Name me one thing Barbara Lee has done for Oakland in her 27 years of serving in the House of Representatives.
Can’t do it? Neither can I. Some of her supporters point out that she’s brought a lot of money into the District, but that’s what Congress members do. All 435 of them. Lee may have brought more money into Oakland than the average representative because she’s got more seniority, but the minute she left Congress—after her disastrous run for Senator—she lost all seniority. Lee will have no greater access to U.S. funds than you or I have.
What else? She was one of the most liberal members of the Congress and routinely voted for liberal Democratic bills and against conservative Republican bills. Nothing wrong with that—she’s a standard issue progressive. She’s been correct in her approach to such issues as marijuana, abortion, the environment, opposition to the death penalty, and funding for AIDS/HIV. But these things have little or nothing to do with Oakland, where our main issues are with crime, housing and encampments; and on those things, Barbara Lee’s career in Congress has been notably feeble.
Even if you like Lee’s liberal politics, what Oakland needs now is a chief executive, and Lee has zero executive experience. She’s never run anything larger than her own Congressional staff. She’s never shown leadership, unless you consider her 2001 vote against the use of military force against Iraq “leadership.” Maybe Lee was right on that one, maybe not. But again, it has nothing to do with her ability to lead Oakland.
Lee is old and tired. She has little personal rapport with anyone in Oakland government. The City Council owes her nothing. Oakland needs collaboration between all levels of government, but Lee can be expected to do little except give speeches filled with clichés (at which she excels). Concerning crime, she’s spelled out nothing at all on how she would deal with it. As a former Black Panther, who has never renounced that group’s hatred of police, Lee cannot be trusted to be a supporter of OPD. Nor can she be expected to take on Robert Warshaw—a challenge that any competent mayor would embrace. As for new housing, while her official campaign says she’ll “provide more housing, education, and economic development in historically underrepresented communities,” this is the same mawkish rhetoric every politician farts out and fails at. And note that reference to “underrepresented communities.” This is simply Wokespeak for “Black neighborhoods.” At a time when people are rightfully sick and tired of slicing up America along racial or ethnic lines, Lee is still stuck in the 1960s, when her beloved Panthers were calling for armed young Black men to make war on the police. Lee has no ideas about how to do anything that’s important to Oakland. Will she tackle the encampments that the Supreme Court has said can legally be rousted? She will not. Under Lee, encampments will increase. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but Lee’s campaign promises are empty and stupid. “I will address whether we can walk our streets safely at night.” Sure you will, Barbara. Maybe you and I can stroll down International Boulevard some midnight. “We can restore Oakland…for women, minority entrepreneurs, and small business owners.” Sure you will, Barbara, but can you restore it for White people? “We will provide shelter/services/programs to our unhoused residents.” Good one, Barbara, but exactly how you gonna do that? And this: “I'll lead a government that serves the people, not special interests. Let's get to work to stabilize our City's budget and work to deliver the services you rely on."
Is that inspiring rhetoric? Does it give you hope for the future? Or is it simply the vaporing of a tired, old anachronistic Black revolutionary who’s never held a proper job and wishes to prolong her government paycheck into her Eighties? Who practices the identity politics that Americans have abandoned, and rightfully so? And by the way, don’t forget that Lee fiercely resisted both the Thao and Price recalls, calling them “anti-democratic.”
So sadly, here we are on the precipice of yet another insane decision by the voters of Oakland who are so easily fooled. If you liked Ron Dellums as mayor, if you liked Jean Quan and Libby Schaaf and Sheng Thao, you will love Barbara Lee.
Steve Heimoff