As violent crime surges from coast to coast, Democrats could do one of two things about their defund-the-police initiatives that are propelling this mayhem. They could defend their efforts and say, in essence, "Who cares about the burgeoning carnage? We want social justice, the blood of innocents be damned." Or they could apologize: "We blew it! Our soft-headed ideas were gunned down by reality. Sorry!"

Instead, Democrats are performing a political trifecta of hypocrisy, deceit and psychological projection: Democrats didn’t defund the police. Republicans did.

Lying Democrats now blame Republicans for defunding police and, presumably, unleashing the ensuing epidemic of lawlessness.

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Their "proof"? Republicans opposed Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that provided $350 billion in aid to states, cities, and tribes. Nowhere does this 242-page bill mention "police" or "law enforcement." This legislation lets "public safety officers" participate in an $80 million allotment for "mental health and substance use disorder training." Also, "public safety" is among the purposes of a $772.5 million outlay to Tribal governments.

Now, post facto, Biden encourages states and cities to spend some of this $350 billion on police. If Biden told them tomorrow to dedicate this sum to food for orphans, he could slam Republicans for "starving orphans to death."

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This massive, filthy lie is refuted easily by Democrats’ pro-defunding comments and the defunding perpetrated in Democrat-run cities after the May 2020 murder of George Floyd beneath the knee of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin.

*Last July 8, activist Ady Barkan asked candidate Joe Biden in a virtual interview, "But do we agree that we can redirect some of the funding?" away from police.

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"Yes, absolutely," Biden said from his Delaware bunker.

*ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos asked candidate Kamala Harris on June 9, 2020 if she supported the plan by Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to "take some of the money from policing, about $150 million, invest it in health initiatives, training initiatives for youth."

Harris replied: "I applaud Eric Garcetti for doing what he’s done."

*Vanita Gupta, now Biden’s associate attorney general, said on June 16, 2020, that officials should "decrease police budgets and the scope, role and responsibility of police in our lives."

*Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., told a rally on June 7, 2020: "Not only do we need to disinvest from the police, but we need to completely dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department."

*"Defunding police means defunding police," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes, D-N.Y., said on June 30, 2020. "It does not mean budget tricks or funny math."

Democrats simply should apologize for their massive defunding debacle and beg for the American people’s forgiveness.

Atop these and many more pro-defunding comments by the Democrat-Left, leaders in Democrat-run cities defunded their police departments. Among numerous such actions, consider these:

*Portland, Oregon’s City Commission voted 3-1 on June 17, 2020 to defund $15 million from its police budget, nixing 84 positions. According to the National Fraternal Order of Police, Portland’s homicides soared 800% through May 25, 2021 versus that date last year.

*The Washington, D.C., City Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety voted unanimously on June 25, 2020, to defund $15 million from the Metropolitan Police Department and shift that sum to social programs. Homicides up 35%.

*The Los Angeles City Council voted 12-2 on July 1, 2020, to defund the LAPD by $150 million. Homicides up 27%.

*The New York City Council that day voted 32-17 to defund the NYPD by $1 billion. Homicides up 22%.

*The Minneapolis City Council voted 7-6 last Dec. 10 to defund its police department by $8 million and spend that sum on other services. Homicides up 56%.

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Beyond defunding, Democrats demonized police as trigger-happy racists who shoot blacks for sport. This has fueled resignations, retirements and a "don’t get involved" attitude by cops in metaphorical handcuffs.

Rather than make jackasses of themselves by baselessly pinning their tails on elephants, Democrats simply should apologize for their massive defunding debacle and beg for the American people’s forgiveness.

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Bucknell University’s Michael Malarkey contributed research to this opinion piece.