WaPo columnist mocks GOP 'fearmongering' on crime: Living in a red state 'much more likely to get you killed'
Voters gave GOP a 14-point advantage in handling crime over Dems, according to a recent Post/ABC poll
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A column in The Washington Post claimed voters concerned about violent crime should move to blue states, because "living in a Republican state is much more likely to get you killed."
Columnist Dana Milbank attempted to debunk GOP messaging on crime this election by arguing that crime wasn't soaring but actually declining, and claiming it was higher in red states.
The columnist also suggested the Republican focus on crime was racist and "paranoid."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"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 began.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 14: Police converge on the scene of a shooting in Brooklyn, one of numerous during the day, on July 14, 2021 in New York City. (Getty Images)
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Knocking Republican "fearmongering" about crime, Milbank claimed the truth was, "violent crime is not soaring, in fact, it might be declining," "most violent crime is committed by White people," and "violent crime is generally worse in Republican-run states."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He cited incomplete data from the FBI's annual crime report which found crime in 2021 was stable and overall violent crime had declined by 1 percent from 2020, although homicides were up. Though Milbank admitted the numbers weren't "highly reliable."
The crime report actually lacks complete data from nearly 40% of police departments nationwide. High crime areas such as New York City and Los Angeles did not report full data to the FBI by the deadline.
The columnist also cited data from Democratic group Third Way that found 2020 homicide rates were higher in Trump-won states.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
"Eight of the 10 states with the highest homicide rates have been reliably red states for the past two decades," he claimed.
"If MAGA leaders are truly concerned about violent crime, they might look inward," Milbank scolded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The argument is one California Gov. Gavin Newsom has frequently made in media appearances, calling it the "red state murder problem."
Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom of California (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
However, Milbank noted the South had "been more violent than the rest of the country for centuries," so it wasn't GOP leaders' "fault."
Still, he suggested voters take the GOP's warnings about crime to an opposite conclusion.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"But those 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 concluded.
A September poll from Milbank's own paper and ABC News found that crime is a bigger concern for voters than abortion, and Republicans hold the highest lead on handling crime in more than thirty years.