SEAN ON FETTERMAN
Sean Hannity: Republicans are now surging across the country
The race has tightened in recent months, as Oz's campaign has
pointed to Fetterman's criminal justice reform rhetoric and tenure
leading Pennsylvania's Board of Pardons, during which Fetterman
tried to free murderers, as proof that the Democrat is soft on
crime.
THE CRIME TIDAL WAVE VIDEO
Hannity: Even Democrats are now seeing the obvious
As violent crime soars in Democrat-run cities, Senate and House Republicans are highlighting the Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies in their campaign messaging.
Fetterman Opposed ‘Tough on Crime’ Policies in Bid for Anti-Cop Group’s Endorsement
Chuck Ross • October 10, 2022 4:59 amWhile courting an anti-police group’s endorsement in 2018, Senate hopeful John Fetterman said he opposed "tough on crime" policies and was "very excited" for the reforms proposed by a Philadelphia district attorney now facing impeachment over a massive spike in violent crime in the city.
Fetterman laid out his views of a "progressive agenda" in a questionnaire for Reclaim Philadelphia, a left-wing activist group that claims Philadelphia’s police budget is derived from money "stolen from communities." Fetterman, who was seeking an endorsement in the race for lieutenant governor, told the organization he would use the office "as a bully pulpit for the larger issue of criminal justice reform."
"There is a real opportunity to build a statewide platform that elevates and exposes the damage created by the school-to-prison pipeline, the prison industrial complex, and ‘tough on crime’ policies like ‘Stop and Frisk’ and cash bail," said Fetterman, who expressed support for sanctuary cities and Philadelphia district attorney Larry Krasner, one of the left-wing prosecutors backed by Democratic billionaire donor George Soros.
Fetterman’s past embrace of progressive criminal justice reform could hurt his chances as crime spikes across the country. Republicans have highlighted Fetterman’s positions on the issue as well as his tenure on the Board of Pardons in a series of blistering ads aimed at portraying the Democrat as soft on crime. A GOP group affiliated with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) has aired ads highlighting the Washington Free Beacon’s report that Fetterman cast the lone vote to free a man serving a life sentence for the first degree murder of a man he killed for money to buy heroin.
Republicans have also emphasized Fetterman’s endorsement of Krasner, who faces impeachment in the Pennsylvania legislature for "dereliction of duty" after violent crime skyrocketed in the city. Murders in Philadelphia have skyrocketed from 353 when Krasner took over in 2018 to 562 last year.
The GOP onslaught appears to have narrowed Fetterman’s lead over Republican Mehmet Oz. Fetterman has aired a series of ads defending his record on crime. He has also flipped his support for universal drug legalization, a reversal from his comments in 2016 that he supports "decriminalizing across the board."
Current and former law enforcement officials have also criticized Fetterman’s progressive views. Thirteen Pennsylvania sheriffs opposed Fetterman in July over his criminal justice positions, saying his support for the release of up to one-third of state inmates and his backing of Krasner would "add to already rising crime rates in Pennsylvania, particularly in Philadelphia."
Fetterman’s call to end "tough on crime" policies like cash bail are "a huge mistake," according to James Gagliano, a retired FBI supervisory special agent who serves as mayor of Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y.
"For those of us who study crime trends, we immediately sensed the causal relationship between releasing criminal recidivists and the glaring uptick in crime—especially violent crimes," Gagliano told the Free Beacon.
Another "tough on crime" policy Fetterman opposes—"Stop and Frisk"—has gained renewed attention in Philadelphia amid surging gun crime in the City of Brotherly Love.
Philadelphia city council president Darrell Clarke said this summer that there needs to be a "conversation" about the policing tactic, in which police officers question people they suspect have committed or are about to commit a crime.
"At the end of the day there are a lot of citizens on the streets of Philadelphia that talk about, ‘When are we going to look at stop and frisk in a constitutionally enacted way?'" said Clarke.
Fetterman’s opposition to the police use of "Stop and Frisk" appears at odds with his use of a similar tactic as mayor of Braddock in 2013. Fetterman chased down and pulled a shotgun on an unarmed black jogger he falsely thought had fired a gun near his home. Fetterman has declined to apologize for the incident.
While Fetterman says he opposes the movement to defund police, he has sought the support of several activists that support the cause. In 2020, Reclaim Philadelphia urged supporters to pressure Philadelphia mayor James Kenney (D.) to pull $120 million in funding for the police department, claiming the money "has been stolen from communities and put towards policing." In June 2021, Reclaim Philadelphia organized a sit-in at Kenney’s office to urge cuts to the police budget.
