An Age Old Problem
Dianne Feinstein must resign; she is incapable of serving as the senator from California. Every day that Dianne Feinstein remains in the Senate undermines the credibility of that body, of the Democratic Party, and the very concept our government is undertaking important and serious business. At 89 years old, it has been an open secret for years around Washington D.C. that she has experienced severe cognitive decline, however, recent events make it appear Diane Feinstein is totally unable to fulfill her role as the Senator from California. This year Feinstein has been absent for multiple months due to a bad bout of Shingles, missing dozens of votes, and imperiling Biden’s judicial nominees, and yet when asked by reporters upon her return last week, she replied “I haven’t been gone. I’ve been working… I’ve been here. I’ve been voting. Please. You either know or don’t know.” At some point one must ask if Feinstein is even aware of the decisions that she's making and who it is it is taking advantage and abusing this woman in an effort to hold power themselves as a shadow Senator?
We at DSOT are not the only ones calling for her resignation. The cries are growing within the Democratic Party, although leadership remains notably absent, and within some sectors of the media as it becomes increasingly untenable to even pretend that Feinstein can represent herself, let alone the people of California. There is little doubt that were Feinstein to sign a Will tomorrow it would be legally unenforceable, so it is a farce to allow her to continue as a Senator making choices that affect hundreds of millions of people.
It’s of course impossible to know what’s driving this dereliction of duty, allowing Feinstein to continue in office, but examining who benefits from her remaining in the Senate seat can be instructive. For instance, some reporting suggests that David Grannis, her chief of staff is acting as a shadow Senator as Feinstein’s health declines. In addition, with the 2024 Senate race already underway, there is speculation that the reluctance to pressure Feinstein to retire stems from a desire to not tilt the race towards whichever candidate Newsom appoints as the interim Senator. It was recently reported that Feinstein's top aide is none other than Nancy Pelosi's daughter, and Feinstein’s early resignation would almost certainly disadvantage Pelosi’s endorsed candidate, Adam Schiff.
Making these sorts of petty transactional calculations is simply unacceptable here. We are still over 18 months away from January 2025, when Feinstein’s replacement would enter Congress. It is a sick joke in such a deeply divided Senate, with profoundly anti-democratic actions being taken by the Republican Party, to allow Feinstein to sit on the Judiciary Committee, one of the few spaces Democrats can actually make meaningful progress safeguarding against anti-democratic advances.
Adding insult to injury, is that Feinstein, was never a champion of the people in the first place throughout her career, even when she was sound of mind. While some publications will write about her bold and inspiring tenure as Senator, her career has more often been in service to herself and corporations than the American people. Feinstein is one of the wealthiest members of the Senate has seemed to trade on privileged Senate information, and in one of her most famous moments in recent memory figuratively spat in the faces of children begging for her to take climate action. This is hardly a storied legacy to be proud of, and she should have been voted from office long ago, but her current mental condition should end any discussion on the matter.
Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden, or whichever family member or aide can intervene, needs to act for the good of not just the country but for Feinstein herself and stop this madness. Even from a purely electoral calculation, Feinstein is a liability. Everyday she remains in the Senate hurts the already deeply tenuous chances for Biden’s reelection by reminding everyone of the risk inherent in electing an elderly president.
Fundamentally, this is a matter of democracy: the people of California deserve to be represented by the Senator they elected, not some shadow Senator. The donor class has been served well by Feinstein, which along with her absence helping Republicans by stymieing court appointments leaves little constituency in Washington to oust her. To make sure that we get actual, competent representation from our politicians will take not just political, but economic organizing. So, join us each Tuesday in growing solidarity as we build an economic cudgel fight back against this decrepit and decaying government and get people in power who Americans actually elect!
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