Abrams: Democrats realize being anti-police is bad politics

(NewsNation) — Four bills brought to the floor by Democrats passed the House on Thursday, which in theory would give needed new resources to police departments across the country.

House Democrats voted today to fund the police. The four bills brought to the floor by Democrats would add funding for:

  • Support for smaller police departments
  • Signing bonuses for officers
  • $250 million for mental health resources for officers

It was a stunning show of support for law enforcement from a party which is realizing, the hard way, that opposing police is very bad politics.

The four bills were passed after progressive Democrats struck a deal with the moderates on various issues. The progressives wanted more police oversight; the moderates wanted more funding. In the end, they compromised, and the package was passed.

The bills are far from perfect. The progressives forced moderates to take out a provision that would have funded new police hires. They also eliminated a proposed $50 million marketing campaign designed to recruit new officers.

And moderates agreed to direct some of the money to officer training and police accountability.

There will be haggling over these bills in the Senate, which unanimously passed a more police-friendly version of this legislation last month.

But these are all great signs that our elected officials now, on both sides, are coming to realize that their constituents want full support for law enforcement.

Look no further than some of the recent polls in major swing state elections. After a brief shift in momentum towards Democrats following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, several key races are trending back toward the GOP. And the main reason appears to be crime and policing.

In Wisconsin, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson has closed to within one point of Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes after trailing by as many as seven. In campaign ads, Johnson has painted Barnes as soft on crime, and the message appears to be resonating.

In Georgia, the race has shifted five points slightly in favor of Republican Herschel Walker, who has gone after his opponent, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, as weak on crime. And there are numerous other examples around the country of Democrats paying a political price on this issue.

I am not saying the Republicans are right or wrong on the specifics of their criticism of individual candidates … I am saying that those of us who don’t view the world through a political prism and just want our police to be supported should rejoice.

Now, some Republicans are accusing the Democrats of pure politics. Republican Minnesota Congressman Pete Stauber blasted his colleagues on the opposite side of the aisle, saying “Democrats are bringing out these bills today because we’re 46 days from a midterm election. They want the American people to suddenly and miraculously believe that they care about the crime crisis plaguing our nation.”

Maybe, but who cares how Democrats got to that point, as long as they stay there?

President Joe Biden, now, is well aware that not supporting law enforcement is an electoral loser, and is bad for the country.

“We should all agree, the answer is not to defund the police … It’s to fund the police. Fund them!” Biden said.

I don’t really care if certain Democrats are flip-flopping. as long as they stay with the flop … and support law enforcement.