Whatever Harris did as a prosecutor seems reasonable given both the context of the time she during which was a prosecutor, and her overall political alignment. I would rather have a progressive presidential candidate like Bernie (too late), or AOC (maybe 2028 or later). But choosing Harris means that the overall “liberal” agenda stays on the table

Some highlights from the article

Harris, as part of her previous presidential campaign, also released a criminal justice reform plan that seeks to scale back incarceration, end the death penalty and solitary confinement, ban private prisons, and get rid of cash bail. Biden also backs a fairly aggressive criminal justice reform plan, despite his own mixed record on criminal justice issues.

A close examination of Harris’s record shows it’s filled with contradictions. She pushed for programs that helped people find jobs instead of putting them in prison, but also fought to keep people in prison even after they were proved innocent. She refused to pursue the death penalty against a man who killed a police officer, but also defended California’s death penalty system in court. She implemented training programs to address police officers’ racial biases, but also resisted calls to get her office to investigate certain police shootings.

But what seem like contradictions may reflect a balancing act. Harris’s parents worked on civil rights causes, and she came from a background well aware of the excesses of the criminal justice system — but in office, she played the role of a prosecutor and California’s lawyer. She started in an era when “tough on crime” politics were popular across party lines — but she rose to national prominence as criminal justice reform started to take off nationally. She had an eye on higher political office as support for criminal justice reform became de rigueur for Democrats — but she still had to work as California’s top law enforcement official.

Harris also pushed for more systemic reforms. Her most successful program as district attorney, “Back on Track,” allowed first-time drug offenders, including drug dealers, to get a high school diploma and a job instead of prison time. Adams, Harris’s previous spokesperson, noted that the program started in 2005, “when most prosecutors were using a ‘tough on crime’ approach.”

  • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
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    3 months ago

    The other guy rapes children and wants to shoot protestors with live ammunition

    • Lemmeenym@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      Yep, bad choice and worse choice. She hasn’t been nominated yet though so there is a slim hope for the Dems choice to improve. Hopefully there will be people vocal about finding someone who’s record is more progressive before the convention.

      • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
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        3 months ago

        Good to know raping children isn’t a red line for you, or at least that stopping the end of democracy in the US and mass deportations and etc is… well… idk, I need to know a little more about the alternative before I come out against that stuff.

          • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
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            3 months ago

            Oh, I thought you were shitting on the presumptive nominee in a fashion that’s suddenly started coming out of the woodwork in a small but notable grouping of posts and comments, which I’m sure will grow to a torrent by a few days from now and not let up until the election, now that it’s no longer relevant to shit on Biden relentlessly.

            Were you supporting a progressive candidate or alternate strategy for the Democrats and I overlooked it? That actually (very seriously) does sound like a good thing, yes; IDK whose messages I was reading instead that gave me the idea you were doing that other thing.

            • Lemmeenym@lemm.ee
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              3 months ago

              I’ve been shitting on her the same way since Biden picked her for VP. I was hoping for Stacy Abrams then. I don’t have a specific candidate I like right now because I think Bernie and Elizabeth Warren both have the same age issue, a younger candidate probably has a better chance. I wouldn’t hate Hakeem Jefferies as the nominee, I think Mark Kelly has a good chance of beating Trump. I like Cory Booker and think Tammy Duckworth would be an interesting candidate.

              • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
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                3 months ago

                I don’t have a specific candidate I like right now

                Ah, okay, so just trying to help the Democrats lose, then, by instilling a general malaise against the current candidate with (only after some prompting) only the vaguest of unrealistic hand waving towards something that might be a solution but in practice will not be.

                Well, good luck with it I guess. Have fun.

                • Lemmeenym@lemm.ee
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                  3 months ago

                  Trying to help the Democrats not immediately latch on to a bad candidate. We have until the convention to find someone better.

                  • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
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                    3 months ago

                    And yet, when I ask you which candidate they should be latching onto instead of her, you can’t even pretend to be interested in the answer to the question.