Well given that she was elected by staying with pretty standard and solidly left policies I doubt she’d be willing to buy that advice.
I’m just not sure how anyone gets elected to office. At any level. Under a political party. Without having associations with people who were already in that political party when they started. And participating with said people doesn’t neccisarily equate to “the favor bank” or being owned by them.
For all the hand wringing about Harris’ associations. As with other rising left wing politicians. I don’t think I’ve seen anything specifically bad on the table. It’s not like she was beholden to people with odious politics. That she shares people’s positions that are bad. Or is being accused of doing anything to help them push bad policy. We’re not seeing claims that she’s involved in graft, or has betrayed constituents over particular issues.
The complaint amounts to “she is member of the Democratic party” and a successful one. And has associations entirely typical for a politician at that stage in her career. The establishment she’s accused of being too close to is the California Democrats. What are one of the more liberal state Operations too.
It just increasingly strikes me as an odd complaint. And I didn’t really notice it until I started seeing people like Harris go from new face of the DNC progressive wave. To establishment crony inside of a few months. The press’s favorite story line of the bernie/progressive faction vs the establishment increasingly seems to peg the same people as members of both. Depending on which side of the divide is “winning” in the particular pitch.
It’s a nice horse race story to hang a think piece on. But looking at all the many surprises and upsets during primary and special election season. I think what’s going on is more a younger generation of Americans finally breaking out into high level politics.
And as the voters that put them in that spot are more liberal, as are their own peer groups. Than the voters and generation that gave us Feinsteins. They’re further left than the old guard.
People tend to forget that when the “old guard” were first seeking office. The population in general was far more conservative. And the full on left wingers of the time just didn’t get elected. A Moderate DNC with a strong center right faction is what people wanted and voted for.
