Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass finally returned from her taxpayer-funded escapade to Africa on Wednesday, and she's been feeling the heat ever since. She left for the inexplicable photo-op even as fires were already kicking up near her city, leaving a void of leadership during a crucial time. 

Since touching down back in America, Bass has faced numerous questions about why she was even in Ghana in the first place. Remember, this was an "official" trip paid for by taxpayers. Why does the mayor of California's largest city need to be part of a delegation to a third-world African nation? Are we supposed to believe there's some great economic interest at play? And if it was just a photo-op, which is almost assuredly the real reason, doesn't that make it even worse? 

While pondering those questions, I came across an old social media post from Bass, first reported by RedState in the wee hours of Thursday morning. 

SEE: Karen Bass' Week Gets Even Worse After Disastrous Performance at Wildfire Presser

In it, she lambasts Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for escorting his daughters down to Cancun during an ice storm that hit Texas in 2021. She also claims it was such an egregious offense that it should result in wholesale leadership changes. 

Oh boy. Here’s Karen Bass going after Ted Cruz, who was not a state official and had zero role in the response to the 2021 Texas ice storm.

Meanwhile, Bass used taxpayer money to fly to Africa for a pointless photo-op while her city burned. pic.twitter.com/MDnZEo1xVm

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) January 9, 2025

We'll get to the comparison momentarily, but for context, this isn't just a talking point left in 2021. Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-USVI) brought it up during a panel that included Scott Jennings, claiming that what Cruz did was a direct counter to Bass' actions. 

Plaskett recently stirred controversy by giving a deranged rant about colonization while demanding she be allowed to illegally vote during the roll-call to elect a House Speaker.

Jennings: Karen Bass was in Africa

Crockett: The storm came through Texas and Ted Cruz decided he was going to flee. pic.twitter.com/dUMPRZ9LB7

— Acyn (@Acyn) January 9, 2025

Let's talk about this. Whatever one thinks about the optics of Cruz escorting his daughters down to Cancun during a major ice storm, he was not a state or local official. He had no actual role in the response other than to offer his thoughts and prayers. While it was ill-advised to go with his family, even if it turned out to just be for 24 hours, he was not abandoning his duties. 

By contrast, Karen Bass is the Mayor of Los Angeles. She is the most direct authority on the ground regarding the response, and instead of being there when things escalated, she was setting taxpayer money on fire in Africa for no defensible reason while her city went up in flames. She did abandon her duties, and then had no good answers when she finally made it back across the border.

Plaskett, who is a dishonest, grifting hack (she was once a "Republican"), can pretend those are equivalent situations, but they aren't. They aren't even close to the same thing, even if both carry negative connotations. I'd like to see the full clip of the above exchange because I would hope Jennings knee-capped her silly talking points. 

Back to Bass, it's worth remembering that she was on the shortlist to be President Joe Biden's vice president. 

Reminder that Karen Bass was vetted and on Biden's shortlist for VP.

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) January 9, 2025

What possible qualifications did a then back-benching congressional member have to be second-in-line to the presidency? She checked the intersectional boxes Biden had promised to observe, and that was good enough, I guess. Of course, since Kamala Harris ended up vice president, pondering qualifications and capabilities is probably a pointless exercise. 

Bass stepped in it big-time here, and she should lose her re-election bid in November. This is not a person who can be counted on for competent leadership, and that's something Los Angeles desperately needs right now. No amount of deflecting to Ted Cruz will change that.