Current Events > So Biden once more sides with Republicans on Crime.

(+) Yeah! (+)

DC made their own Crime Bill since Biden Failed to do so. And Republicans tried to stop it. Biden could Veto Republicans. But once more he sides with Republican. And at the same time taking the voice of many black voters away.

https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1631702485613047811

guess we shoulda voted for Trump then huh fuck outta here dude

JasonSehorn posted...

guess we shoulda voted for Trump then huh fuck outta here dude

Whose alt

JasonSehorn posted...

guess we shoulda voted for Trump then huh fuck outta here dude

Should have voted for someone other than Biden in the primary tbh

Have other areas enacted similar bills? What would be the effects?

Politics is a joke

Establishment Democrats are scum as well.

AloneIBreak posted...

Have other areas enacted similar bills? What would be the effects?

Other cities have gone through the long process of updating their legal code, the way DC has. What makes DC unique is that its laws can be invalidated by Congress.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/01/washington-dc-crime-reform-sentencing-fox-news.html

Biden just watched Lightfoot get demolished in her reelection bid due to crime. I'm sure this decision of his has nothing to do with that.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


DNC would take Trump over Bernie in a heartbeat.

Cheater87 posted...

DNC would take Trump over Bernie in a heartbeat.

Well yeah, they're conservative.

Cheater87 posted...

DNC would take Trump over Bernie in a heartbeat.

After Bernie won Nevada we got a taste of what that'd look like. MSNBC started experimenting with "Democrats should sit this election out to get someone they actually like in 2024"

His VP is Kamala Harris.

Didn't we all agree not to be surprised of his policies dating all the way back to the primaries? Come on people...

Jagr_68 posted...

His VP is Kamala Harris.

Didn't we all agree not to be surprised of his policies dating all the way back to the primaries? Come on people...

Are people expressing surprise?

Didn't he help author the 90's crime bill? This was expected.

Old racist wants to keep the law racist.

big surprise there

Antifar posted...
Are people expressing surprise?

Personally I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner but also there's certainly some outrage like he betrayed liberals and whatnot. It is what it is, his policies were the baggage we had to accept to prevent a Trump reelection.

Outrage is different from surprise. People were outraged by Trump's actions, for example, not because they were a betrayal or worse than expected, but because they were bad on their own merits.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/4/7/AAR6WtAAELnT.jpg

Jagr_68 posted...

Personally I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner but also there's certainly some outrage like he betrayed liberals and whatnot. It is what it is, his policies were the baggage we had to accept to prevent a Trump reelection.

We really need to get over "at least he's less awful" elections.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQgY4aFUNvI

It's a mistake to concede the right wing framing about "tough on crime" here. The law changes proposed are a sideways move in terms of how punishments are dealt out, often making them harsher.

What problems did the RCCA address? Where to start: One of the biggest issues is that the old code fails to identify the elements of countless offenses. These omissions force the D.C. Court of Appeals to fill in the blanks, creating ongoing uncertainty about what the law requires. Some offenses are, on the page, incredibly broad; a kidnapping statute that carries a 30-year maximum sentence, for instance, could encompass giving someone an unforeseen hug. Others are vague, like simple assaulta commonly charged offense whose elements are not defined in the current code. This confusion makes it more difficult to combat crime: Prosecutors are less likely to bring charges when they arent sure what theyll need to prove to secure a conviction. The RCCA ensures that each offense is defined so that courts, prosecutors, and defendants know what is (and what isnt) criminal conduct.
...
These changes are not driven by any kind of philosophy about decarceration; they are driven by data. Judges have immense discretion in sentencing and rarely if ever impose maximum statutory penalties. To see which sentences judges are actually imposing, the commission looked at average sentences in other jurisdictions, and acquired data from the D.C. Superior Court covering every adult case from 2010 to 2019. It crunched the numbers to identify what sentences D.C. defendants faced in the real world, then based its revisions on these figures. So, for example, the median sentence handed down for robbery in D.C. was 33 months. The harshest sentences reached about nine years. Thats well below the maximum penalty under the current code and the revised code. The revision brings the statutory penalties closer to real-world sentences, but still gives judges ample discretion for extreme sentences.
...
the notion that the RCCA softens penalties for violent crimeespecially carjacking and gun offensesis false in every way that matters. To the contrary, the law increases penalties for a variety of crimes in ways designed to make their prosecution easier. The max penalty for several sex offenses is significantly higher under the RCCA. So is the max penalty for possessing an assault rifle, ghost gun, large capacity magazine, or bomb. And the max for attempted murder surges from five years to 22.5 years.

