Karen Bass eulogized Communist Party USA leader

[Jose Garcia]

Source: Politico

When Rep. Karen Bass’s “friend and mentor” died three years ago, she eulogized the community organizer’s passing in remarks she inserted into the Congressional Record.

The California congresswoman described Oneil Marion Cannon as a one-man force in progressive politics who became the “union printer to the left” in Los Angeles, where he worked for “interracial and intercultural understanding,” opened a community hub and even once “belonged to the Independent Progressive Party.”

Left out of the 406-word eulogy: Cannon was a top member of the Communist Party USA for decades.

That omitted detail and her little-noticed 2017 eulogy today takes on outsized importance now that Bass is on Joe Biden’s VP shortlist. As quickly as the congresswoman and former speaker of the California state Assembly shot into serious contention for Biden’s No. 2, she has come under intense scrutiny, prompting questions about whether Biden would be risking too much by selecting a politician just now coming under the glare of the national spotlight.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2020/08/04/karen-bass-eulogized-communist-party-usa-leader-391455?__twitter_impression=true

[NewDayOranges]

1. So?!?!

This sounds like the "Obama pals around with terrorists!" smears that Palin started...

[Laelth]

2. People are nervous about a SERIOUS liberal.

That’s what Karen Bass is.

We would be very fortunate to have her serve as President one day.

-Laelth

[BlueTsunami2018]

3. Yeah, too radical.

Not for me of course but that won’t play well with the moderates and other Тяцмр defectors. Just pick Harris and let’s go kick his ass.

[PatSeg]

15. I agree

We can't change anything, if we don't win. I love Karen Bass, but she's too risky for VP. I would still support her in congress though.

[Fiendish Thingy]

4. And then there were five

If this red scare stuff was disqualifying for Sanders, Then it’s disqualifying for Bass.

[McKim]

14. The Red Baiting Gets Old

The red baiting gets old in these times. Joe McCarthy died a long time ago. Give it a rest.

[Fiendish Thingy]

23. Bass's communist associations don't bother me- but there was outcry about Bernie

If the general consensus of moderate Dems was that Sanders’ socialist history disqualified him from being the nominee, then wouldn’t that same logic apply to Bass?

If Joe wants a “safe” progressive VP, Who will boost the ticket to victory, pick Warren.
If he wants a “safe” woman of Color, Who will boost the ticket to victory, pick Harris.

[ucrdem]

25. The difference is that Bass is a mainstream Democrat and always has been.

I see no problem with her remarks about friends including these.

[Fiendish Thingy]

30. I don't have a problem either, but we must acknowledge it would be a vulnerability for Biden nt

[ucrdem]

31. I understand, but we know that goes for any woman he picks.

Just being a woman will give the wingnuts plenty of gas no matter who she is. Bass checks a lot of boxes, maybe not all, but I don't think the balance sheet comes out any worse for her than for others.

p.s. I omitted the Medicare for All reference as I just checked and it looks like she supported it one point. Nevertheless my point stands.

[George II]

5. Politico strikes again!

[oldsoftie]

32. Strikes? Its the truth. Should they ignore it? Its bound to be reported.

Just like the Scientology BS

[tableturner]

6. Like it or not, she's made herself an easy target for the GOP.

[awesomerwb1]

7. Ouch

This and the Castro stuff.....

Besides she's gonna be 67 soon. We need someone younger as well.

[OnDoutside]

8. Hand me my fainting pills....

[BeyondGeography]

9. Bass is an establishment Democrat

Revelations like this could cause Kevin McCarthy to reconsider his labeling Bass as his favorite Democrat.

Actually, the more this “she’s a lefty” crap dribbles out the better she will look to progressives. Which won’t hurt her chances one bit.

[Stuart G]

10. She is done...Thank You for posting this...this happened just 3 years ago...

Good By...Karen Bass....been good to know you...

....Close the door on the way out. Don't call us, we'll call you...

[Funtatlaguy]

11. Her praise of Scientology bothered me more. Yes, she's done.

[Stuart G]

13. I agree with you...The Scientology praise destroyed also destroyed her career...but..

does she have a clue? ... asks Stu

[rpannier]

36. Yep. That, for me, is a bigger problem

[DarthDem]

12. Okay

We can stop talking about Rep. Bass potentially being the VP nominee now. She's completely done.

