Partisan politics in America has led to more than one instance of politicians with egg on their face when it comes to misspeaking or stating incorrect facts. A prominent example is former President Donald Trump, who has been fact checked live during interviews multiple times by multiple members of the press. He’s not the only politician subject to fact checking, though.
Politics is a Nuanced Conversation
Politics between states is a delicate conversation that is often very nuanced. The way that the United States is structured allows for deep divisions in government function and policy implementation, which by nature, causes rifts between different political spheres.
This can often be seen between the most conservative states and the most liberal states. Local and state government officials often spend good amounts of time bashing actions of the other parties, while doing what they believe is best in their state. Texas and California going after each other for various immigration policies is a good example.
Small Issues on the Table, Too
The things that politicians will criticize other states for is not limited to big, existential policy questions such as immigration, though. Issues such as taxes and healthcare, down to the very demographics of a state are all on the table to be talked about on local and national stages.
Oftentimes, this “conversation” comes across as mean spirited, or simply plain wrong. While it’s understandable that politicians won’t be fully informed about issues and statistics in states beyond the one that they live in, oftentime the mistakes that are made ring a little closer to home.
Tommy Tuberville: Making Headlines
Tommy Tuberville of Alabama recently fell under fire for one of these blunders. The United States senator was first elected into office in 2020 during that year’s highly contested election, entering the political field after being a football coach at various universities for years.
Tuberville is one of the politicians that campaigned to overturned Joe Bide’s electoral win over Donald Trump in 2020, and has continued to advocate for the Big Lie in the years since then. This, along with supporting some controversial stances such as climate change denialism and repealing the ACA, has led to Tuberville being a controversial figure on the national stage.
A Verbal Blunder
This is especially true when the Senator goes out of his way to put his foot in his mouth. Some recent comments that he made about the state of New York have landed poorly, particularly after the Senator was fact-checked by a resident of his very own state.
In a post on Twitter, Tuberville attacked the city of New York for being allegedly crime-ridden early this week. He mocked President Biden for traveling to the state this week for his appearance on Seth Meyer’s show on NBC.
Posting on Twitter
In a post on his official X, formerly known as Twitter, Tuberville pointed out that Biden was incredibly privileged in being able to visit New York without fearing for his personal safety.
The tweet read, “Hope Joe Biden enjoyed going out for ice cream in NYC while the rest of the city is afraid of crime and migrants.”
New York and Politics
This tweet comes in the wake of ongoing statistics that have come out of New York regarding the effects of various policies. In particular, New York has been in the news a significant amount for the effects of the immigration crisis, which the mayor of New York City has admitted is overwhelming their system.
New York politics has also been in the headlines for the special reelection campaign of George Santos, the former Representative who is currently under federal indictment for campaign finance fraud. Tom Suozzi won his former seat back handily in that election, a critical upset in a district that voted in favor of Trump in the 2020 election.
Repeating Common Misconceptions
Because of the publicity of New York in the headlines, it’s no surprise that Tuberville and other conservative politicians like to take stabs at the state. New York is one of the most significantly liberal states in the country, and conservative politicians like to point out liberal policies as the sole reason behind many of New York’s problems.
Hence, Tuberville’s comments on the alleged crime rate in New York City. It’s been a common belief perpetuated by shows set in New York, like Law and Order, that New York City has higher crime rates than anywhere in the nation. Tuberville repeating the common perception is unsurprising, but his tweet was met with immediate backlash.
A Reporter Fact Checks Tuberville
Kyle Whitmire, a reporter from AL.com, was quick to inform Tuberville that Alabama was significantly more dangerous than New York City, as far as important crime statistics such as the likelihood of being murdered.
“NYC’s homicide rate is 4.8 per 100k,” he wrote to Tuberville. “Alabama’s homicide rate is 15.9 per 100k – more than three times that of NYC.” He posted statistics and sources underneath the tweet, in case there was any question of the veracity of his claims.
A Quick Tuberville Response
Tuberville was quick to respond back to the reporter in another tweet that knuckled down on the claims that he made. He said, “These idiots will look you square in the eyes and argue that the city that locks up their shampoo at CVS and has Venezuelan gangs coordinating muggings in the streets…is safer than a red state that people are moving their families and businesses to.”
Tuberville’s comments were full of people immediately agreeing with the senator. While there’s no evidence to support his claim of violence on the part of Venezuelan gangs in New York City streets, many agreed with his implication that cities which feel the need to protect against higher rates of theft are as equally dangerous as cities with higher homicide rates.
The Statistics Don’t Lie
Unfortunately for Tuberville, the statistics do not back up his claim. His assertion that conservative states that “families and businesses are moving to” are inherently safer is patently false.
According to federal statistics released by the CDC, the three states with the highest homicide rates in the nation are Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. All three of these states are dominated by Republicans both in local government and in the state legislature, and they have policies that go along with that political designation.
New Yorker’s Defending Their City
And while there were many who jumped on Tuberville to agree with the senator about his assertion about New York City, New Yorkers themselves were quick to mock Tuberville for his lack of knowledge about their city, and the crime problem in his own state.
One woman joked, “I personally got murdered three times in NYC over the last three months.” But another woman named Laura Bassett took a more serious approach, stating that she was far more concerned about her reproductive freedom that Tuberville has been advocating against than she is about the alleged crime problem in New York.
Tuberville has Bigger Problems than NYC
Still more people pointed out that Tuberville had bigger problems on his plate than the crime issues between Alabama and New York. Notably, former President Donald Trump, who Tuberville has stood behind as a staunch supporter even through his multiple indictments across states and jurisdictions.
One user even went so far to list the number of felonies that Donald Trump has been charged with over the course of the last year, stating that Tuberville had more important issues to worry about. While Tuberville is not up for reelection this year, it cannot be denied that Donald Trump is a significant player in national politics, and Tuberville has thrown his wagon firmly on the Trump train.
Subheading
Partisan politics means that Tuberville likely will quote those who agree with him when talking about his Twitter blunder, while ignoring those who contradicted his viewpoint. This is common, but unfortunately a sad pattern in national politics.
The tweet has allowed for a larger conversation to be had around crime in various states ahead of the 2024 election, though. Crime is rating as a significant factor for voters ahead of November in polling data, and more conversations about the real statistics of violent crime in America can only be considered a good thing.
