Tom Steyer — yes, that Tom Steyer, the guy who made his fortune in fossil fuel investments before rebranding as a climate crusader — is apparently running the most progressive campaign in California's gubernatorial race. And the city's left flank, the same crowd that routinely denounces billionaires as a moral failing of capitalism, is holding its collective nose and filling in the bubble next to his name.

Look, we're not here to tell anyone who to vote for. But we are here to point out when political movements abandon their own stated principles the moment it becomes convenient. If your entire ideology is built on the premise that billionaires shouldn't exist, maybe — just maybe — you shouldn't be enthusiastically backing one for the state's highest office because he's saying the right things on your pet issues.

This is the fundamental problem with San Francisco's progressive political class: principles are negotiable when power is on the table. The same activists who will protest a tech company's office lease will happily accept campaign cash from a hedge fund billionaire, as long as he checks the right rhetorical boxes.

And let's talk about Steyer himself. The man built his wealth in an industry his own platform now vilifies. That's not evolution — that's rebranding. When a billionaire tells you he wants to fight the system that made him a billionaire, a healthy dose of skepticism isn't cynicism. It's common sense.

The real lesson here isn't about Steyer. It's about how cheaply ideological consistency can be purchased in this city. Turns out, all it takes is a few billion dollars and the right talking points.

In San Francisco, even the revolution gets funded by venture capital.