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Marcel,
I may disagree with you on the reasons why, but we can both agree that Kamala Harris needs to be stopped. Your diagnosis was spot on -raw unbridled ambition. I wouldn't mind so much if it were coupled with ability, and desire to make the world around her a better place, but it's not.

I don't think she'll ever become AG, though. The sad irony is that she'll be skewered for the one thing she did right (though I'm sure you'll disagree), rather than the multitude of things she did wrong.

What are some of the things you feel she did wrong? I am also not a fan of hers.

Well... let me count the ways...

-She eliminated a very successful diversion program that her predecessor had put in place which was remarkably successful in reducing recidivism.

-Hallinan generally had a policy of not prosecuting victimless crimes like simple drug possession and prostitution. He spoke out against the raids on cannabis clubs and was in favor of decriminalization of prostitution. Kamala Harris has taken the anti-sex liberal approach to prostitution: she replaced Hallinan's policy of "hands off" with "let's bust the 'johns'" instead. She's been silent on marijuana legalization, even though the debate has moved in that direction.

-She has yet to prosecute a single police officer for misconduct. Her predecessor did (though not as much I'd like), and he did a lot to help with a crucial 2003 Police reform initiative(which I worked on). Kamala Harris did come out in favor of the initiative, because she had to, but didn't lift a finger to help.

-To my knowledge, she has yet to prosecute a single case of landlord abuse of their tenants. Hallinan did that. I could be wrong on this point, but I haven't heard her do anything like that.

-She's been a complete failure at what she promised to do. She criticized Hallinan for a low conviction rate, and boasted about her own supposed 90-something percent conviction rate in Alameda. I'm not a big fan of conviction rates as a measure of success, but if this is what she promised to do, it would be reasonable to judge her on her capaign promises. Last I heard, conviction rates are actually lower than they were before she took office.

-Much more important to me than conviction rate, is the crime rate, particularly violent crime. Under Hallinan, the violent crime rate went down 60% over 8 years, a better record than in virtually any other city in America. Under Harris, violent crime is going up and the murder rate has skyrocketed.

In other words, she's an unqualified carpetbagger from Alameda. Whereas her predecessor was a progressive (albeit an imperfect one), she is a traditional DA, and a completely ineffective one at that. She is devoid of ideas for innovation (in a field that desperately needs it), and as a result her term has been a complete failure.

Oh... but she's against the death penalty. I have to give her credit for that -not so much for giving it lip service, because you can't get elected in this town if you're in favor of the death penalty, but for having the guts to stick to her guns when the feces hit the fan. Ironically, of all the things that should sink her campaign for AG, that's the one thing she did right, and also the one thing most likely to bring her down. What a f-ed up mentality we have to contend with, huh?