West Coast Liberalism: A "Mess" of Failed Policies and Outcomes

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof slams West Coast Democratic Party leaders for turning their states and cities into a "mess," arguing that "West Coast liberalism" is more focused on the intentions behind its policies rather than the outcomes.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has sparked widespread debate with his scathing assessment of West Coast Democratic Party leadership, accusing them of turning their states and cities into a "mess." In a column for the Times, Kristof argues that "West Coast liberalism" is more focused on the intentions behind its policies rather than the outcomes, leading to deep blue states like Oregon experiencing major homeless and drug problems, "below-average" high school graduation rates, and high murder rates.

"But liberals like me do need to face the painful fact that something has gone badly wrong where we’re in charge, from San Diego to Seattle," Kristof declares, adding that the West Coast offers "a version of progressivism that doesn’t result in progress."

West Coast Liberalism: A "Mess" of Failed Policies and Outcomes

Kristof, who ran unsuccessfully for Oregon governor in 2021, emphasizes that he does not believe this is a problem with liberalism across the board, citing examples of how he believes Democratic states do better than Republican ones in general. However, he contends that "the problem isn’t with liberalism. It’s with West Coast liberalism."

The columnist points to major issues in California and Oregon, noting that blue states on the East Coast do not have them. "The two states with the highest rates of unsheltered homelessness are California and Oregon. The three states with the lowest rates of unsheltered homelessness are all blue ones in the Northeast: Vermont, New York, and Maine," he writes.

West Coast Liberalism: A "Mess" of Failed Policies and Outcomes

Kristof adds that mental health services for the youth have declined in West Coast blue states, while they have flourished at the other end of the country. Additionally, drug use is up in the west and down in "the northeast." The murder rate is seeing the same corresponding dynamic as well.

He offers his theories on why Democratic Party leadership appears "less effective on the West Coast," stating, "my take is that the West Coast’s central problem is not so much that it’s unserious as that it’s infected with an ideological purity that is focused more on intentions than on oversight and outcomes."

West Coast Liberalism: A "Mess" of Failed Policies and Outcomes

Kristof provides examples, such as Oregon taking money from an already "tight education budget" to put tampons in boys’ restrooms in elementary schools, "including boys’ restrooms in kindergartens." He also mentions Portland setting up the "Portland Freedom Fund," a volunteer group that pays bail for people of color, which paid bail for a man who allegedly murdered his girlfriend after being arrested for threatening her life.

"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," Kristof laments.

He concludes, "We need to get our act together. Less purity and more pragmatism would go a long way. But perhaps the first step must be the humility to acknowledge our failures."

Kristof's column has sparked widespread debate, with some agreeing with his assessment and others defending West Coast liberalism. The discussion highlights the ongoing tension between intentions and outcomes in policymaking, as well as the challenges facing blue states in addressing complex social issues.