Missouri Rep. Cori Bush (D) made an odd attempt to defend remarks she gave in a video, in which she defiantly stated that she uses private security while advocating for defunding the police.
The video, which went viral on social media, raised the ire of many who pointed out the hypocrisy of Bush taking measures to protect her life while pushing a policy that has already contributed to the rising homicide rates, especially in predominantly black cities.
Cori Bush: I’m going to make sure I have private security but defunding the police needs to happen. pic.twitter.com/6jbv4HLlGs
— Mike Berg (@MikeKBerg) August 5, 2021
In an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the lawmaker discussed the matter with media activist Dana Bash, who asked if the clip, which is being used in attack ads against Democrats, would harm Bush and other leftist politicians. Bush initially seemed to deflect from Bash’s question:
“I think what we have to look at is the fact that I made it to Congress in 2020, I was elected to Congress, and we are still fighting this same fight. We’re still fighting to save black lives.
That was not — that work was not done before I got here. This is the reason why I ran, was to save lives, to save my son’s life. It was because Michael Brown, who we’re fighting for, and still trying to get justice for. It’s because he didn’t get justice, and Vonderrit Myers didn’t get justice, and Kajieme Powell didn’t get justice, and so many others. That is why.”
Bush then noted that the reason these problems exist is that officials who were in power previously “could have fixed this problem before now,” and that their failure “cost lives.” She touted the “People’s Response Act,” a proposal designed to address mental health issues in an effort to decrease unnecessary police interactions.
After that response, Bush finally addressed Bash’s question, saying that she “absolutely” empathizes with the predicament in which her remarks may have put them. However, she also explained:
“My job is to save lives, the lives of my community, because, when we’re, when we’re talking about every single year increasing the budget for police, and then the budget for, like, Health and Human Services continuing to shrink, and St. Louis being number one for police violence year after year after year, number one, number two for homicides year and year, after year….”
There can be no doubt that the Democratic establishment is fuming at Bush’s comments behind the scenes. Several moderate, left-leaning lawmakers have publicly lambasted the far-left radical policies being embraced by the likes of Bush, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the rest of the socialist squad. They rightly point out that slogans like “Defund the Police” are doing far more harm than good.
Nevertheless, people like Bush continue pushing these policies despite their being drastically unpopular with the American public. It can be no surprise that Democrats who have managed to hold on to some semblance of sanity are pushing back against the socialist crowd, which seems intent on playing the role of millstone around the party’s neck.
But Bush’s position on these matters underlies a common thread amongst so-called progressives. These individuals claim to be looking out for the best interests of the black community, but their solutions are half-baked and unlikely to produce a beneficial outcome for African Americans.
There is nothing wrong with seeking other means to decrease negative interactions between black Americans and law enforcement. Finding ways to deal with mental health could be one of several viable solutions. However, implementing these programs, while also making it more difficult for police officers to perform their duties, is foolhardy – and dangerous.
When criminals realize that the police are no longer effective at apprehending criminals and preventing crimes, they will take full advantage. This is precisely what has happened in cities like Minneapolis, MN. Indeed, it is why residents have filed lawsuits against the local government for refusing to ensure that there are enough police officers to cover the area.
If the so-called progressive crowd’s current behavior is any indication, they will be the cause of the Democrats’ eventual defeat in the upcoming midterm and presidential elections. People like Bush seem not to realize this – or perhaps they just don’t care. Either way, it does not seem they will learn their lesson anytime soon.
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