Bill Maher is weighing in o the push for police reform while explaining how the seemingly drastic “defund the police” branding may be harming that initiative.
During a discussion on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” Friday, the host criticized the “defund the police” rhetoric while stressing how it overshadows their overall goals.
Noting that only a third of black people are in favor of defunding police by way of elimination, Mayer argues that branding the initiative as defunding is a “terrible way to put it.”
While Maher admits the Democrats do have a “good police reform bill” with incentives that have received broad bipartisan support, he believes the confusion surrounding the rhetoric may not serve them well.
“I worry that Democrats are wandering into another purity test that’s not going to serve them well,” Maher said. “And it’s going to be about how much you want to get rid of police altogether.”
Maher also expressed concern about the rhetoric confusion leading to a subsequent voting advantage for Trump.
“That’s so ‘Democrats’ for you,” Mayer said. “You know, they must have meetings to be this f***ing stupid about politics. ‘Hey guys, we’re making some headway here, how could we turn this into something that makes people have to vote for Trump?'”
See the full discussion below:
Maher’s criticism comes amid Congressional Democrats’ continued efforts to make their intentions clear. As Maher said, the “defund the police” rhetoric has led to mass confusion about Democratic lawmakers’ intentions.
At multiple demonstrations around the United States, protesters have called for lawmakers to “defund the police,” even painting multiple stenciled murals of the mantra on the streets of Washington, D.C.
https://twitter.com/treeaston/status/1269631462351032322
However, multiple Democratic leaders have repeatedly attempted to detail their plans to reform police — to not completely defund it, as previously reported on IJR.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) has also noted the stark difference between the two strategies as he admitted he disagrees with defunding.
“Reform policing in this country,” said Clyburn. “We need to reform policing.”
Defund the Police street mural Pennsylvania Avenue at 14th Street, N.W. facing West. @USTreasury at upper right. pic.twitter.com/IAkRx5354x
— Zippyman818 (@zippyman818) June 7, 2020
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has also offered a breakdown explaining how Democrats’ reform efforts, noting how defunding actually has nothing to do with the elimination of police departments.
According to Ocasio-Cortez, police reform and defunding focus on prioritizing budgets. Funds would be taken from overfunded police departments and redirected other important programs and incentives that would “prevent crime and social discord in the first place.”
“Many folks here in our community say that the problem is the opposite, is that not enough resources are being put into the very kinds of social programming and investments that prevent crime and social discord in the first place,” she said.