Heads up - latest RW Faux outrage-Biden saying murder, rape will go up if bill fails as stats show

[karynnj]

Now, Biden first said this in Flint, MI and gave the statistics in 2009, and 2010 on the numbers of officers on the street and the crime statistics. There is the correlation you would expect. He then speaks of the even lower 2011 number of cops. He then tied it to the bill to give money to the states for cops etc.

Today, Biden's language when he was called on this by Republicans saying it was unfair (poor Publicans) was far more graphic and CNN (John King - who never called out a Republican, but seems to always find things wrong with Democrats) played the tape from a confrontation with Human Events. (They didn't bother to point out that HE's Jason Mattera's whole stock in trade is to anger Democrats while it is being filmed to show them at their worst.) CNN argued that Biden crossed a line. Here is a link to the extremely right wing Human Events - posted to show what the smear on Biden is. http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=46983

The fact is that many cities, that most need more cops, have drastically cut - especially in states with Republican governors - like Michigan. (In NJ, Camden cut their police nearly in half after Christie eliminated money - http://articles.cnn.com/2011-01-18/us/new.jersey.layoffs_1_police-force-police-officers-public-safety?_s=PM:US ) The Flint numbers that CNN gave, but which I don't remember show a big impact on crime. The facts are that passing this bill will lower the crime rate to some degree. The cops to be added are not in places where they will simply be redundant.

My guess is that the Republicans see that they can be hurt on this bill. After all it is a half of a percent increase on income over (I think) $250,000 VS safer cities and more jobs. So, what do they do - drum up faux outrage. Having watched this play out against John Kerry when he was working hard to elect Democrats and to lead on getting out of Iraq in 2006 - where they absolutely distorted his words to mean something everyone knew he would never mean (and which what he said with "us" skipped and stanndard English grammar in fact did not say!), I think we need to be prepared to defend Biden in our local papers.

However, there is a downside for the Republicans. Just as in 2006, the repeated playing of "stuck in Iraq" actually likely helped us - though it embarrassed and hurt Senator Kerry, repeating that murder and rape will increase with fewer cops, should also harm the Republican position that the top 1% can't afford that MARGINAL extra half of one percent tax.

[karynnj]

1. Link to CNN coverage

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/19/biden-reporter-face-off-over-crime-statistics/

(Note that they call Mattera a "reporter" - when, like O'Keefe, he is an activist. )

[saras]

2. I thought they were threatening to murder and rape if the bill doesn't pass

[karynnj]

3. I hope it was not my title that conveyed that - I tried to get too many points in it

and forced it to fit. If so, sorry

[saras]

4. No, it wasn't your title, it was their previous behavior up until now