Pollster Stanley Greenberg is going after Democrats for the way they are mishandling crime.
Greenberg, who worked for former President Bill Clinton, penned an article in The American Prospect titled, “How Democrats Mishandled Crime.”
Commenting on the 2022 midterm elections, Greenberg argued they “will be remembered as a toxic campaign, but an effective one in labeling Democrats as ‘pro-crime.'”
Greenberg mentioned a survey that found 56% of voters said they feared “crime and homelessness out of control in cities and police coming under attack” if Democrats take full control of the government.
“So, I was asked repeatedly by colleagues and campaigning Democrats, ‘What should we be saying on crime and when I’m attacked for ‘defunding the police’?’ To be honest, Democrats were in such terrible shape on crime at this late point, I said, speak as little as possible or mumble,” Greenberg wrote.
He added, “Nothing they’ve said up until now was reassuring and helpful.”
The pollster went on to note “crime rates in the major cities grew well into 2022.”
Dem pollster Stanley Greenberg —-> How Democrats Mishandled Crime https://t.co/fQexMurARN
— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) November 3, 2022
“As a result, crime was a top-tier issue in the midterm election, and that included Blacks, who ranked it almost as high as the cost of living in poll after poll. For Hispanics and Asian Americans, crime came just below the cost of living as a priority,” Greenberg argued.
The article goes on, “And Republicans continued to remind voters that Democrats continued to support ‘defunding the police,’ even by linking candidates to organizations they took money from, like Planned Parenthood, which back in 2020 called for defunding.”
According to Greenberg, “With Democrats so out of touch on crime and the police, just discussing crime cost Democrats.”
Criticizing “elites,” Greenberg wrote their failure to see “what was happening in these communities on crime was matched by their failure to see how much the economy trumped racial inequality.”
Concluding the article, he added, “Whatever happens on Tuesday, Democrats should start by listening to the voters again and show that they know how to make communities safe, while raising the power and well-being of all working people.”
NPR noted the issues of crime and public safety have become the center of many midterm races including Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and New York.
