But this is also a moment to marvel at the speed of social change in 21st-century America. A quarter-century ago, as politicians in both parties catered to “law and order” fears, it would have been difficult to imagine a national uprising against police violence, especially shootings of African Americans and other minorities.
Donald Trump, the ultimate blast-from-the-past politician, tweeted Saturday, “LAW & ORDER.” The screaming capital letters can be seen as a wail that fear-mongering built around crime no longer seems to be working as a political tactic.
Officeholders in both parties live in mortal terror of attack ads. For decades, legislators who should have known better voted for draconian laws for fear of being labeled “soft on crime.”
Among white politicians, only the most unrealistic bleeding hearts have pointed with shame to the reality that America rivals China for the world’s largest prison population. We all know — from movies, if not real life — the horrors of prison conditions, yet we collectively have turned a blind eye.
Maybe the message of the moment — one that goes far beyond the tragedy of George Floyd — is that the old attack lines no longer work. Maybe it will be possible in Congress and the states to smartly legislate on crime and prisons without fear of retribution at the ballot box.
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June 16, 2020 at 05:10PM
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America — Halfway between hope and heartbreak - Roll Call
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