The GOP has correctly identified that people feel that urban core areas are less safe than they used to be.

This is an interesting observation, somewhat echoed by Krugman who writes "we’re clearly entering an era of policy driven by feelings rather than facts". Policy that ignores facts is likely to fail to improve those facts, because improvement is not the goal. The feel-good policymaker's goal is gaining power through the manipulation of people. Create a crisis and then claim only one person can solve it. So, expect ineffective policies, deteriorating facts, manufactured crisis, and talking points centered on feelings. Soldiers near the Washington monument are not solving any problem. Good photo op though.

MAGA’s Feelings Don’t Care About Your Facts, Aug 14, 2025
"This week Trump seized control of the Washington DC police force and sent in the National Guard to deal with what he claims is a runaway crime wave, even though crime in the District has been falling rapidly. What these two stories have in common is this: MAGA’s feelings don’t care about your facts. And the rejection of data Trump doesn’t like will surely extend to many areas beyond jobs and crime. About jobs: E.J. Antoni, Trump’s pick for BLS Commissioner, has actually said that we should define a recession not on the basis of things like employment data or GDP but by how people “feel.”"
"I’m not sure how many Americans realize how low our life expectancy is compared with other rich countries. The divergence began under Ronald Reagan, and was already a chasm even before partisanship led many Americans on the right to reject Covid vaccines. In case you’re wondering, I included the most recent estimate for New York City, which aside from being a dystopian hellscape is one of the few places in America that has life expectancy comparable to other advanced countries. As Justin Fox has pointed out, a lot of this has to do with New Yorkers being less likely than other Americans to die in traffic accidents."
"All in all, we’re clearly entering an era of policy driven by feelings rather than facts. But facts always win in the end."
paulkrugman.substack.com - Magas feelings dont care about your