Violent Riots Move Voters to the Right [OPINION]
As Americans watched in horror as their cities went up in flames, businesses were destroyed and looted and violent leftists threw bricks at the police, they were thinking about how they plan to vote in November. This can't bode well for the presumptive Democrat Joe Biden who has been largely in hiding in his basement through it all.
Now the left is demanding that the police be defunded and dismantled and that officers are replaced with social workers and social programs. Not a good time for the Democrats to go even softer on crime. Tell a woman who is being pummeled by her 250-pound intoxicated boyfriend that the social workers will be there shortly.
Potential voters have watched in recent days as Democrat leaders such as Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer fall to their knees before the very people who have perpetuated the violence. They hear their party denounce the use of National Guard and federal troops to restore order and quell the violence in their communities and they begin to question. Whose side are these people on, anyway?
Americans demand social justice and fairness and equality for all but they want safe streets, too. All across the fruited plain, Americans have watched as order and civility have crumbled and they fear it can happen anywhere if the rule of law is not restored quickly.
The left has coddled violent offenders and is vilifying the police as it has in other recent election cycles, and voters are paying attention. The recent riots have made public safety a frontline issue in the upcoming election by projecting images of lawlessness and violence into our homes night after night.
First and foremost on the minds of voters in November will be a choice between order and chaos. When that happens, order wins out every time.
Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.