The year left-wing ideas came home to roost

2022 is proving to be the year in which progressives’ genius ideas come home to roost. Instituting far-left policies in cities across America has resulted in disastrous outcomes. All this raises the question: which Democrats will stay loyal to the far-left “transformational” agenda and which will jump ship?

Most liberal politicians have enjoyed this country’s tidal wave of wokeness up until now. Posting Instagram infographics and hash-tagging activism on Twitter plays well with younger voters.

Real news has become almost indistinguishable from the Babylon Bee’s satire. In a single day, you can read about snowplow equity, M&Ms becoming more inclusive and students identifying as cats. Say what you will about the perpetually offended, they certainly are entertaining.

But the left’s willingness to appease the insane whims of the most radical people in our country has also had serious consequences for public safety.

As dumb as the “Defund the Police!” slogan sounded back in May 2020, try promoting it now when the murder rate in this country is nearing a 25-year high.

In February 2021, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced $120 million in cuts to her city’s police and sheriff’s department. Ten months later, she stood in front of a podium and declared that she was requesting more money from the city board of supervisors for the police. “And it comes to an end when are we more aggressive with law enforcement and less tolerant of all the bulls–t that has destroyed our city,” she said. While she did not admit that her own irresponsible policies had enabled said “bulls—t” to surge, her sudden about-face was admission enough.

The painful results of the Squad’s dreams coming true are hard for some politicians to ignore and rationalize. The senseless killings and organized robberies are bound to separate the men from the boys in the progressive movement.

But when it comes to talking the talk and walking the walk, there are a few stalwarts. The district attorneys in San Francisco and Manhattan are perfect examples.

In NYC, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s “Day 1” memo decriminalized a range of crimes from trespassing to marijuana possession to prostitution. Charges were also reduced for a number of crimes, while sentences of life without parole were banned except in “exceptional circumstances.”

These soft-on-crime policies were at the forefront of Dominique Luzuriaga’s mind as she delivered a eulogy for her husband, NYPD officer Jason Rivera, on Friday.

Officer Rivera died in the line of duty while responding to a 911 call in Harlem on January 21.

Through tears, his widow said, “This system continues to fail us. We are not safe anymore, not even the members of the service. I know you were tired of these laws, especially the ones from the new DA. I hope he’s watching you speak through me right now.”

It was a powerful rebuke of Bragg and even more so of the anti-police attitude that the left has encouraged for years.

In Los Angeles, a petition to recall progressive District Attorney George Gascón has just been approved. Many critics blame Gascón for a rise in crime thanks to his own lenient policies and bail reform.

But will all of this backlash fall on deaf ears?

Democrats are learning the hard way that these “catchy slogans” (as Obama once called them) and radical movements don’t just inspire puff pieces in the Washington Post. They lead to real crime and real hurt. We are going to find out very quickly which liberals were merely going along for the radical ride until the reality became too much to bear. Some politicians are already reversing course.

We are also going to find out which progressives are the true believers and stay the course. That might be the scariest discovery of all.