Greenberg: Harris and Breed, Radical Women Deserved Defeat

A few days ago, Kamala Harris was defeated, embarrassingly defeated – in her bid for the US Presidency. Her vision and her echoing the version of the Democratic Party seen as too radical, too tone-deaf and too ignorant, led to her demise as well as immediately causing deep introspection. What went wrong for the Democrats? The reality is, average Americans across the United States truly desire something very different from what Kamala was peddling. She failed on the economy, on immigration, on crime and public safety, or drug dealers and fentanyl, just to name a few hot buttons of the list of concerns, yet Harris and her campaign staff reflect the most fringe beliefs, in a cult-like manner, and pushing those beliefs as their presidential campaign platform, lost the voters.

Kamala Harris is a liberal, a hard-left California liberal, and a San Francisco liberal, the worst kind. I’ve been saying this often – San Francisco values, or so-called values, are not nationally respectable, not desirable, outside the west coast.

Moreover, the constant berating of undecided voters was unsettling. The incessant labeling of and name-calling of, Republicans, conservatives, the doubting democrats, as racists, alleging sexism, trans-intolerance, they putting skin color over merit while siding with antisemitic radicals, while imposing DEI and so-called equity initiatives, and fiscally insane budgets, all led to Kamala’s (and the democrats running in the US Senate and House) to suffer near complete electoral collapse across the nation. We’ve had enough. It’s time they pack up, get out, and take their ridiculous, hairbrained, and divisive baggage with them.

So, turning to San Francisco mayoral race, what exactly happened to incumbent London Breed and her 12 challengers? Well, she lost. Breed’s current campaign, and nearly all the entire last 4 years in office as our mayor, (which became 5-year term due to a change in election rules), was rife with miscalculations, with policy failures, grift, race-based initiatives, pointing of fingers, and denials. Even with the power and influence of local media boosting London Breed’s stature and pushing the false narrative of her alleged success in dealing with the most pressing issues, her mayorship was a lie. Like Kamala’s VP years, and her recent presidential candidacy. Breed and Harris shared more than a past boyfriend in Willie Brown, they shared the same crash and burn demise. Voters took charge.

London Breed, by using her office as a catalyst in directing significant and ongoing funding to nonprofit organisations and individuals who by law should not be entitled to funding under our constitutions state and federal, broke the law via race-based initiatives, and kept on doing it anyway. She severely damaged the morale and resources of our city’s law enforcement departments (police and sheriff). From the city’s out of control crime sprees beginning with riots and retail looting triggered by George Floyd-killing, to allowing retail and restaurant sectors to collapse, our downtown financial district to further lose tenants leading to record high office vacancies, to allowing drug dealing to occur in famously televised fashion 24 hours a day, to creating insane city operating budgets which allocated huge amounts of funding to untraceable and unaccountable nonprofits, to several high-profile arrest and resignations of her city hall colleagues on corruption charges, London Breed has been indeed the poster child of malice, contempt and utter failure.

And Breed has been insincere as Kamala Harris had been. Yes, both have a certain charisma voters love to flock to; charm covering up incompetence is one hallmark of a dangerous politician. Some people can be easily influenced and won over. This is especially true when supporters wear goggles sensitive to, attuned to, identifying the oppressed and check off the boxes: London Breed is a native of San Francisco, a woman, and a woman of color; she grew up in the projects, she didn’t know her father, and she has a brother who’s currently serving time in prison for accessory to murder and armed robbery. Breed’s sister died of a drug overdose.

Yet for the last several years as mayor, Breed ignored virtually every complaint, every critique, every outcry of San Franciscans, actions which embody the stereotypical out of touch, corrupt and self-serving politician the public loves to hate.

Of course, with each assertion of wrongdoing and failure levied at Breed, she’s responded with standard canned replies: it’s just not true, it’s the right-wing media, don’t listen to MAGA republicans, things are great, the city is back!

So, why did London Breed ultimately lose her re-election bid this past week? The reasons are clear: She is the incumbent which was squarely to blame for failure to address the myriad problems affecting San Francisco’s residents, businesses large and small, as well as tourists. Like Kamala Harris, Breed has no real action plan nor vision for the city going forward, only to preach “joy” and good vibes which she claims is turning the city around. Both Breed and Harris are quite arrogant; many polls had both in the lead at some point, or at least tied with their main opponent, ties turning out to be false. Our city’s (and our country’s) economy is in shambles yet they pretend it’s recovered and all is well. Breed and Harris floundered, made heaps of excuses while blaming others, as well as slamming media or refusing interviews with organizations and networks they didn’t like.

In the end,  London Breed lost to an opponent who simply listed San Franciscans top concerns, promising voters he has concrete plans to make the city a better place. Breed was no match as she could’ve acted years ago to make positive change, but didnt. In her time in office she shifted from being a woman of and for the people, to a radical activist who exploited her position in power. Voters wanted and surely need better. On Friday, November 8, London Breed reviewed the updated results of Election Day’s tallied votes, saw the writing on the wall, and conceeded the race – to now mayor-elect, Mr. Daniel Lurie. A native of San Francisco, Lurie is a nonprofit founder, businessman, and heir to the Levi Strauss fortune.

Kamala Harris, London Breed, and every Democrat elected leader and candidate for future races is now on notice; voters demand better. It’s time they listen.