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Shaun King calls Biden's VP pick Kamala Harris 'progressive', slammed as 'fraud's fraud' after he changes tunes

Now after the news of Biden vouching for Harris for the position of VP is out, it seems like Shaun King has changed sides and is now supporting Harris whom he dismissed earlier

In today's age, your digital footprint is hard to be overlooked and especially when you are famous, chances are your past could be dug up quite easily when the time arises. At least that's what Shaun King has learned the hard way now.

The writer and civil rights activist Jeffery Shaun King has been lambasted by the netizens after they called out his stand on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris teaming up for 2020 US presidential elections. In a 2018 Twitter post, the Kentucky born writer, who is also an ardent supporter of Black Lives Matter, had tweeted about the underrepresentation of Black women in the Democratic party. He was vocal about the lack of a leadership role for women of color in Congress back in 2018. “It is disturbing to me that in 2018 the Democratic Party has NEVER had a Black woman in a leadership role in Congress. Black women are the lifeblood of the party. It's a sin." He further tweeted,“I'll be frank and tell you, two Democrats, that I am 99% sure I won't be supporting - primarily because of their dismal history on criminal justice reform over the course of their entire careers. Joe Biden & Kamala Harris. They both helped build & advance mass incarceration," he had written slamming the two.

Now after the news of Biden vouching for Harris for the position of VP is out, it seems like King is singing a different tune by supporting Harris whom he dismissed earlier. 
His latest tweet read: “That's it for me. I am incredibly proud to see a brilliant Black woman, and HBCU grad, chosen as a Vice Presidential nominee. I've done political work my whole life. It's rarely things dreams are made of. Kamala Harris is the most progressive VP nominee in American history."

Kamala’s legacy on criminal justice

As we reported earlier, Harris who was a county prosecutor, district attorney and state attorney general, has a history of being "tough on crime" which is diametrically opposed to her claims of being a "progressive prosecutor". She built her career on the basis of excessive policing over people of color and went after “quality of life" that affects homeless people and people of color from low-income backgrounds. She was also blasted for "fighting for harsher sentences, larger bail requirements, longer prison terms, more prosecution of petty crimes, greater criminal justice involvement in low-income and minority communities, less due process for people in the system, less transparency, and less accountability for bad cops". Of late, she gained prominence due to her interrogation of Trump's nominees during Senate hearings which include former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. 

Harris shared her criminal justice reform plan with the public in a Medium post last September as reported by Newsweek. Her plan enlisted goals like ending mass incarceration, investing in social justice programs, legalizing marijuana, stopping private prison use and encouraging rehabilitation program which was a call back to her earlier “Back on Track Program”. This is seen as a move to dilute her previous tough image and embolden her as a person who stands for progressive social justice reforms. It can presumably be the reason that King might have changed his stand on Harris and now coming in support of her. 

Shaun King on social justice

Shaun has always been an ardent supporter of civil rights and has launched several campaigns writing extensively on the Black Lives Matter movement. The writer has worked with many news outlets like New York Daily News where he has written on social justice, police brutality and race relations. King has raised fundraisers in support of BLM and multiple victims of police brutality like the 12-year-old Tamir Rice who was killed by two Cleveland city policemen. The writer who often takes to Twitter and Instagram to educate people on social justice has also founded a political action committee like Real Justice PAC in 2018 to help elect prosecutors who support criminal justice reforms. His activism for rights is probably the reason he was against Harris and her legacy of being a “tough on crime” kind of country prosecutor earlier. 

Twitter calls King 'Fraud's fraud'

After King’s clearly opposing stand was evident on social media, people soon lashed out at him. They dug out his old posts and compared his present stand in regard to Harris and her representation in 2020. Some are questioning what made him change his stand now while others called him a “fraud’s fraud”.“Shaun King, ladies and gentlemen. A fraud's fraud.” 

“Shaun King never fails to impress,” wrote one. 

“Dang Shaun King switches up as much as an average Black Women's hairstyles throughout the year,” another one wrote on his opposing views. 

“What made his mind???” asked a user. 

Others went as far as debunking him for his social justice campaigns and anti-racist stands,“King is a white man who thinks he's a black man who thinks Kamala Harris is a black woman.”

“Check out Shaun King everybody. He changes political affiliation the way he changes his race” wrote one.