When violence first broke out in Portland, Seattle, Chicago, and other cities across the United States in late May, Democratic leaders said very little. It was obvious why: Democrats hoped the wave of energy that drove massive protests would last until November, and they didn’t want to risk losing that momentum — even if that meant finding ways to excuse the rioters and looters who were using the protests for their own gain.
Presidential candidate Joe Biden spent more time condemning the presence of federal officers in Portland than he did condemning the behavior of the mobs that forced the federal government to take action in the first place. He said nothing against the so-called CHAZ when Seattle protesters took the six-block zone for their own and forcefully removed law enforcement from the area. Nor did he comment on the looting that forced Chicago to close down its connecting bridges so as to prevent further destruction.
His running mate, Kamala Harris, didn’t just stay silent; she actively advocated for a bail fund that helped free arrested Minneapolis protesters, many of whom had violent criminal histories. She also defended the continued protests and warned the public during an interview with Stephen Colbert that protesters “would not stop,” not even after the November elections.
“They’re not going to stop. And everyone should take note of that,” she said. “They’re not going to let up, and they should not. And we should not.”
Harris was right: The protests have not stopped, and neither has the violence. If anything, it’s gotten worse, and the Democratic Party is just now beginning to realize how badly it misread this situation. Now, Biden is demanding an end to the violence, as is Harris.
This would be a welcome change if it weren’t four months too late. Multiple people have died, hundreds of innocent residents have lost their livelihoods, and certain parts of these cities have been destroyed beyond recognition. Democrats had an opportunity to lead, but they squandered it.
And now, Biden and Harris are attempting to control the damage the only way they know how: by blaming President Trump.
“I look at this violence and I see lives and communities and the dreams of small businesses being destroyed,” Joe Biden says. “Donald Trump looks at this violence and he sees a political lifeline.” https://t.co/U0gLQJ98Gf pic.twitter.com/RAnllDJlj2
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 31, 2020
I join @JoeBiden in condemning this violence. This can not—and must not—be who we are. Americans deserve a president who will heal our country and bring people together—not fan the flames of hate and division. https://t.co/21h00uFFR7
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 30, 2020
“[Biden] is going to do what he’s been doing over the course of this summer, which is calling together people, uniting the country, leading, encouraging people to take on this moment with a sense of purpose,” Kate Bedingfield, deputy campaign manager and communications director for the Biden campaign, told Fox News on Sunday. “It’s exactly the opposite of what we’ve been seeing from Trump, who has been trying to incite violence this entire summer.”
This is strikingly dishonest. It was Trump who offered federal assistance to Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Kenosha when it became clear that law enforcement needed help. And it was the Democrats who lead these cities that rejected his aid. Biden could have encouraged these cities’ Democratic officials to work with the Trump administration to put down the unrest, but he didn’t. Because he, like most other Democrats, believed that as long as he could downplay the violence, voters wouldn’t pay much attention to it.
Well, come to find out, they have paid attention. Biden, however, has not — and it’s too late to change tactics now.
