Whatever Harris did as a prosecutor seems reasonable given both the context of the time she during which was a prosecutor, and her overall political alignment. I would rather have a progressive presidential candidate like Bernie (too late), or AOC (maybe 2028 or later). But choosing Harris means that the overall “liberal” agenda stays on the table
Some highlights from the article
Harris, as part of her previous presidential campaign, also released a criminal justice reform plan that seeks to scale back incarceration, end the death penalty and solitary confinement, ban private prisons, and get rid of cash bail. Biden also backs a fairly aggressive criminal justice reform plan, despite his own mixed record on criminal justice issues.
A close examination of Harris’s record shows it’s filled with contradictions. She pushed for programs that helped people find jobs instead of putting them in prison, but also fought to keep people in prison even after they were proved innocent. She refused to pursue the death penalty against a man who killed a police officer, but also defended California’s death penalty system in court. She implemented training programs to address police officers’ racial biases, but also resisted calls to get her office to investigate certain police shootings.
But what seem like contradictions may reflect a balancing act. Harris’s parents worked on civil rights causes, and she came from a background well aware of the excesses of the criminal justice system — but in office, she played the role of a prosecutor and California’s lawyer. She started in an era when “tough on crime” politics were popular across party lines — but she rose to national prominence as criminal justice reform started to take off nationally. She had an eye on higher political office as support for criminal justice reform became de rigueur for Democrats — but she still had to work as California’s top law enforcement official.
Harris also pushed for more systemic reforms. Her most successful program as district attorney, “Back on Track,” allowed first-time drug offenders, including drug dealers, to get a high school diploma and a job instead of prison time. Adams, Harris’s previous spokesperson, noted that the program started in 2005, “when most prosecutors were using a ‘tough on crime’ approach.”
She isn’t remotely progressive. There’s a long list of very problematic stuff she did while AG which the other commentator covered in part but there’s also:
-She’s a blatant supporter of Israel’s Genocide
The other guys wants to “deport” every single illegal immigrant.
Apparatus like that, once set up, usually finds applications which weren’t in the planning documents when they were presented for public consumption.
Honestly? Harris is not my favorite pick. But pretending that voting against Trump needs some kind of evaluation against the other alternative is pure poppycock.
Nowhere in my comment did I suggest Trump would be better, he clearly wouldn’t be. I was replying to someone saying she’s progressive showing she isn’t.
Right now is the time to try and steer support to candidates we want to get the nomination. After the nomination you won’t see me posting as critically.
Who is your alternative?
I think an alternative at all is unlikely, although if one that were realistic came along, I’d be fuckin thrilled
Going off candidates that that may have a chance given the short window, Whitmer or AOC would be much better to me.
I’m much further left but willing to compromise to stop trump but need to see some material change to our policy on Israel. We can’t just keep giving a genocidal government weapons and funding and acting like we have no leverage.
So… Ralph Nader actually went into this a little bit. He was disgusted with the left for agreeing to vote ahead of time for Biden without even trying to form any kind of a pressure bloc to demand concessions in terms of better humanity in Gaza. I feel you.
I can’t possibly see what you can demand from Harris though, materially. She’s not in charge. Her priorities, until January 6th, are Biden’s priorities. And anything you do to try to pressure her for announcing better policies on Israel is flirting with fucking it up and Trump getting in and just giving Israel approval to go in and kill the other 90% of the Palestinians and open beachfront property and no “ceasefire” or “weapons pause” or any of Biden’s milquetoast resistance on the table at all.
Idk. It’s not even certain that she can win. Weakening her even more in service of the Palestinians I think has an excellent chance of killing a whole bunch more Palestinians.
counterpunch has extreme left bias according to media bias fact check site
That doesn’t prove in ANY WAY that she is a blatant supporter of genocide, jesus fucking christ.
an easily proven lie
that article even quotes the intercept
and yet: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-vp-harris-urges-israeli-government-do-more-boost-aid-into-gaza-2024-03-03/
oh but she totally is blatantly supporting the genocide!!!
edit: yes, downvote me for bringing you inconvenient truths that don’t fall within your little narrative.
She’s a part of the administration that hasn’t stopped weapon shipments to the country committing the genocide. It doesn’t matter if she has given some meaningless lines on the tragedy going on if there’s been next to nothing done to stop it.
She with Biden came out and said the US will not impose conditions on support for Israel. The country committing the genocide. How is that not blatant support?
Between that, her ties to AIPAC I don’t see how anyone can say she’ll be a meaningful improvement. Sorry to tell you “inconvenient truths that don’t fall within your little narrative”
…A month after the Hamas massacre. Might want to find more recent evidence to argue with.
Unless you have recent examples that hard counter any of the below any reasonable person should see isn’t going to suddenly change. When the uncommitted movement had over 100k votes in a Michigan (a swing state) that’s just shooting yourself in the foot if you’re trying to beat trump.
She has clear a history of pushing against any international organization trying to hold Israel accountable on any level. Unless she comes out and clearly distances herself from Biden’s actions why should we think she’ll be any different?
Harris set a tone for her posture on Israel as a senator when she co-sponsored legislation in 2017 condemning former President Barack Obama’s decision to abstain from vetoing a UN Security Council Resolution critical of Israel. The resolution, which was adopted in December 2016, stated that “the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”
During the 2020 presidential race, the New York Times asked Harris if she thought Israel meets international standards of human rights. “Overall, yes,” she replied.
In Harris’s first call with Netanyahu after becoming vice president, on March 3, 2021, she told the Israeli leader that the U.S. was opposed to the International Criminal Court investigating alleged Israeli war crimes against the Palestinians. Harris and Netanyahu “noted their respective governments’ opposition to the International Criminal Court’s attempts to exercise its jurisdiction over Israeli personnel,” according to a White House readout of the call.
Again, all you’re doing is saying ‘she supported an ally way back in the past before it started doing warcrimes’ and not supporting your argument that she would continue supplying aid to Israel despite warcrimes.
Also one of her jobs as VP is to support the President’s decisions.
Israel has been doing it for decades, the illegal occupation has been happening since 1967. They’ve been “mowing the lawn” every couple years and arbitrarily detaining Palestinians the entire time. The only thing that’s recent is the speed at which they’re killing the Palestinians.
My issue is that they’re considered an ally of the US at all, that policy stance was terrible the entire time, just because some people only started paying attention recently doesn’t mean it’s a recent development.
Edit:
Amnesty international had a report way back in ‘09 about the use of white phosphorus and human shields by the Israelis.
Good luck finding a politician who will support abandoning the Israeli alliance that would have a chance.
MBFC also rates the Jerusalem Post as credible, which anyone who’s read the Post for any significant amount of time knows is a lie.