MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough: Progressives ‘extraordinarily clueless’ on crime

MSNBC personality Joe Scarborough slammed progressives on Friday as being alarmingly out of touch with voters’ concerns about rising crime rates ahead of critical midterm elections next month.

The “Morning Joe” co-anchor targeted Democrats after the left-leaning network aired a segment with a focus group of black voters in Philadelphia. The voters, all Democrats, identified crime as their biggest concern and expressed frustration that lawmakers haven’t adequately addressed the crisis.

“That is so jarring and we hear it everywhere,” Scarborough said after watching the focus group’s responses. “We hear it from Philadelphia to New York to San Francisco. In an Oklahoma debate yesterday, or a couple of days ago, the Democratic candidate said crime was higher per capita there than in New York, and was laughed off the stage — it ended up being the case.”

“There’s a massive crime wave, and, you know, yes, it does fall on both parties, but when you have woke DAs in Philadelphia basically saying they don’t have a crime problem, when you have cops quitting left and right in Philadelphia because, you know, they’re not going to risk their lives so they can arrest people who are going to be out on the street the next day,” Scarborough added.

Scarborough went on to argue that progressive policymakers in Philadelphia were effectively telling their residents “don’t believe your lying eyes” despite evidence of mounting crime.

“Progressives on crime in places like Philadelphia and New York are so extraordinarily clueless,” Scarborough said during Friday’s edition of “Morning Joe.” “It’s maddening. And yet, you see it in these focus groups.”

Public safety has emerged as a critical issue in midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Republican lawmakers have routinely accused their Democratic counterparts of embracing soft-on-crime policies even as cities become more unsafe.

In Philadelphia, police had reported 424 homicides in 2022 through Wednesday. That number was a 2% decrease compared to last year’s record-high murder rate, though homicides are still up 58% compared to 2019.

This week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams argued the media has created a false “perception” of rampant subway crime — despite statistics showing violent crime this year through August was up 39% compared to 2019.

Adams, a Democrat who ran on a promise to make the city safer, reversed course and acknowledged New York has “real crime to deal with” after CNBC confronted him with The Post’s cover story detailing his past remarks.

MSNBC’s Elise Jordan agreed with Scarborough, noting that progressive messaging on crime has been “condescending” to those who experience it on a daily basis.

Jordan held up a copy of The Post while making her point.

“You look at the cover of the New York Post and you have Eric Adams saying, ‘Oh, crime’s not that bad in New York,’” Jordan said. “I don’t know about you, but I know a lot of people, if they can afford to not take the subway, they aren’t taking the subway these days.”