cawacko
Well-known member
I preface this with two points: 1) at the end of the day these words are just labels and 2) if we were doing this about the Republican Party, to many one is either #MAGA or a RINO (the term conservative no longer means what it once did).
That said, I'm asking this to Democrats/liberals/progressives.
This guy writes a weekly column for the SF Chronicle. He's a (black) progressive and he's an ideologue. Even though San Francisco (and the Bay Area) has only Democrats elected to office, he thinks many of them are moderates who use right-wing tactics.
Here he calls people like Newsom, Harris, Pelosi, Feinstein and SF Mayor London Breed staunch moderates and only extremists #MAGA types would call them progressive.
My question is for those who identify themselves as progressive on here, what's your thought on that? National politics can be different than state and local of course. If you're a progressive do you feel any of the forementioned are progressives, or are they all moderates? Outside of someone like Bernie, or a few safe House seats, is it possible to be a true progressive in national politics? Or is this author too much an ideologue in that regard?
(this is not a gotcha question, just curious how others think/see things)
San Francisco’s March election brought familiar but concerning results
Moderates in San Francisco say they are taking back power. But did they ever lose it?
San Francisco’s moderates claim the March election had them taking back power from city progressives.
If anything, the vote proved moderates never lost power in the first place.
Proposition E, backed by moderates, won the support of 55% of voters. It will limit police oversight and strengthen officers’ powers, including permitting high-speed chases and expanding the use of surveillance technology.
Moderates supported Proposition F as well, which requires city welfare recipients who battle addiction to undergo treatment to keep receiving cash assistance: 58.5% of voters approved it.
Also on the March ballot was Proposition B, which Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who falls on the moderate side, introduced last year with the intention of increasing police staffing levels. Mayor London Breed was on board with it at first, but Ahsha Safaí, a more progressive supervisor, added an amendment to the measure so its funding would come from new and current taxes instead of from cuts to other city departments. The tweak caused Breed and other moderates to withdraw their support. The measure was ultimately defeated despite supporters raising around $605,000 to get it passed, while its largely moderate opposition raised around $165,000 to oppose it.
San Francisco’s politics didn’t undergo an ideological transformation as a result of the election.
Conservative thinking is woven into the fabric of San Francisco’s history, particularly in the early to mid-20th century when San Francisco Republicans were in seats on the state Legislature and occupying the mayor’s office. From 1912 until 1956, San Franciscans elected five Republican mayors in a row.
San Francisco’s liberal and progressive movements of the past have advanced LGBTQ rights, labor rights and civil rights in this country. But the city’s policies have often been shaped by wealthy homeowners and business owners and by politicians who court their support.
Even though Democrats have been in power since the 1960s, San Francisco’s most visible Democratic officials in recent years — including Vice President Kamala Harris, Breed, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Gov. Gavin Newsom — have been staunch moderates who would rarely, if ever, be confused for progressives, despite the ravings of MAGA extremists.
When Harris was San Francisco’s district attorney, she was known for being tough on crime and slow to accept reforms to the criminal justice system. Police-friendly Breed has had a similar law-and-order political stance while in office and has penned her own chapter in the city’s war on drugs. While Newsom talks a good game about progressive issues such as reparations, he has actually fueled the Republican narrative that San Francisco is not enforcing its laws.
There’s no comprehensive list of all of the moderate Democrats in San Francisco, but a 2014 Pew Research poll found 43% of people in the city said they were either moderate (28%) or conservative (15%). Identifying as progressive wasn’t an option in the poll, but 55% of people said they identified as liberal, and 3% weren’t sure how they identified.
Since the poll came out, the city’s moderate demographic has only strengthened. They have launched community-led organizations such as Grow SF, a political fundraising group that pushes moderate ideals. Groups like these have been able to win support from deep-pocketed donors in the tech world. San Francisco’s progressive district attorney, Chesa Boudin, was recalled two years ago by moderates who went on to elect Brooke Jenkins to replace him the next year. Moderates also led the recall of three progressive San Francisco school board members in 2022. Then there is the powerful 24-member Democratic County Central Committee, which endorses candidates in pivotal races and recently welcomed a slew of moderates. About 75% of the seats on the committee are going to be occupied by moderates.
