LA Residents Rage Against Absent Mayor as Wildfires Cause Devastation: 'Where Are You?'
Despite how difficult history makes it seem, there’s actually a very simple trick to being a good leader.
And that’s simply being present and attentive.
(Admittedly a tall task for the current occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but this writer digresses.)
After all, to borrow a football-ism, the greatest ability is availability.
Given that, it should hold equally true that a leader who is not present and is inattentive is an objectively bad leader.
By these metrics, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is an unmitigated disaster of a leader.
Speaking of unmitigated disasters, swathes of Bass’s county are currently up in flames due to wildfires, if you haven’t heard.
It’s a literal hellscape throughout Los Angeles Count y… and Bass isn’t even in her state.
Heck, she’s not even in the country.
Bass, one of President Joe Biden’s former vice president candidates, was in Ghana, West Africa, (why?) to attend the presidential inauguration there (why??) instead of overseeing her county’s response to the raging inferno (why???).
Now, in minimal fairness to Bass, it does appear that she opted to return to the States after news broke about the fires. According to Newsweek, Bass was expected back in Los Angeles Wednesday. The fires began Tuesday morning.
“Bass had been in Ghana as part of a four-member U.S. presidential delegation attending the inauguration of new Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama,” Newsweek reports.
The outlet added: “She has come under attack for not returning to the U.S. sooner in response to the infernos, with [Bass’ Democratic gubernatorial rival Rick] Caruso telling local network Fox 11 that there had been a ‘failure’ of leadership and management adding that ‘everybody knew these winds were coming’ so the risk should have been anticipated.”
Caruso argued that “[t]his is like a 3rd world country.”
“This is like a 3rd world country”
Rick Caruso says there is 0 water coming out of the fire hydrants. Mayor Bass is in Ghana. pic.twitter.com/GPXmDVvLS1
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 8, 2025
Some, like California-based entrepreneur Wes Nichols, knew exactly where to place the blame.
I just left the hellscape formerly know as Pacific Palisades where I’ve lived for 26 years. I’m mad at what I saw. Our politicians have failed us. Unprepared, unimaginative, understaffed, now overwhelmed. Heads must roll for this disaster. I personally saw 100+ homes fully… pic.twitter.com/8txvSJEZXd
— Wes Nichols (@wesnichols) January 8, 2025
“I just left the hellscape formerly know as Pacific Palisades where I’ve lived for 26 years,” Nichols posted. “I’m mad at what I saw. Our politicians have failed us. Unprepared, unimaginative, understaffed, now overwhelmed.
“Heads must roll for this disaster.”
Curiously, despite being halfway across the world from her constituents, Bass still found time to post on social media platform X — though the responses to her weren’t exactly in a forgiving mood.
Hundreds of @LAFD firefighters have been fighting fires through the night.
Thank you to all the crews working tirelessly to respond and protect life and property.
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) January 8, 2025
“Are you still on vacation in Africa?” one biting response read.
“Probably should tell your staff person to stop posting on this account in your absence, it feels like parody at this point,” another clearly annoyed comment read.
“Do you think a statement your staff put out on your account is enough for your citizens whose homes are being burned down?” one user asked. “Where are you? Why aren’t you there helping them out? Going to Africa on the taxpayers dime is not helping.”
Another user posted a horrific bird’s-eye view of Los Angeles County ablaze, while prodding Bass by asking her, “You still in Ghana?”
You still in Ghana? pic.twitter.com/YapM5qmJJt
— JKash 🍊MAGA Queen (@JKash000) January 8, 2025
Look, to be charitable, even if we were to grant that Bass’s African vacation was planned long before the fires erupted, it’s still an objectively bad look for a major political party that’s already known best for keeping politicians in Tupperware.
It’s the sort of look that a political party’s leader — in this case, some guy named Joe — should instantly decry.
But that would again require present and attentive leadership from all involved. And if Biden is anything to go by, being present and attentive is a lot to ask for, apparently.
It’s not exactly a surprise that the deep-blue Democrat-run California is literally a poop show. Bad leaders — and make no mistake, Gov. Gavin Newsom is an atrocious leader — create bad times.
But worse yet, bad leaders create other bad leaders.
Given that Biden is the figurehead of whatever’s left of the Democrats, is it really a surprise that the biggest names in his own party are going to be negligent, asleep behind the wheel and oblivious? Of course not.
If there is a glimmer of a silver lining here, it’s that everyday Americans are seeing Democrats unmasked in real-time.
Those epiphanies have already led to Republicans winning the super majority (albeit a slim one) on Nov. 5, 2024.
If Bass, Biden and the rest of the derelict leadership in the Democratic party continue to persist, those epiphanies could carry well into the 2026 midterms, as well as the 2028 general election.
And that’s great news for Republicans.
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