Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign on Monday said that he won’t support defunding police departments amid a nationwide push for just that in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Good, excellent. Deny Trump a rhetorical hook.
And his tone and focus seem solid and spot on.
I am getting honestly happier and happier with Biden as the foil for Trump.
Cool, no panic so far. Sang froid.
Hey TPM. Can you rewrite the headline to be more honest about what he actually said?
Change the name from police force to police service and have the training reflect that
Kinda goofy and one of those language things that everyone non-Lefty will mock…
Anyway it’s a local decision.
AWESOME answer. For the win!
This is going to upset a lot of people on Twitter and maybe change the vote by 0.00037%!!!
It’s weird how socialists suck at branding and marketing. Who knew?
Coming clean here, saw it over on Daily Kos
As TPMers have commented on other threads, “defunding” is not good framing and Biden is wise to avoid it; reforming or rebooting policing is better.
In that same vein, note that reich-wing bomber Scalise is eager to not only use the ‘defund’ frame but attach it to a ‘movement.’*
*I do not repeat Scalise’s statement because (a) it is bullshit and (b) bothsidery is a virus that can be infectious; best to keep the mask on.
Smart move, because the phrase “Defund the Police” is very easily weaponized.
I do think Biden needs to be a little stronger on the reform angle to include getting rid of bad apples. Like getting behind the House Democrats plan to get rid of “qualified immunity” for police officers. I haven’t read all of Biden’s policy positions, so maybe he’s already backing that.
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) accused the former vice president of secretly embracing the issue of defunding the police.
Good Lord!
There’s always some nefarious, hidden hands at work, pulling the strings behind the scenes with these people…
The article says “amid a nationwide push.”
What exactly does that mean? I’d say this term is inappropriate. It should say “calls from certain quarters,” and name them, or something. This is too generic, especially in the face of what Nancy Pelosi is saying, for example.
Perfect!
Take away the GOP’s ability to campaign on " the crazy, no-nothing libs want to get rid of police."
Now Joe, talk more about the reforms needed to serve and protect with justice for all.
Steve “David Dukes without the baggage” Scalice, as his own campaign literature once claimed is the perfect Republican to represent that party on this issue. “David Dukes without the baggage” is by definition a clansman with the hood still over his face/yet to identify himself and is exactly the honest poster person to oppose reforms in the wake of the murder of Floyd and others.
Sorry, but it’s McConnell and the GOP who publicly advocate defunding police.
Every chance they get, they oppose a COVID-relief bill for states and municipalities.
This is de facto Republican defunding of police, fire fighters, and first responders of all stripes.
YOU advocate this GOP, while Dems fight for police funding!
Joe’s been around the block. I saw that when even his rants during the Dem POTUS debates were controlled.
Agreed. Good for Joe. First of all, it’s terrible branding. Most people, no matter how much they like or hate the police, understand there’s a societal need for policing. The idea of getting rid of police departments entirely probably only appeals to a tiny fraction of voters. Secondly, the focus needs to be on reform. I suspect most people, even quite a few Republicans, agree that there needs to be reform.
We could start with this one
Defund means different things to different areas and different advocates.
But I think the discussion needs to develop to include how cities are rethinking the allocation of half of most municipalities’ discretionary spending to law enforcement, and examining the roles police should to play in communities and determine if the money could be more effectively spent elsewhere to solve underlying problems.
Over the past 40 years, budgets for social service have been under stress and the missions of addressing drug addiction, homelessness, and mental illness have been outsourced to police departments that all too often treat them the same way you’d treat victim crimes.
It’s a little more complex than using a one-word solution, but I think this is an opportunity here.