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Did Kamala Harris Have an Extramarital Affair with Willie Brown That Boosted Her Career?


https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kamala-harris-affair-willie-brown/

Claim: Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris had an extramarital affair with former San Francisco Mayor and State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, who gave her two political appointments that launched her political career.

What's True
Harris did date former San Francisco Mayor and State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown for a period of time between 1994 to 1995. In his capacity as speaker, Brown appointed her to two political posts — first to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, and then to the Medical Assistance Commission.

What's False
Although Brown was technically still married during the time period that he dated Harris, he had been estranged from his wife Blanche Brown for more than a decade. Harris' first, successful run for office in 2003 happened well after the relationship ended, and Harris sought to distance herself from Brown.

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I don't think the issue is whether he was married, but that she spread her legs to get up the ladder. Before you say maybe she loved him... he's over 30 years older than her and not exactly Denzel in looks.

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So?

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So when you spread your legs to get up the ladder instead of getting up there from your accomplishments, you don't earn respect or admiration.

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Who says that's why she was with him? Why is it so difficult to believe that a woman could actually love someone who is much older than them?

Also, most people who get somewhere in life get there because of who they know. It might be a boss that they did a good job for, or family, or friends, or a teacher, but almost everyone gets a little help. Why is it worse that she was in a relationship with him instead of a family member appointing her? She also had a relationship with him over 25 years ago. I'm sure she can take some credit for getting to where she is.

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Lots of people can claim nepotism or "a little help" to get ahead, but not a lot of them will toss the cookies of an old man to get appointed to government committees. It makes one wonder if she's done that before?

""Yes, I may have influenced her career by appointing her to two state commissions when I was Assembly speaker," Brown said. Brown appointed Harris to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board to the Medical Assistance Commission – positions that paid her more than $400,000 over five years, according to SF Weekly. Brown also gave Harris a BMW."

She was 29 and he was 60. Kinda sounds like a sugar daddy to me. Jeez, he bought her a car! Mind you they dated for what, less than a year? That's as sugar daddy as it gets. But you keep thinking she deserved those promotions over someone who earned them. You keep thinking if she didn't put her heels up she would be where she is today.

So I previously explained the issue people have with her. You weren't satisfied though it is clear as day. Now you are backing up after said explanation to say it was 25 years ago and she's done more since then. That indicates that you admit it's a bad thing because you're now justifying it. But that was your original issue, right? That's why she has this well-deserved reputation. You don't have to accept it - that's your opinion - but a reputation is built on facts like I listed above.

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I'm just asking why it's fine for men to get ahead by having other people put them forward for positions over others who may have deserved the job more, but if it's a woman, the only reason they were put forward was because of the sex? So just because she was in a relationship with someone who helped her out, nothing else she could have possibly done in the last 25 years couldn't have been done without putting out? Fuck that.

You may not like her, and that's fine. You may not think she's qualified for the job, and that's fine too, but just because she had a relationship with a man who helped her years ago, doesn't mean she slept her way to where she is.

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I'd say the same thing if a potential VP got ahead sleeping with an older woman who got him promotions and a new BMW. I think it definitely go both ways, but in this case it happens more with women.

I would suspect it would be even bigger news if, say, some random in ten years runs for office and it's found out he got promotions and a car he didn't deserve when he was sleeping with a woman of power like Hilary Clinton. He'd never even make it to the podium.

I'm really not trying to argue. I'm trying to tell you why she has this reputation - it's not a rumor but public knowledge. And, yeah, it does mean she at least PARTLY slept her way to where she is. She was not qualified for the positions she got and she got them by sleeping with her boss. Willie pretty much admits it!

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Brown also admits to helping the careers of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and a host of other politicians. So did they all sleep with him too? Or did he just help people out that he liked? You don't know that she wouldn't have gotten those positions if they didn't sleep together.

She was already ADA when she had the appointments from Brown, so she did have qualifications. Did Philip S. Ryan also sleep with Brown to get the position which Harris held on the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board which he took over when Harris left? He was Brown's friend. Why is that appointment any less of an issue than Harris's?

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Huge difference - he never slept with Philip Ryan, Pelosi, Newsom, or Feinstein. Maybe Pelosi. ;)

Honestly, does it seem odd she slept with him and got the promotions?

