[img]1857|right|Karen Bass||no_popup[/img]When U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Culver City) announced that she would hold a year-end Town Hall Legislative Review, upwards of 300 people responded.

That, it turned out was the best part.

Hopefully, the energized, well-dressed crowd came to the Doubletree Hotel yesterday afternoon mainly to socialize.

Hard news, much less excitement, was scarce.

No question about the veteran Ms. Bass’s ability as a communicator.

She was chatty as always. But the bucket of news was empty.

Presumably, Ms. Bass’s main message to here hungry, curious constituents was concentrated at the top, which read this way:

She opened by announcing that she voted “no” last week on the much-ballyhooed Ryan-Murray budget agreement in Congress, and also “no” on the defense authorization bill “even though I support our troops. Mainly, though, I want to bring them home,” and a whooping cheer erupted.

As a smile leaped across Ms. Bass’s face, she said that she brought good news to the masses, too.

Proudly she announced that she was a messenger of good news, too.

Just days ago, she authored a resolution commending the heroic life and death of Nelson Mandela, and that triggered new cheers from her supporters.

She reminded her audience that both times Mr. Mandela addressed Congress, he was still on the U.S. terror watch list.

She enlarged on this proposition by announcing that she had traveled to South Africa, 19 hours each way, for Mr. Mandela’s memorial service. Ms.Bass elicited ooohs from the Democratic crowd when she revealed that Tea Party favorite Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was on her flight.

Ms. Bass was not exaggerating – that was the single parcel of positive news she brought from Washington.

Everything else was in transition.

She spoke of three modest goals for the present session of Congress, objectives not groaning beneath a burden of specificity.

Her main concentration is on her favorite subject, improvement of conditions for foster children, her signature issue. She said she will be launching a new foster child protection program in the new calendar year.

Ms. Bass’s No. 3 aim was, arguably, the least ambitious, “developing and empowering grassroots bases in new parts of the 37th District.”

Otherwise, she promoted increased relations with the African continent, hoping to strengthen her cause by pointing out that seven of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa.