Bass Ackwards: LA Mayor Wants Another Term

Just a few days ago, you may have noticed an odd little ripple in California politics.  Or – considering the megaphoney grifty cowardly lunacy taking place in the state house taking place in the state house  – you probably didn’t.

The ripple was Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announcing she was running for re-election.

Like a pebble in the ocean – plup.

The timing was odd to the point that it seemed intentional, that Bass wanted insidey folks to know she was running but really didn’t care that the voters knew.

First, the primary vote in her race is 23 months away and it’s not as if she needs to time to go to Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina to drum up votes.

Second, the announcement was made July 1 when the attention of the California political world was on Gavin Newsom yet again trying to re-define “democracy” in his favor and the rest of the country was still trying to digest President Biden’s mummified performance at the debate with Donald Trump.  

In other words, Bass chose to announce her re-election bid when she was guaranteed that only about 347 people would notice.

She is basing her campaign on reducing homelessness, amongst other purported accomplishments. Technically, that may be true, if the annual homeless count number are to be believed. Meh.

But even then, reducing something that you are highlighting for your campaign by 2.2% is not exactly an earth shattering accomplishment, especially when you have practically literally all the money in the world to accomplish your goal. 

Remember, not including capital costs for absurdities like $600,000 per unit apartments, the city (and state and county) could simply write a check for about $50,000 per year to every homeless person if they just agreed to go be homeless – or maybe even be housed –  somewhere else.

So why announce now? Often, when an incumbent elected announces this early, one of two things are happening: First, they are a bit worried and want to make sure to “clear the field” early. Second, they are supremely confident and just want all the extra time to raise enough money so their consultants and what-nots can really cash in over the next two years.

So whom is she trying to clear the field of?  There’s Rick Caruso, but that’s a non-starter.  $108 million didn’t work last time and he’s been playing nice with Democrats (except George Gascon) for the last few months,  so the  chances of him running for mayor (but not at all for something else) seem slim.

Then there is the Democratic Socialists of America cadre. The DSA already has three members on the city council and the city controller, has a proven track of being able to get out the vote (very well possibly “by any means necessary”) and has expressed displeasure with Bass giving raises to police officers. Any challenge from the left (I know, the very very left versus the regular very left like Bass) will come from the DSA, so Bass announcing early may be a tactical move to get her “on the ground” campaign people in place to counter that specific DSA strength.

As for individuals running, there of course could be another random very rich person joining the fray, but – considering she has done little to change the fetid culture that grew at City Hall under Eric Garcetti – the chances of a traditional “insider” challenge is  minimal.

And then there are Bass’s troubling DC establishment ties. She was once chair of the National Endowment for Democracy, the third chakra of the globalist deep state:

Since its founding, NED has been a lightning rod for criticism from both the left and the right, which is unsurprising as its founding president, Carl Gershman, has been quoted as explaining its creation in the early 1980s as sparked by the fact that “It would be terrible for democratic groups around the world to be seen as subsidized by the CIA. We saw that in the 1960s and that’s why it has been discontinued.”

Others have stated that NED currently does overtly what the CIA used to do covertly.

This kind of backroom, or basement, or dungeon kind of sway will serve Bass well by making people a bit nervous about crossing her. Of course, that depends on how the presidential/congressional vote this November goes.

Hmm…maybe that’s why she jumped early.