Is the Phrase "Defund the Police" Hurting the Democrats?

Former President Obama recently had an interview where had this to say about "Defund the Police":

"You lost a big audience the minute you say it [Defund the Police], which makes it a lot less likely that you're actually going to get the changes you want done..."

Obama also called "Defund the Police" a 'snappy slogan'. Now there are a lot of things that you can rightfully quibble with, from the reference of "Defund the Police" as a slogan (kind of belittling), bickering about audience (when actual people have died at the hands of the police), and complaining about losing power (where Obama was fairly derelict in maintaining the legislative branch as President). But if you want criticism, many people have already dragged Obama (including Rep.-elect Cori Bush who ran on a Defund the Police platform). But let's break down the idea a bit further. It boils down to one question: "How can you enact a progressive agenda without alienating the populace?"

The Statistics

Let's get it straight right away. Just because an idea is unpopular does not mean that the idea is inherently wrong. With that said, "Defund the Police" is an unpopular idea right now. According to Pew Research, only 25% of people polled supported reducing the budget for the police department while 31% of people polled supported increasing the budget. 42% supported no change. But let's go to Black Lives Matter, which is the organization tied closest to "Defund the Police". According to Civiqs data, in April 2017, only 38% of registered voters supported Black Lives Matter, a number that wavered throughout 2017 despite the Charlottesville Rally. However, in 2018, more registered voters supported Black Lives Matter than opposed (40% to 39%), but it stayed below a majority until this past summer. In the wake of protests over George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor's deaths, Black Lives Matter hit a peak of 53% supporting, which fell to 48% supporting by end of November.

Another corollary you could look at is healthcare. Let's start with Obamacare. In 2013, only 24% of those polled thought it had a net benefit to the country as a whole compared to 38% who said it didn't. In 2017 (7 years after Obamacare was initially passed), that opinion flipped where now 44% of those polled thinks it has a net benefit compared to 35% who said it didn't. That's a 23 point swing in opinion over 4 years!

What did we learn

Yes - Defund the Police is an unpopular phrase right now, and it arguably had some impact on Democrats, who lost very real seats in the House and lost key Senate races (most notably the Maine Senate race). Losing power does make it more difficult to enact these changes, but it also does not mean we should abandon these sentiments. Ideas that are unpopular today can only become more popular in the future if we continue to raise awareness and challenge leaders to do the same. We must also support towns and cities who are willing to try this approach and elevate their stories because people will believe it can be done if they see it for themselves. So sure, Obama may have been right about this election, but for change we can believe in, we cannot stop using these snappy slogans.