Democrats wake up to the need to counter crime

Why does government exist? Ask Americans on any street, and you will get distinct responses.

Education, infrastructure, a social safety net, national security. Bearing that latter issue in mind, one response likely will appear more frequently than others: protection. And not just or even primarily in terms of national security. Protection from violence to self and destruction of property are becoming particularly important to many across the nation.

The persistent crime wave has driven citizens to prioritize its countering. The concern has crossed cultural divides, combining rural white people and urban persons of color. Republicans have been harping on this point and see it as electorally favorable. Yet, it has also changed the discussion within the Democratic Party. It has shifted policy positions in a party that not so long ago tied itself to reforming the criminal justice system, including by efforts to “defund the police.” Now, more Democrats are pushing a tough-on-crime message at
the behest of
their voters.

We shouldn’t feel surprised at this political coming together. It tracks what Americans have thought, said, and done from the beginning — pegging the protection of life and property as a core government purpose. Our Declaration of Independence set the stage for this priority. It listed the unalienable rights of human beings, among them “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The document added that “to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.” Even if some were too long precluded by racism and injustice, Americans fundamentally knew from the beginning that we all had a right to ourselves and our things. We exercised our liberty in pursuit of our happiness. We knew, too, that flawed human beings threatened those rights with violence.

“If men were angels,” James Madison famously wrote, “no government would be necessary.” He was right that at least no coercive government would be necessary, one tasked with protecting its citizens. Without government, society falls apart and descends into “might makes right.” We would not face one tyrant but as many as might try to take advantage of us. We would descend into an anarchy of exploitation. That is why our Preamble lists as one goal of the Constitution to “insure domestic Tranquility.” With tranquility comes safety from threats of harm.

None of this means that government does its job perfectly.

As in Uvalde, it appears that the police systematically failed to fulfill their moral duty to protect the lives of innocent schoolchildren from a shooter intent on their harm. At other times, we have seen legitimate cases of police brutality that did not protect people but targeted them for abuse. Madison understood that as well, adding to the previous quote, “If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” Our system, when properly working, has a healthy balance of protection through and from the government.

Government pursues many tasks in our modern age. Too many for some. But whatever else it does, it must not lose sight of its first purpose of protection. It must not sacrifice this goal for any others. Only with safety can the government effectively realize any of its other tasks. Only with safe streets can children possess an environment to learn. Only by controlling crime can a populace make use of roads for work, play, and seeing family. Only by protecting our lives can people then make use of a safety net to get out of poverty.

Democrats seem to have lost track of the central role of government. They have lagged behind Republicans in prioritizing protection. It is to their benefit and that of the country, then, that their voters have reminded them of their first responsibility.

To protect the people.

Adam Carrington is an associate professor of politics at Hillsdale College.