Florida Democrats recoil at Karen Bass VP float

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

Florida Democrats are rising in opposition to the news Joe Biden is vetting a running mate who once lamented the death of “Comandante en jefe” Fidel Castro.

An early ally of Biden’s presidential campaign, California Rep. Karen Bass’ name surfaced this week as a possible vice-presidential pick who could help balance his ticket because of her deep progressive roots and her activism against police brutality, an emerging issue in the presidential race.

But Bass‘ comments about the longtime Cuban leader following his death in 2016 — when she respectfully called him “comandante en jefe” (in Spanish, commander in chief) — is politically poisonous in Florida and even more toxic in Miami, home to many exiles from socialist Latin American regimes that include Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

The Florida Democratic Party has spent two years fighting a renewed GOP effort to brand them as socialists, and the state and national parties are spending big this year in Miami to defend two congressional seats and win two crucial state Senate contests in districts with sizable Cuban-American populations. All four lawmakers condemned Bass’ Castro remarks.



Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/27/florida-democrats-karen-bass-vp-341931

[CurtEastPoint]

1. I'm sorry but the VP selected will be POTUS in 5 years. No time for missteps and bad choices.

Kamala Harris.

[groundloop]

2. So far I'm feeling that Kamala is the best choice also.

[CurtEastPoint]

4. I love E Warren but these times call for a woman POC in that role.

[Bleacher Creature]

12. This is EXACTLY where I am too! nt

[HotTeaBag]

79. These times call for the absolute best person regardless of race in that role.

If that person is a POC, then great.

This country will be up shit's creek without a paddle for years between COVID and the economic fallout, and very few people on 'the list' would be ready to be President if they had to step in - Warren would.

[wryter2000]

20. Absolutely

A Senator is better qualified than a member of the House. Plus, she's a powerhouse. And, if you've seen her in casual situations, she's warm, funny, and vibrant. She's the real deal. I can totally see her take charge of the executive branch.

[CurtEastPoint]

22. All of what you just said. Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

[BComplex]

27. NOT KAMALA!!! No No No No NO!!

I don't want her. At all.

[CurtEastPoint]

32. That's why we all have opinions, isn't it?

[BComplex]

33. It is. eom

[calguy]

35. Amy was my first choice

Since she respectfully bowed out of the running I firmly believe Kamala is now the best choice. She's young. She's smart. She's fiery. She's perfect for role role of attack dog while Joe stays cool, calm, and above the fray looking presidential at all times. Kamala can be the pit bull biting trump's fat ass 24/7 from the convention to November 3rd. And as GO she can play a major role of healing the divisions in our country and around the world.

[Newest Reality]

11. Same here. KH just resonates with me in many ways.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Has Biden said he'll only run for one term?

I can see rumours that he said it internally, but publicly he denied saying it: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/biden-campaign-refutes-speculation-one-term-pledge-n1099766

Why cut him short?

[Zeus69]

23. Correct answer!

[Javaman]

31. +1000 nt

[Jose Garcia]

71. She one one of several fine choices.

[sprinkleeninow]

3. Something dont sound kosher. 🤔

[marie999]

5. Susan Rice n/t

[still_one]

8. +++

[moonscape]

21. My preference also n/t

[aquamarina]

29. Me too

She’s excellent.

[oasis]

58. I've nothing against Bass but Susan Rice would be a solid choice. nt

[qazplm135]

6. this is why vetting happens

if this is out there, then she won't be picked.

[elleng]

7. Right.

[dem4evah]

10. Sure hope so...

to ME, Kamala is a no brainer but....we will see. Just in case, I emailed the Biden Campaign (I've made calls for a few months so I do have a couple decent contacts) and let my displeasure be knows. Bass seems pretty radioactive.

[IronLionZion]

18. Agreed

[sandensea]

9. Val Demings would be a better choice

The word 'Castro' is still kryptonite in Flawrida politics - and radical Cuban exiles have long since hijacked U.S. Latin America policy.

Just ask Narco Rubio - the self-appointed arbiter of what's a "democracy" in Latin America, and what isn't (hint: it has to sound and act like Brazil's Bolsonaro).

[jaxexpat]

19. South Florida take is spot on.

Castro's revolution took its toll on Miami. Forced osmosis by CIA. From Capone to Rubio. There went the neighborhood.

[ProfessorGAC]

34. Don't Forget Luciano & Lansky.

Those guys ran Havana. A lot of those south Florida exiles were doing very well with mobsters in charge when in Cuba.
Their families must hold blood grudges, too.
Geez, that was 61 years ago.
There can't be that many actual exiles left.

