The Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday that it will hold its 2024 convention in Chicago, Illinois, the "murder capital" of the nation, Breitbart reported. The 2024 Democratic National Convention will be held from August 19 to 22.
The Republican Party is rejoicing at such a tone-deaf decision that seems made-to-order for the GOP pitch. Democrats are soft on crime, and nowhere has that been more problematic than in Chicago.
Under the leadership of since-ousted Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the Windy City has seen record crime to cap off more than a decade as the American city with the most homicides. In 2022, there were 695 murders, and there were 804 in 2021, setting a quarter-century record, the New York Post reported.
Theft nearly doubled in that time, with nearly 20,000 thefts reported in 2022. Lightfoot became the first incumbent mayor in four decades to be voted out of office amid this crime wave.
Unfortunately, Chicago voters went from the frying pan into the fire with their next choice in Brandon Johnson. He was elected on the promise of doubling down on the Democratic policies that created this mess.
Johnson has proposed a tax hike that has residents and businesses fleeing, making Cook County, where Chicago is located, second only to Los Angeles in population loss. As a former union organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union and former teacher, Johnson is also the face of failing schools that have adopted the worst woke policies.
Illinois schools were already struggling long before pandemic closures at the behest of the unions sealed the deal. As of 2019, only 36% of students in third grade could read at grade level, with minority students faring even worse, the Washington Examiner reported.
Then in 2020, students were left out of the classroom for an extended period of time during the coronavirus pandemic. The detrimental impact on Chicago public school students has been an 80% loss in math proficiency and 70% in reading.
Johnson is also a proponent of the defund the police movement that Democrats have sought to distance themselves from as cities become more dangerous because of it. In 2021, the Republican National Committee reminded voters of this with the release of a 7-minute video featuring clips of high-ranking Democrats pushing for the awful policy, Fox News reported.
"Suck it up. Defunding the police has to happen. We need to defund the police," Democratic Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, one of the radical "Squad" members, can be heard saying in one clip.
It's likely that the RNC convention, which will take place the month before in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 15-18, will spend some time focusing on that fact. The GOP has chosen a swing state, whereas Democrats are hoping for a friendly reception in a state that hasn't voted for a Republican since 1988.
President Joe Biden, who is likely running for reelection although he hasn't made a formal announcement, had a hand in choosing the venue. He and DNC Chair Jaime Harrison picked it over other Democrat-friendly cities like New York City and Atlanta, Georgia.
It's difficult to understand the strategy of putting the convention in what is arguably the proving ground for the worst policies the Democratic Party has to offer. Chicago is undeniably a crime-ridden and depressed city thanks to decades of Democratic leadership.
Biden will already face a difficult reelection bid going into the convention based on his first-term failures. It's unclear how they think showcasing the city will do anything but remind people why they shouldn't let Democrats run the country.
