San Francisco Plus 40

The first Democratic National Convention I attended was in San Francisco in 1984. UN Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick indelibly labeled attendees “San Francisco Democrats,” because of their left-leaning policies.

Forty years later it appears little has changed. Then, Vice President Walter Mondale, who was nominated to take another crack at the invincible Ronald Reagan, gave an acceptance speech that contained many promises and criticisms today’s Democrats are likely to renew at their convention this week in Chicago.

Then, Mondale claimed to have learned a lesson from his and Jimmy Carter’s defeat by Reagan in 1980, but it didn’t sound like it, nor does it sound like it now as Mondale’s party has moved even further left.

In his acceptance speech, Mondale used the familiar buzzwords, including “family,” “hope,” “caring,” “patriotism,” (delegates were given small American flags to wave in front of the TV cameras), and “the future.”

He claimed he would not raise taxes, but later in a debate with Reagan he said he would. He bashed corporations and “the rich” (sound familiar?), claiming they were better off, but “working Americans are worse off.” They didn’t think so and most voted for Reagan a second time, resulting in his winning 49 states. Mondale bemoaned the $200 billion deficit (I wonder what he’d say about today’s $35 trillion debt?). He claimed Reagan and the Republicans wanted to “Slash Social Security and Medicare” (a golden oldie).

If Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech last Friday in North Carolina is any indication of what she might say in Chicago on Thursday, she may be channeling Mondale and other Democratic presidential nominees, some of whom became president, raised taxes and increased the debt.

In North Carolina, Harris announced her support for more than a dozen economic policies aimed at “lowering costs for American families,” including $25,000 down payment assistance for first-time home buyers. Harris apparently has yet to realize that more government spending and increased debt causes inflation and inflation is what has led to higher grocery and gas prices and higher mortgage rates. Once again, we hear the denunciation of corporations and charges they are “price gouging,” a term they never define.

If Harris proposes to use the power of the fe deral government to lower prices she should consider past attempts at price controls. Richard Nixon tried it and it failed. Socialist countries, too. Cutting the size and cost of government, along with maintaining the Trump tax cuts, which are set to expire next year, would create an economic boom. They have in the past.

A Wall Street Journal editorial last week had it right. Titled“ How the Biden-Harris Economy Left Most Americans Behind” i t said: “A government spending boom fueled inflation that has crushed real average incomes.” Harris wants to spend more. Does anyone think continuing on a path that has led to inflation will reduce inflation?

Democrats have played the envy of the wealthy, greed for what they have, and entitlement tune since the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Sometimes it has worked because human nature likes free stuff, except it isn’t free. As humorist P.J. O’Rourke said: “If you think health care is expensive now, just wait ‘til it’s free.”

Harris will likely reprise the tune in her Thursday night acceptance speech. She might even promise to do something about the massive influx of migrants, but the obvious question would be why hasn’t she and the president done anything about it during their administration, except falsely blame Republicans in Congress?

Harris is dangerous because no one knows what she believes and the few things she said she once believed – no fracking is only one example – she has flipped on without explaining why.

Those San Francisco Democrats may have migrated to Chicago this week.

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Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I've Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America" (HumanixBooks).