[sandensea]

43. Yes. And it was Nixons ties to Lansky that turned Ike against Castro - pushing Castro to the Soviets

Ike, you'll recall, initially viewed Batista's overthrow as a positive development - especially since Batista's Cuba was rapidly becoming a trans-shipment point for cocaine and heroin, plus a favored money laundry.

But Lansky, whose horse race fixing for Nixon already gave him an inside track (and had promised millions in dark money campaign funding for Nixon), was having none of it - and thus was current U.S. Cuba policy born.

Fortunately, younger Cuban Americans in general don't share this obsession with the Castros.

Their concerns are similar to those of most Democrats: the economy, health care, global warming, fairness, and bigotry.

[ProfessorGAC]

46. Good To Hear That Last Part

I'm pretty sick of immigrants supporting a party that's been anti-immigrant for decades.
For nearly 60 years, they've held a grudge that goes against their own interests.
Young people waking up to it, is a good thing.

[sandensea]

49. Well said. And not too many do anymore, it's think it's safe to say.

20 years ago, Republicans still had the Cuban, Armenian, Indian (dot, not feather), Iranian, (white) South American, Vietnamese, and Eastern European immigrant vote.

The Cubans, Eastern Europeans, and Vietnamese b/c of their perceived hard-line anti-Communism.

The Armenians, Indians, Iranians, and white South Americans b/c Republicans were perceived as the "white man's party" - and these groups generally longed to belong.

But ever since Lee Atwater and Gingrich convinced the GOP to become a vehicle for white supremacists and 'white anger' in general, the GOP has slowly but surely lost every single one of these groups.

(Eastern Europeans, of course, are white - but not Anglo, and they know that GOP dog-whistling is aimed at them too).

Again, all this should be taken with many exceptions - but as a general trend, that's how it's gone.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

75. Bebe Rebozo?

I'm old enough to remember Watergate. I recognize these names. Wasn't Bebe Rebozo Cuban?

[sandensea]

76. Bebe certainly was.

It's funny, because in Spanish his name almost means "battered baby."

Tastes like chicken!

[Lucky Luciano]

65. Hey. That's enough outta you'se or else.

[ProfessorGAC]

66. Paisano!

I'm Sicilian descent. I wasn't judging!

[Lucky Luciano]

69. Ok I'll let it slide this time! LOL

[ProfessorGAC]

70. Whew!

I didn't want to have to go the mattresses!

[sandensea]

44. Gracias!

Washington was right about foreign entanglements - especially when said entanglements are entered into at the behest of corrupt interests.

Rubio's specialty (besides cruising for men in Miami parks).

[jaxexpat]

60. As a hitchhiking 19 yr old I found myself living and working on a boat in the Miami river area .....

in 1971. The local hardware outlet was an army surplus store in a quonset hut bldg. It was odd to see that on any given day, most of the vehicles parked outside the place wore government license plates. Also observed 2 Cuban guys wearing wet suits on sea-going speed boats leaving in the morning very low in the water and returning at dusk riding high in the water. In the mornings these guys looked seriously unfriendly and in the evenings they would smile and wave. A scenario that even I thought seemed backwards if they were smuggling drugs into the US. Everything was so exotic to a youngster from western Kentucky. But I remember the inboard boat these guys used looked new but had no chrome or windshield, only blue-green fiberglass. Probably 35 feet or so.

[sandensea]

64. So much for the war on drugs.

Thanks for sharing that. What an anecdote!

I can't claim to have seen anything nearly so interesting - but I did have a retired CIA officer once confirm to me that Ollie North was nothing but a drug trafficker.

Using government credentials, with the Reagan administration's blessing.

'Iran-Contra' was a misnomer, as you know. It should've been Cocaine-Contra - since that's where 98% of the illegal funds came from (just to 2% came from the headline-grabbing weapons sales to Iran).

But that last 2% of the scandal effectively hid the much more explosive 98% of it from the evening news.

Reagan and Bush got off the hook; and Ollie, Secord and the rest of the narcos got a pardon - by Bill Barr.

[jaxexpat]

67. Yep, when nasty stuff comes from the bottom to float on top.....

we call it scum. Ironic that bottom dwellers and scum are synonymous for lowly characters.

