WASHINGTON _ California Rep. Karen Bass, who is on Joe Biden's vice presidential shortlist, said she now realizes that referring to Fidel Castro as "comandante en jefe," or commander in chief, after his death in 2016 was a mistake.
But her explanation _ and longstanding ties to Cuba _ are concerning to Biden's Miami supporters as he enters the final phase of choosing a running mate. Biden said he will choose a vice president around Saturday.
In a Sunday appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Bass attempted to clarify her remarks.
"I was expressing condolences to the Cuban people, to the people in Cuba, not Cubans around the world," Bass said when asked about her 2016 statement on Castro's death. "I don't think that is a toxic expression in California. But let me just say, lesson learned. Wouldn't do that again. Talked immediately to my colleagues from Florida and realized that that was something that just shouldn't have been said."
Bass did not respond when asked by the Miami Herald who in Florida she talked to about her Castro remarks. She also did not clarify if any conversations took place four years ago or in recent weeks, as speculation about her vice presidential prospects increased.
None of Miami's three Democrats who represent large Cuban populations, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Donna Shalala, said they talked with Bass about her Castro remarks. Shalala, a Democrat whose election flipped a seat once held by former Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican and the first Cuban elected to Congress, said she does not agree with Bass' comments.
"I disagree with Congresswoman Bass' past comments and efforts relating to Cuba," Shalala said in a statement. "I always suggest that people speak to some of the hundreds of thousands of exiled Cuban-Americans living in my community to better inform themselves about the brutal authoritarian dictatorship that has controlled Cuba for the past 60 years."
Bass also traveled to Cuba in 1973 with the Venceremos Brigade, a group that has organized annual trips to Cuba for left-leaning Americans since 1969. She continued to visit throughout the 1970s and returned three times in her capacity as a member of Congress for official trips to normalize relations with Havana.
And Bass also said on the television show that her position on Cuba is "no different than the position of the Obama administration" when she was asked about attacks on her record from Florida's top Cuban-American Republicans, Sen. Marco Rubio and Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez.
"As a matter of fact, I was honored to go to Cuba with President Obama," Bass said. "I went to Cuba with Secretary (John) Kerry when we raised the flag. So there really isn't anything different. And then frankly, I believe the Republicans have decided to brand the entire Democratic Party as Socialists and Communists. So I'm not surprised by Rubio's characterization of me or of a role I would play if I were on the ticket."
Cuba has always been a political wedge issue in South Florida, and any elected official that's perceived as being too soft on Havana faces the prospect of negative campaign ads or a barrage of mailers.
Republican state Rep. Daniel Perez, who took a 2017 trip to Cuba with his then-fiancee where they snapped engagement photos, saw his Cuba trip end up on negative mailers circulated by a political committee with ties to outgoing state Florida House speaker Jose Oliva. The committee, Citizens for Ethical and Effective Leadership, is backing Perez's primary challenger in the Aug. 18 contest.
Evan Ross, a Democratic political consultant from Miami, said Bass' "Meet the Press" appearance was "a weak response."
"The Obama administration didn't extend condolences when Fidel died. That's not the same," Ross said. "I don't think Bass would be a particularly good pick. The first rule of picking a vice president is do no harm. If she helps score him a few more votes in California I don't think anybody would view that as a political game-changer but if she costs him votes in Florida, that would be a substantial hit."
And J.C. Planas, a Republican election lawyer and former state representative from Miami who is involved in the Republicans for Biden effort, said putting Bass on the ticket would allow Trump to create a distraction from his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Anything is explainable but any kind of money or time spent explaining something takes away from the message," Planas said. "Again, it wasn't just a stupid comment ... she's lived and breathed it. She was misinformed."
The Trump campaign has already showed that it plans to tie Biden to left-leaning elements of the Democratic Party. On Monday, the campaign released an ad titled "Takeover" that is airing in English and Spanish throughout Florida.
"The radical left has taken over Joe Biden and the Democratic Party," the ad said. "Don't let them take over America."
And Planas, who said he regretted his decision to vote for a third-party candidate in 2016 instead of Hillary Clinton, said a Biden-Bass ticket would give him pause about voting for Democrats in November.
"Right now I am a vote for Biden," Planas said. "Would Bass give me severe reservations and I would have to rethink that? Yes. I'm not saying I wouldn't ultimately do it but ... it becomes a hard decision."
