Kamala Harris Was Not a 'Progressive Prosecutor'

[wellst0nev0ter]

from the NYT opinion pages:

Time after time, when progressives urged her to embrace criminal justice reforms as a district attorney and then the state’s attorney general, Ms. Harris opposed them or stayed silent. Most troubling, Ms. Harris fought tooth and nail to uphold wrongful convictions that had been secured through official misconduct that included evidence tampering, false testimony and the suppression of crucial information by prosecutors.

Consider her record as San Francisco’s district attorney from 2004 to 2011. Ms. Harris was criticized in 2010 for withholding information about a police laboratory technician who had been accused of “intentionally sabotaging” her work and stealing drugs from the lab. After a memo surfaced showing that Ms. Harris’s deputies knew about the technician’s wrongdoing and recent conviction, but failed to alert defense lawyers, a judge condemned Ms. Harris’s indifference to the systemic violation of the defendants’ constitutional rights.

(snip)

Ms. Harris also championed state legislation under which parents whose children were found to be habitually truant in elementary school could be prosecuted, despite concerns that it would disproportionately affect low-income people of color.

(snip)

And then there’s Kevin Cooper, the death row inmate whose trial was infected by racism and corruption. He sought advanced DNA testing to prove his innocence, but Ms. Harris opposed it. (After The New York Times’s exposé of the case went viral, she reversed her position.)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/opinion/kamala-harris-criminal-justice.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

[FiveGoodMen]

1. And she was second in line to deny Franken a fair hearing

Another one on the 'no way in hell' list.

[ananda]

6. Agree..

No way

[Jose Garcia]

38. Who was third in line?

[MrsCoffee]

60. Not sure.

They stop counting way before they get to their favorite candidate out of the 38.

[questionseverything]

2. it seems like she was more concerned with her win rate than justice

and she protected that guy that had paid 400 grand on a sexual harassment charge

we can do better

[MrsCoffee]

57. Wtf do you mean she protected that guy?

Put up your proof.

[questionseverything]

62. i am not sure common knowledge should require proof but here ya go

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kamala-harris-aide-sexual-harassment-settlement_us_5c096958e4b0de79357ad57d

[MrsCoffee]

66. I'm not seeing the part where she protected the guy.

Last edited Sat Jan 19, 2019, 08:48 PM - Edit history (1)

Got another link?

[Squinch]

3. And the skeet shoot begins.

[wellst0nev0ter]

9. Why have primaries anyway?

Just everyone participation trophies so that nobody's fee-fees get hurt.

[Squinch]

13. Which has nothing whatsoever to do with what I wrote, so I must assume you are referring

to your own "fee fees."

[wellst0nev0ter]

27. So you do like skeet shoots

So what's the problem?

[Squinch]

35. Have a lovely evening.

[peggysue2]

19. Sure looks and sounds that way

Harris isn't a progressive lawyer and Warren and Gillibrand are decidedly not likable. Oh, and Beto O'Rourke 'skipped' town because he's not well versed on . . . anything.

A roaring start!

[Merlot]

4. Yes, and she was also against legal marijuana

I'm interested to see if her positions have "evolved" especially regarding criminal justice.

She did to after the banks after the 2008 debacle, with success. There is a lot to like about her, and other things remain to be seen.

That's what primarys are for.

[wellst0nev0ter]

8. She's now for the jane

now that's she's not in a position to prosecute low level offenders

[BannonsLiver]

5. She's progressive enough for me.

I would gleefully support her in a general election and will give serious consideration to voting for her in the primaries.

[yuiyoshida]

18. Me too...

I like Kamala Harris, especially when she went after Bret Kavanaugh !

[emulatorloo]

22. She was excellent. She's in my top 5 to support in Primary 2020

[yuiyoshida]

24. Agreed!

[tblue37]

47. Are you out of the hospital now? Feeling well, I hope! nt

[yuiyoshida]

48. yes out of the hospital

feeling better thanks.

[tblue37]

49. Glad to hear it. Welcome back! nt

[aidbo]

7. The article doesn't even mention her declining to prosecute Steve Mnuchin

[Hekate]

10. And so it becomes her turn in the barrel

It's an Op Ed -- who's the author? Just curious.

[wellst0nev0ter]

11. Lara Bazelon

Bazelon is a law professor and the former director of the Loyola Law School Project for the Innocent in Los Angeles.

Seems legit to me.

[Squinch]

14. Catholic institutions commenting on whether others are progressive enough is always interesting.

[former9thward]

33. A Catholic institution did not comment on anything.

The writer of the oped piece referenced in the OP teaches at the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Lara Bazelon is an associate professor of law and the director of the Criminal Juvenile Justice and Racial Justice Clinical Programs at the University of San Francisco School of Law. From 2012-2015, she was a visiting associate clinical professor at Loyola Law School and the director of the Loyola Law School Project for the Innocent. Professor Bazelon was a trial attorney in the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Los Angeles for seven years. Prior to that, she was a law clerk for the Honorable Harry Pregerson on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

https://www.usfca.edu/law/faculty/lara-bazelon

[mr_lebowski]

55. Them's some pretty damn solid bona-fides to be commenting on the subject, I must say ...

I like how you keep shit real, 9th ...

