The Attack on Pelosi and the Stark Contrast Between Where Republicans and Democrats Turn for Leadership (Comparing Kentucky and San Francisco)

An intruder broke into Nancy Pelosi's home yesterday to attack her. Her husband was violently assaulted and has had surgery to repair a skull fracture.

Radicals on the right paint San Francisco as a socialist dystopia and see House Leader Pelosi as one of the reasons that California is such a hellscape. I still marvel at the levels of ignorance required to label San Francisco as socialist. Republicans' answer to Pelosi's congressional leadership is Mitch McConnell, a senator from Kentucky. It's worth comparing Kentucky and San Francisco to get an idea of the sorts of communities from which Democrats and Republicans draw their leadership, and what they hold up as models that deserve to be emulated.

No place on the planet receives more venture capital per person than San Francisco. Venture capital. Arguably the most disruptive, lucrative, and “capitalist” kind of capital in the world. San Francisco gets an average of $75,000 per resident in venture capital in 2021. Kentucky? It got just $44. San Francisco gets about 1,700X more venture capital per resident than Kentucky.

In large part because of this, San Francisco's per capita GDP is nearly 5X what Kentucky's is, $247,000 per resident compared to Kentucky's $53,000. Profits, rents, capital gains and other returns to assets coupled with their monthly salaries makes the average San Franciscan much more affluent than the average person in Kentucky.

This level of innovation and wealth creation attracts people from all over the world and leads to a level of diversity that is stark contrast to Kentucky. People in San Francisco are roughly 8X more likely to speak some language other than English in the home and to be foreign born. Firms are 4X more likely to be owned by a minority.

The right is not threatened by San Francisco being socialist. It is not socialist but is arguably the most dynamic, capitalist community in the world. San Francisco has created a culture that depends on disruption and invention, entrepreneurship and innovation. The right’s value for tradition is so strong that it sees the level of affluence and progress that follows from this disruption as threatening rather than as something to emulate, even to the point of violently rejecting it. The communities from which Democrats and Republicans draw their congressional leaders could not be in starker contrast. Republicans see this level of disruption and progress as a threat. Democrats see it as something to emulate which is why they have continued to make Nancy Pelosi their congressional leader.