Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ father Donald J. Harris praised socialist theoretician Karl Marx, according to records obtained by PATRICK REPORTS.
Donald J. Harris is on tape (below) discussing how the world financial system should be “changed” and “altered” to benefit Third World countries. Harris, who was repeatedly identified as a Marxist in the Stanford University newspaper, also praised Marxist economics as being “rooted in the interests of the working class.”
Kamala’s father Donald J. Harris was born in Jamaica (the descendant of a white slaveowner named Hamilton Brown, according to his own admission) and served as an economics professor at Stanford University, where his Marxist views made him a lightning rod for campus controversy.
In April 1972, Donald J. Harris wrote the introduction for a new version of a book entitled “The Economic Theory Of The Leisure Class,” which was written by Bolshevik Soviet revolutionary Nikolai Bukharin.
In the book’s introduction, Kamala Harris’ father Donald J. Harris writes:
“In the tradition of Marxist critiques, it is a significant contribution. But there has really been nothing in this area to compare with the monumental work of Marx himself, Theories of Surplus Value (or even the shorter treatise, A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy.”) The standard attained by Marx’s performance would in any case be hard to equal. That work still remains the definitive and most “systematic resumé of the whole complex of political economy” (in Engels’ words) as it had taken shape up to Marx’s time. It continues to have direct relevance as well to contemporary theory.”
Later in his introduction, Harris praises Marxism in comparison to capitalism, with Harris writing that Marxisim is “rooted in the interests of the working class.”
“So far as the sociological criticism is concerned, it is helpful to recall Marx’s general characterization of the role of “bourgeois political economy” and its relation to Marxian political economy: In the early phase of capitalist development, bourgeois political economy, by championing the interests of the emerging bourgeoisie in its struggle against the pre-existing dominant class, performs a radical scientific role in exposing the nature of commodity-producing precapitalist society. In the later phase of capitalism, however, bourgeois political economy turns to justification of the system in which the bourgeoisie has become ascendant and is threatened by the growing workers’ movement. It thereby loses its scientific role, a role which is to be taken by Marxian political economy rooted in the interests of the working class.”
In 1989, Donald J. Harris spoke on a panel called “Alternative Perspectives on International Economy” in which he expounded on his radical beliefs.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
“I think one has to address systematically the question of the structure of the financial, the international financial system itself,” Harris said on the 1989 panel.
Harris explained his view that greedy banks are merely operating within a financial structure that needs to be changed and altered to benefit Third World countries — making clear the internationalist aims of the Marxist movement.
“This issue of the structure of the financial system has not really been told adequately in this discussion, and in fact insofar as the position of knocking the banks borders on a purely moralistic argument about bank greed. It really misses the point that banks exist in a structure in which they have to function. They have to survive and grow, and their actions must then be interpreted as reasonably rational policies adopted in order to survive and grow in that structure. So the issue then becomes what is the nature of the structure and how can it be changed and altered in order to accommodate the needs of Third World countries,” Harris stated.
As I previously uncovered, the Stanford University campus newspaper archives contain numerous references to Don Harris’ Marxism.
According to a May 15, 1975 piece in the Stanford Daily headlined “Marxist Offered Economics Post“: “Don Harris, a prominent Marxist professor, has been offered a full professorship in the Economics Department here, Department Chairman James Rosse confirmed yesterday…The appointment is the direct result of student pressure in recent years to hire more faculty who favor an “alternative approach” to economics, said Economics Prof. John Gurley, who now teaches the only undergraduate course in Marxist economics. Gurley said the appointment of Harris was the culmination of a six-month “round-the-world” search for the most qualified Marxist professor available. Gurley called Harris “an exceptionally good teacher, outstanding researcher, and one of the leading young people in Marxist economics…With the addition of Harris, the department would be able to offer a much greater number of courses taught from a Marxist viewpoint.”
According to a May 21, 1975 piece in the Stanford Daily: “The University’s offer of a tenured position to Marxist economist Don Harris represents a welcome but long overdue action on the part of the Economics Department. The decision to hire another Marxist is primarily the result of continual pressure on the administration by concerned students, and we must commend the Economics Department for paying attention to this student input.”
A January 31, 1974 Stanford Daily editorial headlined “Econ Department Needs Marxian Profs” used the phrase: “Marxist scholars like Don Harris.”
According to a March 14, 1974 Stanford Daily article with the headline “Econ Students Again Demand Expanded Marxian Program”: “But Don Harris, visiting economics professor and advocate of radical economics, suggested that the faculty recommendations hadn’t really met the students’ original demands. “[The proposals] are biased towards the graduate students. Undergrads have, to some degree, been left out. The alternative approaches’ proposal is clearly directed to the graduates,” Harris observed. “If the real objective is to provide a broad-based undergraduate program in Marxian economics, the department is going to need some more manpower,” he added. Abramovitz, pointing to the faculty “alternative approaches” field, argued that the department would be getting needed manpower…“I have heard no worthwhile arguments against Marxian economics. [Other faculty members] view all other approaches as inferior to their own. There has really been no serious discussion of alternatives,” such as Marxian economics, Harris stated. (The Article Continues on Page 20 of That Stanford Daily Issue)… “This is an objectionable judgment which is made out of ignorance of the historical background and traditions of Marxian economics. Such ignorance is self-replacing through the training that the graduate students receive,” Harris contended.’”
According to an April 3, 1974 Stanford Daily piece: “On March 11, a Daily article reported renewed demands by the Union for Radical Political Economics (URPE) on the Economics Dept. for a commitment to teaching Marxian economics. Statements by department chairman Moses Abramovitz quoted in that article constitute a clear attempt on his part to obscure and distort the issues. Abramovitz cited “the Marxian economics workshop that is now a regular departmental seminar, a graduate theory course on Marx, Don Harris’ courses, and the recently approved field of study in ‘alternative approaches to economic analysis.” His list sounds impressive until you look more closely. Harris’ courses will end this spring when his contract expires; departmental failure to consider a tenure offer to Harris was one reason we drafted our recent statement. The seminar is now sponsored by Gurley and Harris; Harris will be gone next year, and Gurley will be on leave Autumn quarter.”
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