the "defunding the police" outrage was mostly a republican crafted controversy created by cherry-picking a small minority position and poor Dem messaging and then re-casting and projecting it as a mainstream Dem view.
Very, very few people actually wanted to stop funding a police department, most people were advocating for oversight and r…
the "defunding the police" outrage was mostly a republican crafted controversy created by cherry-picking a small minority position and poor Dem messaging and then re-casting and projecting it as a mainstream Dem view.
Very, very few people actually wanted to stop funding a police department, most people were advocating for oversight and reform in light of repeated police abuse of power and brutality, particularly in minority communities, after the Michael Brown and George Floyd incidents.
I agree "defunding the police" has never been mainstream Democrats' goal, but I can think of two reasons ordinary people might get the impression "defunding" was a fairly mainstream idea based on non-right-wing news sources:
First, some policies labeled "defunding" police (like diverting some police money to CAHOOTS-style programs or completely dissolving a dysfunctional police department to replace it with a reformed one) might really be good ideas. Second, journalists like a hook, and "Maybe 'defund the police' is good, ackshully!" is a hook. Ergo:
The subtitle is, "(And rebuilt the department from the ground up. The strange, hopeful, politically complicated story of Camden, N.J.)" But the hook is police abolition.
"These US cities defunded police: 'We're transferring money to the community'"
These stories ran in center-to-left US national outlets, center-to-left international outlets, and local US papers, too. Of course the likes of Tucker Carlson would then wave these headlines about, devoid of context. But variations on the phrase "defund the police" proved pretty tempting to non-right-wing headline writers, too.
It was your assertion, your job to support it. Are you suggesting that budget cuts are equivalent to defunding? The Seattle police department was not defunded. The fringe who popularized the "Defund the Police" slogan meant "abolish by withdrawing all funding." Now they are trying to cover themselves by claiming any budget cut is "defunding."
Your claim would be accurate if you stated that Seattle was one of a handful of cities with plans to drastically cut police funding. City council wanted to cut the budget by 50%. If Austin is typical, some cities are reallocating funds to areas like mental health, and NOT sending cops on mental health calls. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/07/us-cities-defund-police-transferring-money-community
I just looked up “defund” and the definition was “to withdraw funds”. So there you go.
Now your job is to prove that the slogan maker used the term exclusively to mean completely 100% removed. Because if they didn’t mean 100% then the Seattle action is a city defunding the police per the slogan.
Yah…I realize that most Dems didn’t buy into it but to claim there wasn’t any truth to it isn’t true. Seattle took it seriously and I think continues to struggle with it.
I don't think there's a ton of people on the right who are looking forward to forcibly making rape victims have their babies....but here we are acting like the entire right wants that.
I think that will depend on: 1) how many ppl on the right speak out against it; 2) how many R politicians speak out and vote against it; and 3) if the politicians do vote for it, whether or not they get re-elected or put into office if they support it as part of their campaign.
I know. I think one stupid politician said it and it went on to have a life of its own.
I did hear Biden say he was against defunding police as soon as it was brought up. And Bernie Sanders said he actually wanted to give police depts more money. These quotes were never brought up by Republicans.
the "defunding the police" outrage was mostly a republican crafted controversy created by cherry-picking a small minority position and poor Dem messaging and then re-casting and projecting it as a mainstream Dem view.
Very, very few people actually wanted to stop funding a police department, most people were advocating for oversight and reform in light of repeated police abuse of power and brutality, particularly in minority communities, after the Michael Brown and George Floyd incidents.
I agree "defunding the police" has never been mainstream Democrats' goal, but I can think of two reasons ordinary people might get the impression "defunding" was a fairly mainstream idea based on non-right-wing news sources:
First, some policies labeled "defunding" police (like diverting some police money to CAHOOTS-style programs or completely dissolving a dysfunctional police department to replace it with a reformed one) might really be good ideas. Second, journalists like a hook, and "Maybe 'defund the police' is good, ackshully!" is a hook. Ergo:
"The City that Really Did Abolish the Police"
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/12/camden-policing-reforms-313750
The subtitle is, "(And rebuilt the department from the ground up. The strange, hopeful, politically complicated story of Camden, N.J.)" But the hook is police abolition.
"These US cities defunded police: 'We're transferring money to the community'"
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/07/us-cities-defund-police-transferring-money-community
Subtitled, "More than 20 major cities have reduced police budgets in some form, and activists are fighting to ensure that is only the start"
"The 'abolish the police' movement, explained by 7 scholars and activists"
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/6/12/21283813/george-floyd-blm-abolish-the-police-8cantwait-minneapolis
"What happens if we defund the police?" Subtitled, "Erica Scott and Randy Janzen offer alternatives from around North America"
https://www.nelsonstar.com/opinion/column-what-happens-if-we-defund-the-police/
Etc.
These stories ran in center-to-left US national outlets, center-to-left international outlets, and local US papers, too. Of course the likes of Tucker Carlson would then wave these headlines about, devoid of context. But variations on the phrase "defund the police" proved pretty tempting to non-right-wing headline writers, too.
Not one police dept was defunded.
Well...I just found this article...
https://www.wsj.com/articles/seattle-city-council-defunds-the-police-again-11638572886
What does the article actually say? It is a mistake to draw conclusions from headlines.
It indicated that the city council is lowering the police budget for the 2nd straight year.
Are you going to believe me or are you going to actually read the article yourself?
The article is behind a paywall.
There were other articles. Google works for you too, right?
It was your assertion, your job to support it. Are you suggesting that budget cuts are equivalent to defunding? The Seattle police department was not defunded. The fringe who popularized the "Defund the Police" slogan meant "abolish by withdrawing all funding." Now they are trying to cover themselves by claiming any budget cut is "defunding."
Your claim would be accurate if you stated that Seattle was one of a handful of cities with plans to drastically cut police funding. City council wanted to cut the budget by 50%. If Austin is typical, some cities are reallocating funds to areas like mental health, and NOT sending cops on mental health calls. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/07/us-cities-defund-police-transferring-money-community
I just looked up “defund” and the definition was “to withdraw funds”. So there you go.
Now your job is to prove that the slogan maker used the term exclusively to mean completely 100% removed. Because if they didn’t mean 100% then the Seattle action is a city defunding the police per the slogan.
Yah…I realize that most Dems didn’t buy into it but to claim there wasn’t any truth to it isn’t true. Seattle took it seriously and I think continues to struggle with it.
I don't think there's a ton of people on the right who are looking forward to forcibly making rape victims have their babies....but here we are acting like the entire right wants that.
I think that will depend on: 1) how many ppl on the right speak out against it; 2) how many R politicians speak out and vote against it; and 3) if the politicians do vote for it, whether or not they get re-elected or put into office if they support it as part of their campaign.
I know. I think one stupid politician said it and it went on to have a life of its own.
I did hear Biden say he was against defunding police as soon as it was brought up. And Bernie Sanders said he actually wanted to give police depts more money. These quotes were never brought up by Republicans.
I read a true statement. "The effort to refute propaganda is exponentially greater than the effort to generate or spread it." It becomes exhausting.