In her State of the City address two days after the election, Breed claimed San Francisco is “still progressive.” But Breed follows in the footsteps of the many moderate mayors who have consistently presided over the city since 1992.
March’s election results only served to assure San Francisco moderates that they share a common enemy with Republicans: progressive policies and leaders. With the November election fast approaching and San Francisco set to choose its next mayor, it’s worth wondering just how far to the right moderates are willing to go to appease their base.
San Francisco isn’t just another Democratic city in America, it’s the Democratic city in America. The agenda and priorities of the Democratic Party in 2024 can be influenced by how San Francisco navigates critical issues.
Adopting data-driven public safety solutions, rather than hastily passing laws that put people at risk and deepen inequality, should be among these priorities.
Prop. E will open the door for more police chases on city streets. An investigation last month by the Chronicle revealed that victims of these sometimes deadly chases are more likely bystanders and passengers than they are fleeing drivers.
Prop. F will allow for drug testing welfare recipients despite there being plenty of data, some going back more than a decade, that says this approach is not effective at saving money or rehabilitating drug users.
It’s worth noting that San Francisco, like the rest of California, saw low voter turnout for the March election. Unofficial state data showed as of March 13 that 44.9% of registered voters in San Francisco participated in the election. For comparison, the 2020 presidential primary election in San Francisco saw 61% voter turnout.
Even with fewer people casting ballots, moderates made their voices heard. More moderates will do the same in November when voters choose both the president and the next mayor of San Francisco. A Chronicle poll found the top three candidates for mayor (former Mayor and Supervisor Mark Farrell, nonprofit founder and Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie, and Breed) are all moderates.
The idea of taking back a city, or country, from woke politicians and voters is what Republicans have been promoting on a national scale to gain support. In their eyes, compassion and equity are hindrances, and the enemies of progress are progressive Democrats.
I just wonder whether moderates in San Francisco feel the same way.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea...ection-moderates-progressives-sf-18979815.php
That said, I'm asking this to Democrats/liberals/progressives.
This guy writes a weekly column for the SF Chronicle. He's a (black) progressive and he's an ideologue. Even though San Francisco (and the Bay Area) has only Democrats elected to office, he thinks many of them are moderates who use right-wing tactics.
Here he calls people like Newsom, Harris, Pelosi, Feinstein and SF Mayor London Breed staunch moderates and only extremists #MAGA types would call them progressive.
My question is for those who identify themselves as progressive on here, what's your thought on that? National politics can be different than state and local of course. If you're a progressive do you feel any of the forementioned are progressives, or are they all moderates? Outside of someone like Bernie, or a few safe House seats, is it possible to be a true progressive in national politics? Or is this author too much an ideologue in that regard?
(this is not a gotcha question, just curious how others think/see things)
San Francisco’s March election brought familiar but concerning results
Moderates in San Francisco say they are taking back power. But did they ever lose it?
San Francisco’s moderates claim the March election had them taking back power from city progressives.
If anything, the vote proved moderates never lost power in the first place.
Proposition E, backed by moderates, won the support of 55% of voters. It will limit police oversight and strengthen officers’ powers, including permitting high-speed chases and expanding the use of surveillance technology.
Moderates supported Proposition F as well, which requires city welfare recipients who battle addiction to undergo treatment to keep receiving cash assistance: 58.5% of voters approved it.
Also on the March ballot was Proposition B, which Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who falls on the moderate side, introduced last year with the intention of increasing police staffing levels. Mayor London Breed was on board with it at first, but Ahsha Safaí, a more progressive supervisor, added an amendment to the measure so its funding would come from new and current taxes instead of from cuts to other city departments. The tweak caused Breed and other moderates to withdraw their support. The measure was ultimately defeated despite supporters raising around $605,000 to get it passed, while its largely moderate opposition raised around $165,000 to oppose it.
