Democrat Cori Bush defends 'defund the police' on CNN
Progressive Democrat Cori Bush told CNN she would "absolutely" support defunding the police again, after being questioned if it hurt her party in the last election.
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., defended the progressive push to "defund the police" Wednesday on CNN, after host Don Lemon questioned if the slogan hurt Democrats.
The CNN host first brought up the "strong backlash" to defunding the police affecting November's midterm elections before asking the congresswoman if she still stood by the controversial platform.
"As you know, there’s a pretty strong backlash to things like defund the police. I know you’ve been getting a lot of questions about this. For example, did defund the police — did progressives go too far in hurting Democratic chances in the far with — in the fall, with slogans like ‘defund the police?’" he posed.
But Bush disagreed that the phrase damaged Democrats politically. "[T]here is no data that actually shows that saying 'defund the police' cost actual elections," she began, saying how candidates campaigned and used "digital technology," was to blame for lost seats.
Rep. Coris Bush, D-Mo. (Fox News)
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When pressed, she didn't hesitate to support the movement again.
"If you could do it again, would you still double down or use that slogan, ‘defund the police?’" Lemon asked. "Absolutely," the Democrat responded.
But some Democrats like Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., have pinned blame on the controversial slogan for his party losing congressional seats in the 2020 election.
"That phrase, 'defund the police,' cost [Democratic Senate candidate] Jaime Harrison tremendously," he told Axios, shortly after the election. "Stop sloganeering. Sloganeering kills people," he told the outlet.
Last year Clyburn told the New York Times that the phrase had "cut the throats" of his party, and his constituents didn't agree with it.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 27: Demonstrators hold placards reading "BLACK LIVES MATTER," "Walter Wallace JR." and DEFUND PPD" as they gather in protest near the location where Walter Wallace, Jr. was killed by two police officers on October 27, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Protests erupted after the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Wallace Jr, who Philadelphia police officers claimed was armed with a knife. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)
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Since 2020, the Democratic Party has tried to distance themselves from the progressive movement.
As voters list rising crime as a major concern heading into the midterm elections, some Democrats have tried to frame Republicans as the anti-law enforcement party. Bush did as well, bringing up the January 6 Capitol riot.
A Thin Blue Line flag waves during the Seattle Police Officers Guild's rally to stop defunding of the Seattle Police Department on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020, at Seattle City Hall. (Noah Riffe/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
"[W]e have Republicans saying defund the FBI. You know, where are we — where is our narrative? Let me tell you this. Democrats — there were not Democrats scaling walls on January the 6th when I was at the Capitol… Democrats didn't kill police officers," the Democrat told Lemon.
Bush was referring to some calls on the right to "defund the FBI" following the raid of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home. Former Vice President Mike Pence and several GOP members of Congress have pushed back against this sentiment.
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