“I was hopeful it would gain such momentum as to force passage,” Johnson said. “But I also was practical and knew that when the August break ended that we only had I think three weeks, twelve legislative days, before we would break for the elections … So I did not go in misty-eyed, and reality has set in.”
The prospects for demilitarization in the 114th, wholly Republican controlled, Congress are difficult to predict at best. While so-called “right on crime” Republicans have risen to prominence versus the more traditional “tough on crime” variety, the most powerful Republicans in the Senate will be the ones who represent the old-school way of thinking.
Demilitarization advocates hope the Ferguson moment won’t fade entirely, and they hope militarization will remain part of the debate next year. But Balko isn’t confident Paul will be able to lead the fight alone.
“With the exception of Paul I’m not sure this leads to a change in militarization on a local police level,” Balko said. “The Republicans in the ’90s were very concerned about the militarization of the ATF because they were going after gun owners. But that never translated into concern about militarization of local police going after minorities.”
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