OPINION: The problem is that in SF, Democrat has become a meaningless label, and does not indicate progressive politics. Rather, it is the party you identify with if you want to get elected, as well as a label that provides cover for many conservatives.
Mayor London Breed speaks during a press conference in front of City Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. If San Francisco had a true multi-party system, Supervisor Aaron Peskin and Mayor London Breed would not be in the same party.
In the recent attempt to recall Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, 86% of the voters in The City opposed it. This century, Democratic candidates for President regularly receive more than 80% of the vote in San Francisco. Democratic dominance in national politics reached its height in San Francisco in 2016, when Hillary Clinton outpolled Donald Trump 84-9. Trump came roaring back in 2020, with support surging to 13% in The City, trailing Joe Biden by only 72%.
One-party systems are functionally no-party systems, making it more difficult for voters to choose between candidates or hold their elected officials accountable when there is no incumbent. After all, how can you know which bums to throw out when they are all in the same party? In S.F., the progressive left and pro-business moderates — those who want to build affordable housing and those who want to allow developers to build what they want, those who support a pro-police tough-on-crime position and those who want to push back against the carceral state — all share a distaste for Trump and the GOP. So ironically and definitely strangely, they all find themselves in the same party.
Politicians, media and activists often frame San Francisco politics as pitting the progressives against the moderates. This is a useful paradigm, but it is one for insiders rather than ordinary voters. Most voters, in San Francisco and elsewhere, understand that Republicans are conservative and Democrats are liberal. Without those labels, terms like progressives and moderate are of limited value to voters, because there is no easy way to tell who is in which camp.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
S.F. resumes COVID-19 rent relief program - The San Francisco ExaminerThe San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved restarting a local rent relief program with more than $50 million available to tenants in need.
Read more »
Couturier Guo Pei Gets an Expansive Showcase in San FranciscoGuo Pei, couturier behind Rihanna's 2015 MetGala look, gets an expansive showcase in San Francisco
Read more »
Meet DALL-E, an AI algorithm that can draw anything on command - The San Francisco ExaminerWhen someone describes an image for DALL-E, it generates a set of key features that this image might include.
Read more »
Climate change report outlines grim consequences of environmental destruction in California - The San Francisco ExaminerWildfires, heat and floods will force more frequent school closures, disrupting education, child care and availability of free school lunches. More than 1,600 schools temporarily closed because of wildfires each year between 2017 and 2020.
Read more »