California's rampant homeless problems have been well-documented here and elsewhere, with prominent Democrat figures in the state at various points even acknowledging in so many words that the issue exists primarily in big cities run by other Democrats, like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

In addition to the various other problems homeless encampments bring, like crime, open-air drug use, public urination and defecation, rodent/insect infestations from bodily fluids and trash, business loss, etc., one of the most maddening things about the ongoing crisis in the Golden State is that most Democrat "leaders" refuse to take responsibility for their roles in perpetuating the vicious cycle and for assuming that money alone will solve it as long as you keep throwing more at it.

One of them is San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston. When last we left you with Preston, the Democratic Socialist was - incredibly - calling for security guards to be disarmed so property could not be defended with guns. As we reported at the time, it was a knee-jerk reaction to a May incident involving a Walgreens security guard who allegedly shot and killed an alleged shoplifter.

Fast forward a few months and Preston is making headlines again, this time for comments he made over questions about the homeless situation in the Tenderloin district he represents.  Not surprisingly, Preston didn't take even half a second to do any self-reflection. Instead, he blamed... capitalism:

The Democratic Socialist supervisor argued his district was particularly affected by homelessness because of the country’s economic structure.

“I think what you’re seeing in the Tenderloin is absolutely the result of capitalism and what happens in capitalism to the people at the bottom rungs,” the local leader reportedly remarked in a new documentary by the UK outlet, UnHerd. 

“The biggest driver of why folks are on the street is because they lost their jobs, income or were evicted from their homes, usually for not being able to pay the rent. So you have major landlords literally causing folks to lose their homes, and real estate speculation making it impossible for folks to find an affordable place to live,” he reportedly said in the interview.

The claim was too much even for George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, whose primary focus is typically on legal matters. Here's what he had to say in response:

Capitalism remains the greatest generator of wealth in the history of the world. Socialist and communist nations have had to turn to capitalist enterprises in nations like China because of the failure of Marxist economic theories.

That is clearly not the view of Preston, who graduated from Bowdoin College with a degree in anthropology and economics. He is also a lawyer.

Nevertheless, Preston shows how politicians responsible for the demise of our major cities will cite their own failures to double down on these policies. The loss is being felt by not just these citizens, but the nation as our great cities become urban hellscapes.

"There was a time when people 'left their heart in San Francisco,'" Turley also observed. "Now they are just leaving."

Something else we know about why so many are leaving California in droves can be traced back to how city and state officials rushed to clean up California streets ahead of the APEC gathering in November, with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) openly admitting that yes, the sudden sprucing up of San Francisco roadways and sidewalks had everything to do with the distinguished dignitaries who would be visiting, including President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping.

Who wants to continue to live in a state where not only is it hard to make ends meet and you are fearful on behalf of yourself and your family, but where the only time you can rely on leaders to Do Something is when they know important people who otherwise could not care less about your city/state will be swinging through?

This is one big reason why the DeSantis/Newsom debate was so important to have. Because there's nothing quite like exposing the abject failures of Democrat policies on a national stage in such a way that leaves no doubt as to what things would look like if an undecided voter decided to help elect one of these people as a leader in their community. 

The Dean Prestons and the Gavin Newsoms of this world will, unfortunately, never change. What does need to change is the minds of the people, and we can thank Dean Preston this week for making our work a whole lot easier on that front.

IDIOTIC! Our nutcase, so-called “Socialist” D5 supervisor Dean Preston pretends his district is suffering due to Capitalism. Screw loose and embarrassment.

Curiously, the remaining ten districts of San Francisco seem relatively ok “under capitalism.” Perhaps something else is to… pic.twitter.com/PhhO4wzD8y

— Richie Greenberg (@greenbergnation) December 12, 2023

"Perhaps something else is to blame…" indeed.

Flashback -->> Hot Takes: Gavin Newsom Dunked Into Next Week After Basketball Game With Chinese Kids Goes Way Wrong