New York Times opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof, a far-left propagandist who traffics in misinformation and conspiracy theories, is kind of admitting that West Coast cities run by Democrats “are a mess.”
Naturally, he doesn’t blame “liberalism.” Oh, no, it can’t be that… Instead, he boils the problem down to “ideological purity.”
“Perhaps on the West Coast we have ideological purity because there isn’t much political competition,” he suggests. “Republicans are irrelevant in much of the Far West, so they can’t hold Democrats’ feet to the fire — leading Democrats in turn to wander unchecked farther to the left.”
He goes on to claim that’s not the case “in the Northeast.”
Nicholas Kristof talks about his candidacy for governor of Oregon on October 27, 2021, in Portland, Oregon. (Sara Cline, File/AP)
“Maybe a healthy Republican Party keeps the Democratic Party healthy, and vice versa,” he says.
Oh, okay…
So, it’s not “liberalism” killing these cities. Instead, it’s a distinction without a difference: unchecked liberalism … which… is … still … liberalism.
Here’s my favorite part:
We in the West impeded home construction in ways that made cities unaffordable, especially for people of color. We let increasing numbers of people struggle with homelessness, particularly Black and brown people. Black people in Portland are also murdered at higher rates than in cities more notorious for violence, and Seattle and Portland have some of the greatest racial disparities in arrests in the country.
…
The basic reason for homelessness on the West Coast is an enormous shortage of housing that drives up rents. California lacks about three million housing units, in part because it’s difficult to get permission to build.
Go do a word search of Kristof’s deliberately misleading piece. You will not find the following: “sanctuary city,” “undocumented,” “illegal,” or “migrant.”
The truth is this…
When you invite the Third World into your state unchecked to chase out Normal People and create a permanent Democrat governing majority that imposes “ideological purity,” you are going to have a housing crisis … by design. Kristof’s own city, New York, is getting a first-hand taste of this right now. But mentioning such a thing would require moral courage, and no one who agrees with Orange Man Bad on anything is invited to All The Right Places with All The Right People.
Something else Kristof isn’t interested in exploring is how “unchecked conservatism” in places like Texas and Florida has resulted in flourishing states that attract all the Normal People fleeing Democrat-run shitholes.
Governing is not complicated. Fill the potholes, pick up the garbage, allow the market to decide the minimum wage, put the bad guys in prison, destroy the public unions (especially the teachers’ unions), permit plenty of new housing, and make vagrancy and homelessness intolerable for vagrants and the homeless.
That’s it.
That’s all it takes.
And Kristof can pretend all day long that this is a West Coast problem, but we all see what’s happening in Midwest cities like Chicago and Eastern cities like his own New York.
What’s especially hilarious about Kristof is that while he’s happy to word-salad all day long about the importance of a competitive Republican Party, in practice — in his way of looking at things — we’re all Nazis.
John Nolte’s first and last novel, Borrowed Time, is winning five-star raves from everyday readers. You can read an excerpt here and an in-depth review here. Also available in hardcover and on Kindle and Audiobook.
