Porter's `new' ideas sound like old ones

We rarely agree with U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, but have appreciated that she doesn't sugarcoat her unabashedly progressive views.

In our 2022 endorsement of her opponent, we noted that in Congress Porter remained true to her vision “of a limitless federal government which meddles extensively” in our lives.

She's now running for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by moderate Democrat Dianne Feinstein, who died in September. In a recent interview she gave to the McClatchy California editorial boards, which includes the Sacramento Bee, she touted the need for “new ideas.”

That might suggest she's taking a slightly different approach.

What are these new ideas? “What we should be fighting for is California getting its fair share of funding, particularly in areas where we have led the way and yet are getting short-changed, like the development of green energy,” she said. “(W)e have heard time and time again about the cost of providing parental leave. Having paid parental leave would dramatically boost our economy.”

Those are old ideas, but Porter focused heavily in the need for more spending oversight.

We're fine with that, but it's hard not to find a politician who doesn't oppose waste in the nation's $6-trillion-plus budget.

The feds have amassed a $34 trillion debt precisely because reps such as Porter continually push for more funding for every imaginable program.

Rather than being her typical forthright self, Porter's position on Gaza is classic politician speak.

She didn't support an immediate ceasefire, but backed “a pause that will allow for the conditions to be set for there to be a ceasefire.”

Per McClatchy, she later revised her position to support “working toward a lasting bilateral ceasefire in Gaza.”

We don't know what that means, and Porter probably doesn't either.

Current polls show Schiff with a solid lead, with the main focus on the candidate who will come in second and move to the general election. Republican Steve Garvey, the former Dodgers firstbaseman, currently edges out Porter and Lee.

The primary is March 5. We'll see if voters want an unabashed progressive who sounds slightly more abashed.