Generally, anyways

[wellst0nev0ter]

39. Would it be better if the institution

was Muslim or Jewish?

Do you do religious tests?

[Squinch]

42. Do you believe Catholic institutions should be trusted as arbiters of progressivism?

[friendly_iconoclast]

46. You have yet to discuss the contents of the OP. Will you be doing so anytime soon?

TIA

[Squinch]

50. Nope. Kamala is a good candidate and I see no benefit in engaging in

the self-destructive habit we have of trashing all our viable candidates, especially the women. I AM in the betting pool, however, with "Kamala is Unlikable" being a headline posted here before the end if January. Fingers crossed!

[uponit7771]

12. She was progressive enough

[Tarheel_Dem]

15. Despite this one sided op ed, I'll support Senator Harris in heartbeat. n/t

[we can do it]

16. Same here.

[obamanut2012]

30. same

[Trumpocalypse]

17. Still better than Trump

Let's not start tearing down our own just yet.

[shanny]

44. Frigging EVERYBODY is better than Trump.

I think we can set the bar a little higher than that.

[MrsCoffee]

59. A little higher?

Give me a fucking break.

She pole vaults over any bar set by any Republican and most Democrats.

She ranks as our most progressive Senator. That’s a pretty high bar for everyone else.

[Marrah_Goodman]

20. I like her

Not sure who I will support , but I do know I won't like everything they have ever done. I will support whoever I feel has the best chance to beat Don the Con when the time comes.

[emulatorloo]

21. An negative op-ed. I am sure we'll see a positive op-ed to balance it out

Opinions will be coming fast and furious.

A word to the wise, most people respect prosecutors and won’t respond well anything that appears to be one-sided cherrypicking op-Eds.

[WeekiWater]

23. She is currently at the top of my list with Gillibrand and Warren.

Looking forward to seeing who all jumps in and how they perform. Maybe Harris needs to go spend a little time with Jim Webb. I have a feeling now she is on the outside that she will propose a pretty progressive agenda in this area.

The opposition is out for Harris and I question their motives. The “not good enough” crowd can go pound sand. Let’s get it on!

[safeinOhio]

25. She was one of my top two picks, the other

Sherrod Brown.

[Turbineguy]

26. Yes, we should really have

the GOP run our primaries.

[aeromanKC]

28. She's in my top 3!!

#2 Actually. No candidate will be perfect or have spotless history. Where do they stand now is what counts. Harris will be a fantastic strong President!!

(She'll be on the ticket)

[mopinko]

29. and yet- she is the elected senator from cali. i'll take this w a grain.

sounds like a typical prosecutor.

[TeamPooka]

31. She has learned from her past mistakes since her current big ideas involve eliminating prisons for

profit and legalizing cannabis.
Remember Obama was against gay marriage when he was elected and then Biden opened the door for him.

[obamanut2012]

32. She is my #1

Not apologizing, just like I never did with Hillary.

#noragrets

[ismnotwasm]

34. Hit piece #1

[Autumn]

41. Discussing her history and her stand on issues is tearing her down?

[dlk]

37. If Harris Runs for President, Her Record as a Prosecutor Will Be Dissected in the Media

Especially, since she is a woman and a woman of color. The media remains the same.

[Autumn]

40. I knew as AG she supported asset forfeiture before being charged with a crime

and that was a big issue as far as I was concerned but was not aware of her stand on these other issues. Thanks for the information.

[BannonsLiver]

64. It's a big issue in the libertarian fever swamp and the purity folks

Meanwhile, actual voters will care more about her ideas about jobs and healthcare.

[Autumn]

65. Preach that shit somewhere else. Liberal and progressive voters are capable of caring

about more than 2 things at a time.

[mcar]

45. Does she sound shrill? What about her appearance?

[Squinch]

51. I have no problem with women in power. Just this one. And that one.

And the one over there.

Besides she's not likeable.

[Iggo]

58. I read that in Sen. Graham's voice.

[Maven]

53. LOL! Sarandon retweeted this garbage, of course.

[MrsCoffee]

54. Yet she ranks as the most progressive Senator, so nice fuckng try.

[oberliner]

63. Actually that would be Gillibrand

[mr_lebowski]

56. Having the NYT commenting that a "Candidate from SAN FRANCISCO" is really not all THAT liberal

Is actually not going to be detrimental to her chances in the General, should she win the primary ... and she'll have plenty of time to prove her progressive bona-fides to us primary voters in the meantime, and I'm sure has many other progressive laurels already in the bag.

Generally-speaking, when Dems win POTUS, it's because they appear moderate and have broad appeal.

'A tough-nose prosecutor' is a nice counter-balance to 'ZOMG SF LIBERAL!1!!' for the moderates/indy types that you need to win POTUS.

Just sayin'

[DontBooVote]

61. I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more from you about how Sen. Harris is a bad choice.