[bringthePaine]

16. she's toast; the Scientology thing alone disqualifies, and its downhill from there; this very

overstepping likely compromises her for a whole lot more than VP, now that several large cats
have escaped the proverbial bag

[George II]

17. Two things:

1. I don't think Bass was ever one of the top contenders.
2. Obama wore a tan suit.

[nsd]

18. I've liked most things I've heard about Karen Bass these past couple of months.

Most things ... but not Cuba, Scientology, or Communist Party USA.

She's seems like a great person, but the VP nominee's first duty is to do no harm. Part of that is not bringing unnecessary baggage. Part of doing no harm is not bringing stuff that has to be "explained" away. As the (true) cliche goes, if you're explaining you're losing.

[ucrdem]

19. from a linked article:

Oneil was committed to electing Black and Latino representatives at all levels of government. He helped to elect Augustus “Gus” Hawkins, Tom Bradley, Ed Roybal, Diane Watson, Maxine Waters, and Karen Bass.

Cannon campaigned for Barack Obama in 2008, and wept with joy along with millions of others when he was elected. He died peacefully, wearing one of his Obama T-shirts.

https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/oneil-cannon-longtime-communist-centenarian/?fbclid=IwAR2IDSBtTxB_iYqelfBtNGUNWhI8sVe6a-saMFFjvG9KowB9S2xV7aHOPv0

[ehrnst]

20. Is that like being an elector for the Socialist Workers Party? Because that's apparently not a

dealbreaker for coming in second in a POTUS run:

In 1980, Sanders served as an elector for the Socialist Workers Party, which was founded on the principles of Leon Trotsky. According to the New York Times, that party called for abolishing the military budget. It also called for “solidarity” with the revolutionary regimes in Iran, Nicaragua, Grenada, and Cuba; this was in the middle of the Iranian hostage crisis.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/02/bernie-sanders-radical-past-would-haunt-him-in-a-general-election.html

[nsd]

22. Yes, Sanders came in second -- not first. The difference matters. /nt

[ehrnst]

24. But does it disqualify him from being a VP, or endorsing the winner? Apparently,

if a woman of color so much as gives a eulogy for a member of the Communist Party, she's a pariah.

Not so with a white man who was an actual elector for the Socialist Workers Party.

[nsd]

28. I think it was disqualifying for Sanders too.

Joe Biden's appeal is that he is a standard-issue Democrat. He didn't promise a revolution. He only promised reform. Make Obamacare better (but don't commit to Medicare for All), reform the police (but don't defund), make immigration more humane (but don't abolish ICE or abandon enforcement), pursue green energy (but don't ban fracking entirely), and so on.

Reform not revolution -- that's what won the Democratic nomination. That's what Democratic voters wanted.

If Sanders had won I would have been alarmed. I'd have voted for him anyway, given the alternative, but I would have been alarmed. And I think he would have lost the general election.

So, yeah, a white guy with these associations would (I think) have lost.

[ehrnst]

29. No, it was not disqualifying. And he has avoided mentioning it in his biography and talking about it

so I gather he himself believes that it's a liability in running for office as an Independent or Democrat.

The discussions here were that the GOP was going to make up something to smear him as a socialist, when he states that he's actually just a Democratic Socialist, so it didn't matter what Sanders actually did with the Socialist Workers Party.

I didn't support Sanders for the nomination for a number of reasons, and his history with SWP being red meat for the GOP was just one.

[oldsoftie]

33. Oh it was brought up many times aong with all the other crazy things.

Bernie only came in 2nd because he stayed in the longest. He never had a chance from day one, Just like '16. Running was a vanity project. Wouldnt doubt that he runs in 24 if, heaven forbid, trump got reelected. Which i just cant see happening at this point

[ehrnst]

34. I think he's still running. He's still raising money via emails and actblue.

I wonder if that he's thinking that an "external event" or illness might get him sent into the game in the final minutes to replace the quarterback.

I sincerely hope not.

[oldsoftie]

35. Really? Jeeze. Thats just not normal. At least i've never heard of anyone doing it.

Still taking donations AFTER the race?

[Historic NY]

21. A check mark has been made...

we don't have time trying to defend. Democrats always screw themselves up like with Tom Eagleton, we don't have time for feelings over the pick.

[mahina]

26. Oh mercy.

So what?

[left-of-center2012]

27. Biden doesn't need this

He'll look elsewhere.