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.
