."

"We should all agree: The answer is not to defund the police. It’s to fund the police. Fund them. Fund them. Fund them with resources and training. Resources and training they need to protect their communities. I ask Democrats and Republicans alike to pass my budget and keep our neighborhoods safe," Biden said in his speech on Tuesday.

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Blow argued that providing police systems with more funding at a time when police reform is necessary would "serve to buttress the brokenness." The columnist also noted an April 28, 2021, speech by the president after his first 100 days in office, during which he called for the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing act. 

He called for America to come together to "rebuild trust between law enforcement and the people they serve." Blow said Biden "performed a political pirouette and ended up facing the wrong direction."

The New York Times writer said talks on the police reform bill ended in September and that Biden had said he would sign an executive order with similar laws. 

"Mr. President, it’s March. We are still waiting for you to issue that executive order," Blow wrote. 

"Race, as a word, magically disappeared from your rhetorical repertoire. Why? I assume because the political winds have shifted. What polled well last spring isn’t polling well this spring," Blow said, noting Biden didn't bring up race in his State of the Union address. 

For instance, Blow praised Biden's historic nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson, but said that the president didn't note during his speech that she, if confirmed, will be the first Black woman sitting on the bench. 

Blow also criticized Biden for not fighting hard enough to get the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act passed. He said after the legislation didn't pass the Senate in January, Biden promised he would keep fighting to get this legislation passed, but has not mentioned it since its failure in Congress. Blow suggested that some might "defend" Biden because he has "the most diverse cabinet in history." 

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Voters in mostly Democratic cities largely rejected local reforms and candidates that called for defunding the police. In Minneapolis, voters rejected an amendment that would have replaced the Minneapolis Police Department with a Department of Public Safety. They also reelected their mayor, who opposed the measure. In the Seattle mayoral race, a candidate that supported cutting police funding in half lost.  

Biden's State of the Union address focused on the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, rising inflation and more. Some of what he said garnered bipartisan support and applause, such as his calls for securing the border and beating the opioid epidemic.