Sacramento Bee Editorial Board

Politics typically rewards calculating and ruthless ambition.

That’s why it’s unusual to see Rep. Karen Bass on the shortlist of Joe Biden’s potential picks for vice president. Bass appears to be an anti-politician. She is undoubtedly a powerful leader and skilled legislator. But in a world of sharp elbows and mean tweets, she’s the opposite.

Collaborative and effective, Bass is an activist turned legislator who knows it takes grit, dedication and hard work to create change. Colleagues and opponents alike describe her as someone who is fierce without being flashy, a leader but also a listener.

Perhaps that’s because Bass, 66, never planned to be in politics.

“I kind of never thought of it as a career,” Bass said during an interview with The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board.

Bass found her way into elected office through community activism. Getting things done often required convincing elected leaders to act, so Bass learned how government worked. Still, she never saw herself as a potential candidate. Others, like former Rep. Diane Watson, encouraged her to run.

Elected to the California State Assembly in 2004, Bass served in deputy roles before winning the role of speaker of the Assembly in 2008. Once again, Bass did not seek out the powerful office. Instead, some of her influential legislative colleagues worked to elevate her because they thought she deserved it. Former Speaker Fabian Nunez told Politico that Bass initially turned down his suggestion that she stand for the post.

Bass won the powerful position just in time for the Great Recession. In this role, she worked to protect California’s poorest and most vulnerable from severe budget cuts. In 2011, after Rep. Watson retired, Bass took her place in Congress.

Bass uses the word “surreal” to describe the sudden possibility of becoming VP. She never expected the honor, but she says she’s ready. Why does she think she would make a good VP?

“The next vice president needs to, one, get her hands — and I can say that confidently, right? — get her hands around the pandemic, around the economic and social sides of it,” Bass said.

Bass clearly wants this role, but most observers see another Californian as the likely pick. Sen. Kamala Harris tried to end Biden’s career with an expertly executed hit on his racial justice record during the first Democratic debate. She failed, and now she’s the VP favorite.

Recent reports suggest that some in Biden’s camp are still mad at Harris because she has expressed “no remorse” for the ambush. Harris, however, doesn’t owe Biden any apologies. She played the game of politics exactly as it is played, and she almost succeeded.

When Biden was her obstacle, she treated him as one. Now that he’s a steppingstone, she’d be honored to climb aboard. That’s how it works.

Instead of worrying about apologies, the Biden campaign should be concerned about things like the secret $400,000 settlement Harris’ office paid to settle “gender harassment” claims against a top aide named Larry Wallace. The Sacramento Bee uncovered the settlement in 2018. Harris claimed she didn’t know about the scandal in the California attorney general’s office and then fired Wallace, who had received a plum position when she won election to the Senate.

Issues like these, along with her wobbly history on criminal justice and policing, are what President Donald Trump would target.

Bass did not mention Harris during her interview, but she provided a clear contrast.

If Biden chooses a California VP, he likely won’t pick Karen Bass. Clearly, however, the community activist whose passion for service led others to draft her into electoral politics is the better choice.