You can say "coincidence" but he bought her a BMW in that same time. She must have been a real buddy to get that car. I'm tight with my old college roommate. I bet he buys me a Lexus because we're such pals. Seems like he was tossing things at her to keep her around. That is exactly what a sugar daddy does.

sug·ar dad·dy

/ˈSHo͝oɡər ˌdadē/

nounINFORMAL

a rich older man who lavishes gifts on a young woman in return for her company or sexual favors.

Definitions from Oxford Languages

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Why is it a huge difference? He gives his friend the same appointment he gave his girlfriend? Why does it matter if they slept together or not? You have zero issues with him helping men with the same jobs? Really? What did those friends give him to get those favours? Maybe the guy likes helping people he likes?

So you must have an issue with Jared Kushner? The only reason he has the position in the white house is because he's having sex with the presidents daughter.

Im well aware of what a sugar daddy is. I mean Trump is one isn't he?

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As I mentioned before, I don't condone it in any form. Nobody thinks Kamala was his buddy. We all think Kamala was his sugar baby. I do have an issue with Jared Kushner. However, he's doing his job for free and is an advisor. He certainly doesn't need money as he's worth hundreds of millions. Don't use a false equivalence. That's a seriously lacking tactic in an argument.

Sure Trump is a sugar daddy, but he's not promoting Melania to Vice President. If you're talking about Jared, I think you should look at the definition I listed above. What you're talking about is nepotism, which I am also not a fan of. Anyway, I'm not sure what you're trying to argue there. Are you trying to zing him? I don't think it'll work zinging me because I didn't vote for the guy.

If someone wants to have a sugar daddy all the power to them. If someone wants to date a powerful man to help get them political gain and a nice car, all the power to them. I'm saying for what seems to be the 1000th time is that's not an admirable or respectful way to get to the top.

These are two facts you cannot dispute:
1. Brown and Harris dated.
2. While dating Brown appointed Harris to two posts and gave her a BMW.

You can sit there and try to justify it and attempt to spin it all you want, but sometimes a rose is a rose is a rose. Sitting here trying to argue with me about it doesn't change the fact that her suspicious promotions and relationship is public knowledge and will forever be a blight on her career.

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You say that I'm using a false equivalency, and yet I'm just trying to distinguish why it would be that. I used Jared because while he married into the Trump family, he wouldn't have that position if he wasn't sleeping with someone.

I have not disputed that they dated, and I have not disputed that he gave her a car and postings which helped her career. I'm am not even disputing that it is cronyism. What I am trying to ascertain, is why you keep making a point about her "spreading her legs for him", and complaining about their difference in age, when he was known to give the same favours to his other friends? Why does sex make these appointments so much dirtier to you and why you think that she couldn't have accomplished any of the things that she has without, again, "spreading her legs"?

I'm trying to find out that if she were a man, and did not sleep with Brown, but they were still friends, and he gave "him" those positions 25 years ago and the male Harris was running for office if there would even be a discussion about it? I think not. I just want to know why the fact that they dated, instead of just being buddies that hung out, makes so it so much worse?

For the record, if I could afford it, I would certainly buy my best friend a Lexus if she wanted one. I would also pay off her mortgage.

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"You say that I'm using a false equivalency, and yet I'm just trying to distinguish why it would be that. I used Jared because while he married into the Trump family, he wouldn't have that position if he wasn't sleeping with someone."

Your argument is her sexual relationship with him wasn't the reason she was promoted, yet here you are using an example of another sexual relationship to justify her own. I'm not a Trump supporter so quit using him in your argument, especially when you're arguing it wasn't their sexual relationship that got her ahead in the first place. It is a straw man fallacy.

Regarding your best friend, Harris wasn't best friends with Brown. She was a 29-year-old working under him when was 60. He was her superior. They weren't chums who went to ballgames together, hit the mall, and tuned up his truck on weekends.

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This is where you aren't listening to what I'm saying. I have not used Jared's position to justify anything that I am saying, I used it to try to understand where you stand.

I am asking you if we would be having this conversation if they were friends. Like the friend who Brown gave the exact same position to, after Harris left it. I repeat, it was the same position, and they didn't sleep together. I don't really understand how trying to get you to answer a question is a straw man. You are the one distorting what I say, so I can say you are the one with the straw man.