The organization has not officially endorsed Fetterman, but the group holds voter canvassing events for the Democrat in Philadelphia each weekend.
Fetterman campaigned on the anniversary of 9/11 with abortion activists who support the defund movement. Fetterman also campaigned last month with three Philadelphia city council members who back the movement. Fetterman’s appointee as secretary of the Board of Pardons has called to "disarm the police" and calls cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal a "friend," the Free Beacon reported.
Fetterman’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
As violent crime soars in Democrat-run cities, Senate and House Republicans are highlighting the Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies in their campaign messaging.
High Life: Oregon Dem Governor Candidate Wants Safe Havens for Meth Users
Josh Christenson • October 5, 2022 4:20 pmThe Democratic candidate for Oregon governor wants to create safe havens for meth users in Portland, even as drug overdoses spike statewide.
Tina Kotek called for the construction of a "meth stabilization center" in Oregon’s largest city during a gubernatorial debate Tuesday night. These "sobering centers" let people stay indoors while they come down from their high on methamphetamines and other dangerous drugs. Portland’s first meth stabilization center, Central City Concern, closed in 2019 because it was not providing much-needed medical treatment to addicts, according to its senior medical director.
Kotek’s comment could further hurt her chances against Republican Christine Drazan, who in the last week has taken the lead in four consecutive polls. During her tenure as Oregon House speaker, Kotek approved a sweeping drug decriminalization bill and sided with rioters over law enforcement during Portland’s George Floyd-inspired 2020 protests.
Methamphetamine has killed more Oregonians than fentanyl or heroin in the past three years.
Kotek’s push for the controversial sobering center is in line with other left-wing approaches to a growing nationwide drug problem. In Boston, drug users are allowed to freely shoot up outside so-called harm-reduction facilities. The Washington Free Beacon has also reported on the Biden administration’s $30 million grant program to distribute free crack pipes to addicts.
"Tina Kotek's only solution is to further normalize this lethal epidemic that has claimed far too many lives," Drazan campaign spokesman John Burke told the Free Beacon. "Harm reduction will only further enable this crisis."
Kotek’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Both Kotek and Oregon’s independent gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson voted for the state’s drug decriminalization bill in 2021. Initially passed on the 2020 ballot, Measure 110 permits possession of any drug in small amounts statewide. Oregon had the highest rate of methamphetamine use of any U.S. state in 2020, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
During the last gubernatorial debate, Drazan and Johnson pledged to repeal Measure 110. Kotek acknowledged it "may be imperfect" but should not be thrown out.
As violent crime soars in Democrat-run cities, Senate and House Republicans are highlighting the Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies in their campaign messaging.
NYC Crime Wave: Teen Attacked, Stabbed by Masked Suspects on Manhattan Subway Platform
A 17-year-old was stalked and brutally beaten by a group of masked suspects before he was stabbed on a subway platform in New York City.
According to police, the teen entered the subway system at East 53 Street and Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan at around 4:22 p.m. on Saturday. He was coming off a shift working at Shake Shack, the New York Post noted.
One minute later, six individuals entered the subway station through the same location and approached the victim waiting on the northbound ‘6’ line platform.
The group of individuals proceeded to start punching and kicking the 17-year-old multiple times in the head and body. During the beating, one of the individuals pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times.
The gang of attackers then fled the station to parts unknown. New York Police Department (NYPD) officials believe that the victim and the attackers had known each other previously.
“He said he had a beef with them,” a police source told the Post, but it was unclear what the dispute was over.
EMS attended to the victim at the station and then transported him to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. While the teen received multiple staples, he was listed in stable condition.
The NYPD is searching for approximately six black males who were last seen wearing black hooded jackets, black pants, and surgical masks.
According to NYPD crime statistics, major crime in Democrat Mayor Eric Adam’s New York City has increased by 32.7 percent since last year. Assaults are up by 15.9 percent, and crime on the city’s transit system has jumped 41.6 percent.
Breitbart News recently reported that rising violent crime has emerged as a deciding issue for most American voters with the 2022 midterm elections approaching. Recent polling shows that 77 percent of voters believe violent crime is a serious issue.
As violent crime soars in Democrat-run cities, Senate and House Republicans are highlighting the Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies in their campaign messaging.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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