Progressive Groups Targeting Julian Castro's HUD Record

[Averroës Nix]

In a country where policy and culture both heavily favor homeownership, mortgages and foreclosures are important issues for a ton of people. I'm glad this is getting discussed.

Completely agree. Then again, the roots of Castro's appeal and credibility as a national Democratic leader have baffled me for almost as long as he's been a thing.

[Averroës Nix]

If you can't pay your mortgage, you lose your home, period. I'm not sure why some people feel as if foreclosure is some sort of unfair oppression by the 1%.

Suggested alternative question: Why do we have a housing supply that is unaffordable for an increasing large share of Americans, built to serve automobiles rather than people, discriminatory in its influence on patterns of settlement, and mostly owned by a three or four major banks?

[Averroës Nix]

ok but Hillary isn't progressive enough, either.

All the more reason for her to select a progressive running-mate acceptable to Sanders' supporters. 

Castro's problem is not so much about insufficient credibility on the left as it is about insufficient credibility, period. There's very little in his record that would establish whether or not he's a "true progressive" or whatever, but that's mostly because there's very little there to establish much of anything.

[Averroës Nix]

Not really sure what to make of someone who responds to concerns about justice in housing with "solve for equilibrium hero derp." I'm pretty sure that Nathan wasn't suggesting that everyone be given a 3k square foot McMansion with a four-car garage in the exurbs. The notion that the United States can't afford, say, some kind of social housing guarantee (or any of an array of reforms to federal housing policy to make it more fair, pro-social, and sustainable) is laughable.

(And, if you're really concerned about efficiency, it would probably cost less than the home mortgage deduction!)

[Averroës Nix]

Not really sure what to make of someone who responds to concerns about justice in housing with "solve for equilibrium hero derp." I'm pretty sure that Nathan wasn't suggesting that everyone be given a 3k square foot McMansion with a four-car garage in the exurbs. The notion that the United States can't afford, say, some kind of social housing guarantee (or any of an array of reforms to federal housing policy to make it more fair, pro-social, and sustainable) is laughable.

(And, if you're really concerned about efficiency, it would probably cost less than the home mortgage deduction!)

Housing policy is something of a side-interest/passion of mine. I don't think Castro has done a terrible job given the status of the market as it exists today, and these people are not being particularly fair to him, but there is space on the left for some bold housing reform because it really is a messed up, unfair, inefficient, environmentally unsustainable and unjust. I just don't think the job of HUD Sexretary is where you make that change from. It has to be much, much bigger than that.

I mostly agree. But some federal regulations (and stipulations for grant money) have historically done a great deal of harm, and that's the kind of reform that I would like to see any HUD secretary tackling a lot more heavily than Castro has to date.