San Francisco’s politics didn’t undergo an ideological transformation as a result of the election.
Conservative thinking is woven into the fabric of San Francisco’s history, particularly in the early to mid-20th century when San Francisco Republicans were in seats on the state Legislature and occupying the mayor’s office. From 1912 until 1956, San Franciscans elected five Republican mayors in a row.
San Francisco’s liberal and progressive movements of the past have advanced LGBTQ rights, labor rights and civil rights in this country. But the city’s policies have often been shaped by wealthy homeowners and business owners and by politicians who court their support.
Even though Democrats have been in power since the 1960s, San Francisco’s most visible Democratic officials in recent years — including Vice President Kamala Harris, Breed, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Gov. Gavin Newsom — have been staunch moderates who would rarely, if ever, be confused for progressives, despite the ravings of MAGA extremists.
When Harris was San Francisco’s district attorney, she was known for being tough on crime and slow to accept reforms to the criminal justice system. Police-friendly Breed has had a similar law-and-order political stance while in office and has penned her own chapter in the city’s war on drugs. While Newsom talks a good game about progressive issues such as reparations, he has actually fueled the Republican narrative that San Francisco is not enforcing its laws.
There’s no comprehensive list of all of the moderate Democrats in San Francisco, but a 2014 Pew Research poll found 43% of people in the city said they were either moderate (28%) or conservative (15%). Identifying as progressive wasn’t an option in the poll, but 55% of people said they identified as liberal, and 3% weren’t sure how they identified.
Since the poll came out, the city’s moderate demographic has only strengthened. They have launched community-led organizations such as Grow SF, a political fundraising group that pushes moderate ideals. Groups like these have been able to win support from deep-pocketed donors in the tech world. San Francisco’s progressive district attorney, Chesa Boudin, was recalled two years ago by moderates who went on to elect Brooke Jenkins to replace him the next year. Moderates also led the recall of three progressive San Francisco school board members in 2022. Then there is the powerful 24-member Democratic County Central Committee, which endorses candidates in pivotal races and recently welcomed a slew of moderates. About 75% of the seats on the committee are going to be occupied by moderates.
In her State of the City address two days after the election, Breed claimed San Francisco is “still progressive.” But Breed follows in the footsteps of the many moderate mayors who have consistently presided over the city since 1992.
March’s election results only served to assure San Francisco moderates that they share a common enemy with Republicans: progressive policies and leaders. With the November election fast approaching and San Francisco set to choose its next mayor, it’s worth wondering just how far to the right moderates are willing to go to appease their base.
San Francisco isn’t just another Democratic city in America, it’s the Democratic city in America. The agenda and priorities of the Democratic Party in 2024 can be influenced by how San Francisco navigates critical issues.
Adopting data-driven public safety solutions, rather than hastily passing laws that put people at risk and deepen inequality, should be among these priorities.
Prop. E will open the door for more police chases on city streets. An investigation last month by the Chronicle revealed that victims of these sometimes deadly chases are more likely bystanders and passengers than they are fleeing drivers.
Prop. F will allow for drug testing welfare recipients despite there being plenty of data, some going back more than a decade, that says this approach is not effective at saving money or rehabilitating drug users.
It’s worth noting that San Francisco, like the rest of California, saw low voter turnout for the March election. Unofficial state data showed as of March 13 that 44.9% of registered voters in San Francisco participated in the election. For comparison, the 2020 presidential primary election in San Francisco saw 61% voter turnout.
Even with fewer people casting ballots, moderates made their voices heard. More moderates will do the same in November when voters choose both the president and the next mayor of San Francisco. A Chronicle poll found the top three candidates for mayor (former Mayor and Supervisor Mark Farrell, nonprofit founder and Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie, and Breed) are all moderates.
The idea of taking back a city, or country, from woke politicians and voters is what Republicans have been promoting on a national scale to gain support. In their eyes, compassion and equity are hindrances, and the enemies of progress are progressive Democrats.
I just wonder whether moderates in San Francisco feel the same way.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea...ection-moderates-progressives-sf-18979815.php