Right before COVID triggered nationwide lockdowns, one of the big things was criminal justice reform. In particular, there was a significant push to end bail for most crimes. The argument was that poor people couldn’t afford cash bail, so it was somehow racist.

Since then, we’ve seen a massive spike in violent crime.

Now, to be fair, not all of it can be laid at the feet of ending cash bail. After all, not every jurisdiction did it, for one thing.

However, I think most of us can agree that requiring bail does seem to help keep some of the worst accused offenders off of our streets and makes everyone safer.

Enter President Joe Biden who has a plain amid the surging violent crime rates.

This Biden-Pelosi-Obama crowd is a tricky cast of characters that likes to tuck surprise goodies into immense legislation, hoping no one spots them until it’s too late.

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Now, what’s just come out is a Joe Biden plan to abolish cash bail for violent suspects. No, seriously. Because, you know, why would any accused murderer skip town?

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Biden’s newest gimmick slithered out this week as part of his 42-page National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality. The administration is claiming it’s the first of its kind, which doesn’t make something necessarily wise. There are often good reasons why such plans have not been attempted before. But who cares? It sounds good splashed across friendly media.

Here’s how Joe Biden explains it in the report:

We are also committed to increasing federal oversight and accountability for police departments and prosecutors’ offices to address systemic misconduct, including gender bias and sexual misconduct.

And we will work to end cash bail and reform our pretrial system, recognizing the harm these processes cause, particularly for Black women and families.

This latest cockamamie Joe Biden idea comes as violent crime has surged high on the list of Americans’ serious concerns, even fears. Last year’s murder number totaled 21,500 nationally, 77 percent involving guns. That’s almost 60 homicides per day every day all year.

Honestly, this is…weird.

The polling has made it clear that voters seem to be leaning more toward a “tough on crime” approach as the violent crime rate does a pretty good impression of a SpaceX rocket, yet Biden’s plan is to get even weaker?

I mean, I know the argument he’s making. I get that he’s coming at it from a race perspective, but I’m just not sure if that’s how it’s really going to play to the American people.

This just seems ill-advised, especially with the midterms coming up and especially since they know something like this isn’t going to see the light of day.

In fact, don’t be surprised to see a lot of Democrats oppose this as well. While progressives in safe districts should have no problem, anyone in a swing district may well want to steer clear of supporting something like this.

Especially if it does indeed free potentially violent criminals.

After all, there are advantages to cash bail:

See, Joe Biden is concerned that people accused of fatally shooting, stabbing, garroting, or beating another human to death must come up with large sums of money, at least a percentage of a court-set bail, in order to get out of jail during often protracted legal proceedings against them.

Traditionally, such sums have served as financial deterrents to flight, giving authorities and bail bondsmen incentives to retrieve said suspects when they flee. And if the bail is high enough, effectively prohibiting an accused with a particularly violent record from getting out of jail at all.

But Joe Biden sees this as unfair. And wants to rely on an honor system. (See illegal alien policy.)

And that’s kind of the point to the system.

Instead, Biden wants to put everyone at risk by releasing these dangerous people back out onto the streets without any concern at all.

Frankly, it almost sounds like he’s given up and is trying to pass anything he can before he loses Congress completely. Unfortunately, such an effort still runs into the filibuster, and I just don’t see the Senate signing off on this one.

In the meantime, let’s go Brandon!