[dem4evah]

45. I could MORE than live with Demings but....

as good as she is, it does worry me a little that she is 'perceived' as too inexperienced to step in as POTUS if something should happen to Joe. I think we well KNOW she isn't too inexperienced. She's damn well qualified and I'd be fine with her as VP

[sandensea]

48. True. Having so many good choices is both blessing and burden.

My guess (and only that), is that Joe will in fact choose Demings - and the deciding factor will be the fact that Warren, should she win, would be replaced by a Republican in the Senate.

Which would probably give Bitchy Mitchy another term as Majority Leader (thus killing Biden's legislative agenda for the foreseeable future).

Both Warren and Demings have many pros in their column - but that senate seat may end up deciding the matter.

Hard choice for him, no doubt.

[OrlandoDem2]

13. Biden needs to heed the advice. We cannot win FL that way.

[denem]

39. Never depend on FL. Never, never, never.

The FL GOP wrote the book on dark election arts.

[Jose Garcia]

72. Depend on? No. But it's foolish to throw away a great opportunity.

[bucolic_frolic]

15. I doubt this story very much

It seems more trial balloon sullying than actual news to me.

My reaction is no need to go so deeply left and there are superior qualifications and resumes available.

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. Jeez, one bit of diplomacy, and DUers run screaming from her like it was a major crime

The US is clearly still in thrall to Cuban exiles, if everyone's so damn afraid of them.

You can also find Justin Trudeau, and Jean-Claude Juncker, then president of the European Commission, being nice about him when he died. Juncker is in the Christian Social People's Party, which, despite "social" in its name, is a centre-right party, a member of the European People's Party group in the EU (same as, for instance, Angela Merkel's CDU).

[stopdiggin]

28. Not DUers necessarily

and you're entirely correct about the courteous (and relatively innocuous) statement.

And, yes .. the Cuban exile community has wielded far too much power (specifically in this small area of the map) .. for far too long. Which still doesn't make it a political reality that shouldn't be heeded.

(Scant consolation .. but I think that power and demographic are being rapidly diluted. In fact .. to the point where perhaps conventional wisdom is simply that, and no more, in 2020?)

[muriel_volestrangler]

30. Until reply #17, all those in the thread with an opinion said "no way can she be VP"

for, it seems, this one statement.

I personally don't think Bass has enough prominence to be the best choice (not talked about that much on DU before this, in contrast to Harris or Warren, or Abrams for that matter), but I don't see a statement like this as a big problem.

[stopdiggin]

36. and I'm saying "no way" too

why would you reach way down on the list for ... A person with "progressive" credentials? So .. while I don't find her Castro statement to be particularly disqualifying .. I don't find anything in there to be particularly compelling either. So .. run the risk (even if it's being oversold?) of alienating a potential swing state .. for what?

(All the while granting that every potential pick probably has some warts and some baggage. But I just don't see any particular "up side" here.)

[JonLP24]

77. I think the best way for Democrats to win

Is to unite the 2 wings.

It seems she has credibility on police reform issues. We need the votes of BLM & progressives as well.

Anyways, as far as progressive credentials, according to the polls -- Warren is the best pick. Bass and other VP choices outside of Harris lack name recognition.

[stopdiggin]

78. I don't have a problem

with a nod toward BLM -- as I see an overwhelming number of the party already there. On the other hand -- I'm not at all sold on the premise that "progressive credentials" in a VP pick actually brings in any additional votes. Particularly not in this cycle. In fact -- given what I see as the real dynamics in this race -- Biden trouncing the hell out of Trump with a message of "stable and sane, and not Trump" -- I don't see the VP pick as being particular significant in terms of votes at all. The Democratic base is energized as it's never been before. And the illusory "swing vote" has no interest whatever in internecine party "stuff." These things just don't matter to them.

There are voices out there that are already designating the VP choice as our pick in 2024 .. I think that too is far from settled or foregone. Particularly if a VP pick is not meshing well with the party center.

[JonLP24]

73. +1000

It is crazy how we can't talk about these things.

Cuba has little to no homelessness. It is crazy how we can't point out things like that.

[jorgevlorgan]

17. Making me get behind her even more. She must be good if people are trying to redbait us against her.

[kansasobama]

24. Why not First Lady Obama?

[BComplex]

40. Because she doesn't want it.

[TygrBright]

25. Stalking horse. Smart strategy. n/t

[ibegurpard]

37. Florida Democrats need to get their own shit in order

We actually maintained an endangered Democratic senator in a red state here in Montana. Can they say the same? They have less justification for veto power than any organization i can think of.

