Nicholas Kristof, the New York Times columnist and former Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Oregon, acknowledged Saturday that West Coast cities have been “messed up” by Democratic Party leaders.
one of Column For The New York Times, Kristof argued that “West Coast liberalism” focuses too much on the intentions behind its policies, not on their consequences. As a result, deep blue states like Oregon have major homelessness and drug problems, “below average” high school graduation rates and high murder rates.
The columnist began his article by saying, “But liberals like me have to face the sad fact that something has gone terribly wrong where we’re in charge, from San Diego to Seattle.” He added that the West Coast “presents a version of progressivism that doesn’t translate into progress.”
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof criticized West Coast Democratic Party leaders, saying they had turned their states and cities into a “mess”. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Christophe, Joe was forced Despite the Oregon Supreme Court’s order ending his bid for governor in 2021 due to failing to meet eligibility requirements, he clarified that he does not believe this is a problem with liberalism at all levels, and cited examples that he believes Democratic states perform better than Republican states in general.
“Life expectancy is two years higher in Democratic states than in Republican states. GDP per capita in Democratic states is 29 percent higher than in GOP states, and child poverty is lower. Education is generally better in blue states, where more kids graduate from high school and college.”
“The well-being gap between blue states and red states is widening, not narrowing,” he wrote, leading him to conclude, “So the problem isn’t liberalism. The problem is West Coast liberalism.”
He pointed to major issues in California and Oregon, saying blue states on the East Coast don’t have these problems.
“The two states with the highest rates of homelessness are California and Oregon. The three states with the lowest rates of homelessness are all blue in the Northeast: Vermont, New York, and Maine. Liberal Massachusetts has some of the best public schools in the country, while liberal Washington and Oregon have below-average high school graduation rates.”
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Kristof said mental health services for youth have declined in the blue states of the West Coast, while they are flourishing on the other end of the country. Additionally, drug use is increasing in the West and declining in the “Northeast.” A similar dynamic is being seen in murder rates, he said.
He then presented his theories as to why this happened Democratic Party Leadership appears to be “less effective on the West Coast,” he said, adding, “I believe the main problem on the West Coast is not that it is not serious, but that it is infected with ideological purity that focuses more on intentions than on oversight and results.”
“Politics has always been a part of theatre, but in the West we often settle for being performative rather than substantive.”
Former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof announces he’s running for Oregon governor
California Governor Gavin Newsom was recently taken to task by critics for describing California as a “national model” for tackling homelessness. (California Governor Gavin Newsom YouTube channel)
Kristof gave examples, such as Oregon taking money from an already “tight education budget” to place tampons in boys’ toilets in elementary schools, “including boys’ toilets.” Kindergarten,
He also mentioned Portland’s establishment of the “Portland Freedom Fund,” a volunteer group that pays bail for people of color. He described how it paid the bail of a man who was arrested for allegedly threatening his girlfriend’s life. He killed the woman after getting out of jail.
Kristof added that despite being inspired by anti-racist Critical Race theorists like Ibram X. Kendi, West Coast leaders “have created such a barrier to homebuilding that it makes it more expensive to live in cities, especially for people of color.”
“We have allowed a growing number of people to struggle with homelessness, particularly Black and brown people. Black people in Portland are murdered at a higher rate than cities notorious for violence, and Seattle and Portland have the highest racial disparities in arrests in the country,” he wrote.
Elaborating on his point, he said, “I think intentions and design matter, but it is absolutely true that good intentions are not enough. What matters is improving opportunities and quality of life, and the best way to do that is through sustained empiricism.”
At the end of the column, Kristof concluded, “We have to work together. Less correctness and more pragmatism would help a lot. But perhaps the first step is to humbly admit our failures.”