The RCCA even introduces a new crime, endangerment with a firearm, to solve a problem that bedevils police and prosecutors: When an individual fires a gun in public, it can be difficult to prove that they were trying to injure or kill someone. Charges for attempted assault or murder come apart when prosecutors cannot prove intent. So the new offense makes firing a gun in public a standalone felonyimposing tougher penalties on gun crimes, not lighter ones.

But Fox News has fixated on it as some giveaway to criminals, so Biden follows suit. He's not being tough on crime, just trying to appease Fox News viewers who aren't going to vote for him anyways.

Unfortunately crime was a big deal in this last election cycle so democrats are adjusting to be more tough on it. Whether that is smart or not I dunno. Probably stupid to cater.

Intro2Logic posted...

It's a mistake to concede the right wing framing about "tough on crime" here. The law changes proposed are a sideways move in terms of how punishments are dealt out, often making them harsher.

Yup.

Don't care.

I'm aware Biden isn't going to do 100% of everything I want. I'm not like Rose Twitter, and going to pretend he's just as bad Trump.

Biden has still pushed for many of great things.

asdf8562 posted...

Don't care.

I'm aware Biden isn't going to do 100% of everything I want. I'm not like Rose Twitter, and going to pretend he's just as bad Trump.

It would be a mistake to say he's as bad as Trump. But I think you should care when politicians, even ones you support, do bad things.

Intro2Logic posted...

It's a mistake to concede the right wing framing about "tough on crime" here.

"Tough on crime!" is a combination of the illusion that laws somehow magically prevent crime, a misguided conflation of "vengeance" and "justice", and a simple childish belief that everything would be nice if the bad people went away forever.
Also there's more than a bit of racism in there most of the time.

Some liberals just can't stop doing the "still better than Trump". We can't just recognize that the Democrats aren't as bad as Republicans. Apparently not supposed to criticize Dems either since they are better than the GOP.

Questionmarktarius posted...

"Tough on crime!" is a combination of the illusion that laws somehow magically prevent crime, a misguided conflation of "vengeance" and "justice", and a simple childish belief that everything would be nice if the bad people went away forever.
Also there's more than a bit of racism in there most of the time.

People rag on you, but sometimes you come through with a solid take.

Ye, that one is a solid take.

Kaldrenthebold posted...

Unfortunately crime was a big deal in this last election cycle so democrats are adjusting to be more tough on it. Whether that is smart or not I dunno. Probably stupid to cater.

It's an extremely delicate topic here in Philadelphia because over 50% of the population is black and they are most often victimized by gun violence, black on black crimes, etc while simultaneously subject to circumstances of profiling by police. So we have these big chunks of the city demanding both police reform and to also be tougher on crime so the city is safer for everyone. Being real here, it's such a mess to navigate due to lack of strict gun laws and lack of police accountability these lazy assholes in charge would rather just knock things out the "easy way" with tougher punishments to keep criminals in prison longer rather than act via true long term solutions like complete police reform and training.

For dems, they shouldn't cater but they don't offer ANY solutions to the problems either so we're stuck with just whatever's on the table.

I guess the higher crime rate platform isn't as popular as it use to be

Kolibri_X posted...

I guess the higher crime rate platform isn't as popular as it use to be

I think people have been lying to you about how popular a dumbass troll is.

hockeybub89 posted...

People rag on you

...isn't that you doing it most of the time?

Questionmarktarius posted...

...isn't that you doing it most of the time?

Well I am people, last I checked

Because Biden IS a republican. Why tf are you so surprised?

Imit8m3 posted...

Why tf are you so surprised?

Nobody is expressing surprise!

Can someone bring up the actual issue here?

WolfFangHowell posted...

Can someone bring up the actual issue here?

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/03/politics/joe-biden-dc-crime-bill

Jagr_68 posted...

