Spectator columnist John Fund just exposed the truth about Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris’ San Francisco roots.
Writing in a piece published Friday, Fund said Harris, who was recently chosen to serve as White House hopeful Joe Biden’s running mate, represents the so-called “San Francisco Democrats,” a sect of the Democratic Party that the columnist alleged was long “dismissed as the ‘loony left’ of politics” — that is, until recently.
“San Francisco Democrats”
According to Fund, the term “San Francisco Democrat” was first used in 1984 by then-President Ronald Reagan’s United Nations ambassador, Jeane Kirkpatrick, and was used again at the Republican Convention that year to describe Democratic nominee Walter Mondale. Reagan went on to trounce Mondale and win 49 states in the Electoral College, Fund noted.
But, as Fund laments, the Democratic Party has changed radically since 1984 (pun fully intended). What used to be considered “loony left” — support for things like abortion on demand, open borders, and universal government-run health care, for example — is now considered just about mainstream.
Of course, it makes sense that San Francisco Democrats have taken over the party when you consider that several key leaders came from that area, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and former Mayor Dianne Feinstein, who is now a senior leader in the Senate, as Fund notes. But what does that have to do with Kamala Harris?
A radical in moderate’s clothing
As Fund wrote Friday, Harris has always styled herself as a moderate Democrat, and has used her role as a prosecutor and attorney general of California to project that image. When she got into the Senate in 2017, however, her radical left leanings became obvious.
According to Fund, GovTrack.us ranked Harris as the most liberal senator in 2019, and she introduced bills to ask about sexual orientation on the Census and give free lawyers to illegal immigrants. Harris also made comments during the recent Democratic presidential primaries about using executive orders to enact strict gun control measures, including forced government buybacks of firearms, National Review reported.
What’s more, Fund writes that Harris’ voting record is actually to the left of self-proclaimed democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). If voters knew this, the majority would likely reject her as they did him. But do you think CNN, MSNBC, or any other mainstream media outlets hoping Biden will force President Donald Trump out of office will be admitting Harris’ far-left views any time soon?
Biden’s biggest blunder yet?
It’s a point Republicans have been hounding on since Biden picked her as his VP. According to The Hill, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said last week that the Democratic senator’s “record would immediately disqualify her to any moderate, steady-handed candidate.”
McCarthy added: “While serving as San Francisco district attorney and California Attorney General, Harris used her office’s prosecutorial powers for political purposes. She led assaults against conservative non-profits, energy companies, and parents, but not violent gang members or criminal illegal aliens. Now, she wants to turn America into San Francisco.”
While such policies might appeal to progressives like herself, if Harris doesn’t continue to appear as a moderate, she will alienate too many Democratic voters and hurt Biden’s chances of getting elected. After all, even Biden has acknowledged that he might not make it through his first term — and according to recent polling, voters aren’t convinced, either.
If commentators like Fund and McCarthy are right, Biden may have made a career-ending mistake with this one.
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