STOP BEINGOakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s first public response to a certified recall, a mass shooting at Lake Merritt and a federal raid on her home last week failed to reassure Oaklanders worried about the direction of the city. Thao seemed too preoccupied with attacking her critics and suggesting racial and economic factors were at play in the intense backlash against her.

Sure, there was truth to what Thao was saying, but was that really what Oaklanders needed to hear from their mayor after four days of silence? No. Thao’s words only deepened dissatisfaction with her leadership. 

In the two days that followed, news outlets reported Thao had parted ways with her chief spokesperson and her attorney. Thao issued another defiant statement via her newsletter in which she expressed sadness over the shooting at Lake Merritt, proclaimed her innocence regarding the raid on her home and said she was focused on addressing crime “head on” — basically doubling down on her comments from earlier in the week that had already failed to win over Oaklanders.  

Thao’s blunders epitomize a pervasive issue that has plagued Bay Area progressives for the past two years: They consistently stumble when the political stakes are highest.

If progressives want to hold on to leadership roles in cities like Oakland or San Francisco, they need to master the skills moderates have honed: Define your identity, craft razor-sharp messaging and turn your political opponents into allies.

Progressives need to shake the image of being condescending crusaders fixated on identity politics, arrogant possessors of all the answers to America’s woes and quick to label anyone who disagrees as a member of the MAGA camp.