Joe Biden says he may announce his running mate ANY DAY, with new reports he's down to a short list including very well-known names like Kamala Harris and Susan Rice.
Which brings us to our latest "Backstory" - our series that aims to offer substantive reporting on one figure in this presidential cycle ... this time, Rep. Karen Bass!
“The California Congresswoman was picked by her peers to run the Congressional Black Caucus and she has a history in grassroots politics from volunteering as a teenager on the 1968 RFK Campaign.” @AriMelber
As @arimelber explains: Bass tackled everything from “long-standing poverty to new developments like the unrest and devastation from the protest and riots after the cops who beat Rodney King were acquitted.”
Bass worked on tangible reforms after the riots and limited the number of liquor stores in poorer neighborhoods because they stoked wider problems.
“Allies say that was classic Karen Bass, digging into a real issue that mattered … and there’s a direct line from that early ‘90s grassroots work to how Bass tackles justice reform now.” @arimelber
Bass in 2012: “We are supposed to be the beacon of hope for human rights in other countries. And the Justice in Policing Act is a bill for human rights in our country.”
Bass rose to become a national leader after her CA state colleagues chose her to be Assembly Speaker in 2008: “The weight of history on my shoulders today as the first African American woman in U.S. history elected to be Speaker of a legislative body.”
As Speaker she addressed the financial crash that rocked the country. @arimelber explains “this is where she has MORE experience than many members of Congress… [Bass] was responsible for an economy that, if it were a country, would be roughly the fifth largest in the world.”
Bass had to press her colleagues on hard calls and win over *three* Republican votes to resolve the crisis. But …
“She approached the task trying to lead toward a solution, not just get ‘her own way.’” @AriMelber
“Bass told her colleagues they weren’t leaving until they reached a deal – literally.” @AriMelber
Bass was able to reach a deal: “averting a fiscal crisis that… would be far worse without a deal.” @AriMelber
One of her Republican colleagues noted: “there aren’t a lot of people who are well-liked and well-respected. Karen is one of them.”
"That is the spirit Bass’s allies say distinguished her from many politicians, which is how she earned that trust in the California assembly.” @AriMelber
In this series, we don’t try to tackle every issue in a contender’s past, let alone endorse anyone. But, we do try to take some time to look beyond labels to learn a bit more about these people...
