Gavin Newsom is not a 'Leftist'. He destroyed a homeless encampment on camera. He would be mad you implied this. His first guest on his podcast was the late Charlie Kirk. Leftists I know have already sworn to never vote for him under any circumstance. Sincerely, how did you ever come to believe this?
He's "a prominent politician" and absolutely part of the "Center Left" as defined in US politics.
Good luck with your purity tests of course, and hope you like the Trumps of the world instead!
(Curious though - what parts of homeless encampments are leftist? Supporting them would seem to be more of a libertarian POV vs a collective solution to provide something better?)
Since Reagan and Clinton, the US has a center right party with a left flank and a center right party with a right flank. This is the beating heart of neoliberlism. MAGA is what happens when the right flank overtakes the entire party. You have to travel to other countries if you want to see an active left movement.
"hope you like the Trumps of the world instead!"
Newsom is not a presidential candidate, so this is not the only option. Instead, the Dems should run candidates with real convictions and better policies. Newsom believes in nothing, same as Buttigieg, Harris and Clinton. There is no one they wouldn't sell out for a taste of power.
The Dem reaction to Bernie, years ago, and Zohran now tells us everything we need to know about how they feel about 'vote blue no matter who' when an actual SocDem wins a primary.
It is not a 'purity test' to demand politicians respond to public pressure with the understanding that, if they don't, they will lose votes. The sooner you tell them your terms, the better.
Harris chose to ignore the genocide and lost votes to Trump, who lied and promised to 'end wars'. She muzzled Walz in favor of her SV weirdos. She has the political instincts of a cabbage, which is why she dropped out first in the last primary.
"what parts of homeless encampments are leftist?"
Homeless encampments are not an ideology, they are an externality of the housing market requiring 'number go up'. A market means someone (the poor and disabled) won't be able to afford what is on offer.
Dismantling homeless encampments is a violent act. That's everything they have in the world. This kind of sociopathy has no wide constituency. Even if the staunchest NIMBYs don't want to see the homeless (it feels like crime!), they also don't want to see them abused on camera. Newsom is a demon for doing it live.
The Left 'solution', such as is, is to provide housing. This is also the economical solution. If you have a stable address and shelter, you don't waste money on ER visits and jail time, which cost more money from the same purse.
It's not rocket science, but it is politically untenable because the private housing market is load bearing for American middle class wealth.
Also, folks feel like if you are poor, you should be punished for it and housing feels like a reward. The gut reaction of too many Americans is they'd rather jail the homeless at twice the price than provide them an apartment free from sun and rain.
This same principle explains the immigration 'policy' on display in American cities. The recent ICE allocations could revive medicaid, end child hunger, raise classroom salaries, alleviate homelessness, create a federal public works program, and subsidize drug prices... but instead we get defunct concentration camps in swamps that cost billions and roaming masked kidnappers that have a daily bounty on the heads of uber drivers.
Everything is relative. You need to define your political spectrum relative to the society it exists in. "The US doesnt have a left party" just makes you sound like a sore loser who is mad the voters disagree with your policy prescriptions