[OrlandoDem2]

41. I've been highly critical of my state's party, but here they are not wrong.

[musclecar6]

38. Lot of excellent choices

But to me, all things considered, kamala is the right way to go. Of course the only guy who gets to make the decision is Joe.

[Arthur_Frain]

42. Two thoughts.

First, this is just the sort of BS thing that the Democratic Party would do. This is exactly the way it’s been shooting itself in the foot for the last 25 years.

Second I don’t really believe this for a second. If it’s true at all, it would seem to me that Biden is abdicating the idea that he won’t run for a second term. With\ Harris, Warren, Rice, so many effective choices that would convey his intention, this would be tantamount to putting Gabbard in the VP slot. Just. Plain. Stupid.

[dem4evah]

47. Agree AF...

makes no sense, and I hope to hell it's not true. I'm behind Kamala but can live with get very excited about Demings too.

[niyad]

52. Welcome to. DU

[brooklynite]

53. You don't believe she's under consideration? The was reported last week.

[Arthur_Frain]

57. This report from politico

says that “there’s a report that the Biden campaign is vetting” her for a possible VP spot, then a couple of paragraphs down it says this:

“ The Biden campaign declined comment about either the controversy or the running-mate vetting process”

There aren’t a lot of facts there, there’s a lot of bluster. Didn’t see the other report you are referring to.

I still think if Biden is smart he angles to be a transitional president from the get go. I don’t think this choice is one that carries water if he decides to only serve one term. Not that he’s said he’ll do that either.

Those comments about “el hefe”, are just the kind of skeletons in the closet that Biden doesn’t need from his running mate. I think this would be an incredibly stupid choice.

We’re all in the hypothetical here, and if I were Biden I’d be playing my cards pretty damn close to my chest.

[brooklynite]

62. NYT: "Karen Bass, Leading Voice in Policing Debate, Is Under Consideration for V.P."

Representative Karen Bass of California, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, is under consideration to be Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s running mate and has spoken with his vice-presidential search team, people familiar with the vetting process said.

Ms. Bass, 66, joined the process somewhat later than some of the other prominent figures being reviewed by Mr. Biden and his advisers. Her emergence as a contender was first reported by CBS News.

A five-term member of the House who served before that as the speaker of the California State Assembly, Ms. Bass has been a prominent voice in the congressional debate about the future of policing. In a television appearance on Tuesday, she declined to comment on the vice-presidential selection process and said she was focused on the intensifying legislative work on a federal policing law.

It is not clear exactly how far Ms. Bass has moved in the process so far, or whether her contact with the search team has yet included the multiple rounds of lengthy interviews and requests for documents that a few other candidates have faced. Spokesmen for Ms. Bass and the Biden campaign declined to comment on her status in the search.

Whether the goal is to keep your cards close to the vest or not, reporters find out things.

[muriel_volestrangler]

61. 2 thoughts: first, you say this is just the sort of thing the Dems do, then say you don't believe it

for a second. Please, make your mind up.

Second, what does "Biden is abdicating the idea that he won’t run for a second term" mean? He's already denied the report that he'd only run for 1 term - see reply #14. Why do you think Biden has an "intention" to say he'll only run one term? And why on earth would he use his VP nomination to vaguely "convey" it, rather than, you know, saying it?

[beachbumbob]

50. no chance, and no reason to be concern

[TeamPooka]

51. Picking Bass over Harris is a good way to piss off most of California.

If Biden's not picking Harris he must pick someone else from out of California
She is the favorite daughter here for many of us.

[Polybius]

55. Even if he pissed off the entire state, CA is still voting Biden

Trump has zero chance in that deep Blue state.

[TeamPooka]

68. It's not about the voting, its about the money raising. CA is the money pot for Democratic campaigns

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

63. Not sure it floats in water, but ...

... here's a large-mouth bass that floats in the wind.



A large-mouth bass wind floating thing would make a better VP than Pence.

[Polybius]

56. I hate that it has to be like this, but sadly picking someone named "Karen" might not be ok in 2020

Some of the younger voters might see that name and associate it with the memes.Even if 2% stay home because of this, it can effect the race.

[JonLP24]

74. I doubt it

Younger voters know being named Karen has nothing to do with being a Karen and the Karen meme is usually reserved for racist white women.

[RandiFan1290]

59. Same people that didn't like when Florida voters selected Kendrick Meek to run for Senate

So they ran a republicon 3rd party to split the vote and got us Marco Rubio