It's an extremely delicate topic here in Philadelphia because over 50% of the population is black and they are most often victimized by gun violence, black on black crimes, etc while simultaneously subject to circumstances of profiling by police. So we have these big chunks of the city demanding both police reform and to also be tougher on crime so the city is safer for everyone. Being real here, it's such a mess to navigate due to lack of strict gun laws and lack of police accountability these lazy assholes in charge would rather just knock things out the "easy way" with tougher punishments to keep criminals in prison longer rather than act via true long term solutions like complete police reform and training.

For dems, they shouldn't cater but they don't offer ANY solutions to the problems either so we're stuck with just whatever's on the table.

Yep absolutely. In certain cities and areas crime actually wasn't rising, yet that didn't stop the drums from coming out saying "DEMS ARE WEAK ON CRIME RAH RAH RAH". I would venture a guess that this is the ONLY reason Republicans even got the slim majority in the house in the end anyway.

WolfFangHowell posted...

Can someone bring up the actual issue here?

Sure. DC undertook a process for more than a decade of modernizing its legal code. This updated code passed city council over the veto of the mayor.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/01/washington-dc-crime-reform-sentencing-fox-news.html

DC, though, is subject to congressional review of the bills passed by its city council. Republicans have signaled that they want to block the new code from being implemented, under the false notion that it drastically reduces criminal punishments. Biden is saying that if such an overturn passes congress, he will not veto it.

Jagr_68 posted...

It's an extremely delicate topic here in Philadelphia because over 50% of the population is black and they are most often victimized by gun violence, black on black crimes, etc while simultaneously subject to circumstances of profiling by police. So we have these big chunks of the city demanding both police reform and to also be tougher on crime so the city is safer for everyone. Being real here, it's such a mess to navigate due to lack of strict gun laws and lack of police accountability these lazy assholes in charge would rather just knock things out the "easy way" with tougher punishments to keep criminals in prison longer rather than act via true long term solutions like complete police reform and training.

For dems, they shouldn't cater but they don't offer ANY solutions to the problems either so we're stuck with just whatever's on the table.

Yeah, I'm gonna go back to ridiculous hot takes now.
Legalize drugs, and the peripheral crime around it just evaporates.

Kaldrenthebold posted...

Yep absolutely. In certain cities and areas crime actually wasn't rising, yet that didn't stop the drums from coming out saying "DEMS ARE WEAK ON CRIME RAH RAH RAH". I would venture a guess that this is the ONLY reason Republicans even got the slim majority in the house in the end anyway.

Cause Dems almost always cede the point to the Republicans and agree with their messaging, and the Overton window slides more and more to the right each time.

Antifar posted...

Sure. DC undertook a process for more than a decade of modernizing its legal code. This updated code passed city council over the veto of the mayor.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/01/washington-dc-crime-reform-sentencing-fox-news.html

DC, though, is subject to congressional review of the bills passed by its city council. Republicans have signaled that they want to block the new code from being implemented, under the false notion that it drastically reduces criminal punishments. Biden is saying that if such an overturn passes congress, he will not veto it.

Do you think Biden is doing this because he's conservative, as has been the sentiment in many of the posts you've replied to, or do you think he's just trying to (ineffectively) reach across the aisle?

And moderates still don't understand why progressives don't want to throw their support behind a Democrat

Antifar posted...

It would be a mistake to say he's as bad as Trump. But I think you should care when politicians, even ones you support, do bad things.

Yes I care but no where near to the extend the usuals try to play their hand. The good Biden has done vastly outweighs anything bad. Biden has done plenty of progressive things, yet the usuals come out to act like he's the most anti progressive president.

So I'm not gonna act like Rose Twitter and try to act like this is devastating news that he does something I don't like every once and a while "so he's awful."

asdf8562 posted...

Yes I care, but the good Biden has done vastly outweighs anything bad.

So I'm not gonna act like Rose Twitter and try to act like this is devastating news that he does something I don't like every once and a while "so he's awful."

I'm sure you wouldn't feel this way if you were one of the people affected by this bill

RchHomieQuanChi posted...

I'm sure you wouldn't feel this way if you were one of the people affected by this bill

I live in the dmv area. I'm also black. I don't care anywhere near to the extent the usuals try to play this out to be.

If Biden runs 2024, I'd vote for him again. I'd vote whoever the primary winner is really.

asdf8562 posted...

I live in the dmv area. I'm also black. I don't care.

Cool I guess?