Kamala Harris kicked off her presidential campaign on the principle of progressive policy, announcing her candidacy on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Democrats seem to be so focused on beating President Donald Trump in 2020 that any criticisms of Democratic Party candidates are viewed as divisive to the party. But in order to beat Trump, there needs to be a progressive candidate that can withstand valid criticism.

It’s fair, then, to point out that Harris is not really a progressive. She’s just another liberal promising radical change. And, considering her contradictory record, I believe she’s not as progressive as she claims to be.

“The difference between progressive and liberal remains murky. Democrats have been drawing a distinction between the two since the late 1980s, partly in response to the label ‘liberal’ acquiring a negative association among many,” Grant Reeher, a professor of political science at Syracuse University, said in an email.

Harris’ supporters have reason to believe she is a progressive. Harris has made efforts to reduce implicit bias in law enforcement. She also supported a bill that would make lynching a federal crime and a data initiative that provided information on deaths that occurred in police custody.

Susie Teuscher | Digital Design Editor

But Harris has also opposed a bill that would require the California attorney general’s office to independently investigate cases of fatal police shootings. And, Harris did not support statewide regulations in California for police officers to use body cameras.

The Democratic Party needs a candidate who always advocates for social justice, not a candidate who does so on certain occasions.

Harris’ campaign is monumental — she is only the third black woman, in history, to run for the presidential nomination of a major political party in the United States. If Harris were elected, she would be the first woman president.

After a divisive election in 2016, it’s important to question how progressive Harris is, and if she represents the entire Democratic Party.

Madeline Johnson is a sophomore international relations and magazine journalism major and a Spanish minor. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at mjohns38@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @johnson_madeli.

Published on February 17, 2019 at 7:54 pm