I repeat that I am not saying that there wasn't cronyism based on their relationship. I have said no where that their relationship wasn't the reason for those appointments. I believe I said that it was.

What I have said, is that in the 25+ years since then, she has had accomplishments without him. I have said that she may not have been with him to get ahead. She may have actually had feelings for him. Just because you can't fathom a woman liking a much older man for non nefarious reasons, doesn't mean that it doesn't happen.

You have said I would suspect it would be even bigger news if, say, some random in ten years runs for office and it's found out he got promotions and a car he didn't deserve when he was sleeping with a woman of power like Hilary Clinton. He'd never even make it to the podium. and yet men get positions all the time through nepotism and cronyism and no one says a damn thing. You say that you are against it, but when I point out cases of it happening you just talk about sugar daddies and sex.

Brown gave friends the same positions, and helped others, male and female in politics.

I am asking you how it's different??? Why it's different?? Why it is more deplorable?



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Frankly, you've been all over the place. Remind me why you brought up Jared again? When did you say she had all these accomplishments after dating Brown?

The whole argument now is the double standard, right? Or is it the difference between a sexual relationship and family or friend? I want to be sure we're not talking about the original statement, which was you saying she didn't have sex with him to get ahead. Which is it?

I have said a couple times I don't believe in the double standard. I used the Clinton example of a man who has sex with a woman to get ahead. Now you're twisting it to include nepotism, which is completely off your topic. Forget nepotism. Forget cronyism. Focus on the topic we are discussing. I can't stand nepotism or cronyism. You're arguing against a ghost there and I already told you that.

Your argument is she loved him. I'm arguing she knew he was in a position of power and could help her career. I've laid out my points and reasoning at least three times here. I will never believe a 29-year-old woman fell in love with 60-year old Willie Brown.

Why is it different? Because there is a stigma to sleeping your way to the top. It's the same as spreading your legs for money. If you knew a woman who whored herself out for money, would you respect her? I wouldn't. Maybe you would.

Regarding nepotism and cronyism and sleeping your way to the top, they all suck in my little world. My father had a sugar baby and she sucked a ton of his money off him. I worked at a big company where the CEO hired his daughter into the same job as mine when she was just a kid (I even had to train her). I've worked at a company where the CEO hired his best friend two months before the company was purchased, and that best friend made $100k for doing nothing while I worked my butt off for four years. I've seen it all.

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Okay, there is obviously a communication break down here.

I'm actually not even arguing anything here. I've said it already and I'll say it again, I was trying to figure out if your problem was with the fact that she had sex with him, or if it were just the cronyism. Not even the double standard of the sexes, I just used men because when I brought up Nancy Pelosi you hinted that because she's a woman she might have slept with him as well.

When it comes to why she slept with him, I don't know why. You don't know why. You can say that it was just to get ahead, but you don't know that. I don't know that she didn't. You are using your own feelings about women with older men to make your assumptions. I now understand that because you came out and explained why you have such an issue with it.

Some women like older men. He was a womanizer and always had different women, so there must have been something attractive about him. You assume that she only got the position because of the sex. I'm just saying that there was an actual relationship there. It wasn't just a one night stand. Does that make a difference? Again, you've finally explained yourself and I know it doesn't to you.

I was pointing out that Brown gave his friend the exact same position. I was trying to ascertain if your disgust really was about the sex or both? The amount of times you said "spread her legs" it was appearing that you had more of an issue with the fact that she had a relationship. I think it still is, but I'm not going to continue this conversation anymore. Your last paragraph answered all the questions that I had.



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Yes. It's an open secret. She would not be where she is right if not for him. An ADA at 25???...🙄🙄

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I think what should really piss lots of people off is if Biden does win and when the rest of his brain inevitably drips out of his ears, Harris will be installed as the first female POTUS. That is an achievement she simply does not deserve at all and she knows it. There are loads of women that have worked hard to further their political careers and Harris has just gobbled dick to get to where she is. Disgusting.

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Talent comes in many forms. Too bad this talent won't help her run the country when Joe Biden retires in 6 months.

We're all doomed.

DOOMED.

DO OO OO M E D

LOL

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That's easy - and old news. Yes. Yes she did.

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Just be happy she doesn't have any children.

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She had kids, but she let Hillary eat them so curry favor with the Clintons.

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Did you?

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