Sen. Dianne Feinstein's Deterioration

[Elixir]

The title of this thread, though …
The deterioration of dead people isn’t a pleasant subject.

 

[TomC]

She accomplished a lot and got very wealthy... but was a seller of bullshit. Unfettered bullshit. She didn't become a viable media personality for a long while.

One thing that probably is not on the radar of most men: she helped women to talk about sexual assault, rape, trauma.

To me, these are minutiae.
Winfrey is smart and tough enough to negotiate American society as a black woman. She got as rich as Trump claims to be. She can put together a team that gets shit done.
Those are things I value in a political leader.
It doesn't matter to me that she has some stuff that I find stupid in her past. There's almost nobody, certainly nobody on Capitol Hill, that doesn't apply to.

I want that Senate seat filled by someone who kicks ass and gets things done and doesn't need the bribery and corruption.
That she also represents a hugely underrepresented demographic is icing on the cake.
Tom

 

[Derec]

Prior to her death, several prominent t names in the Democratic Party have been mentioned or are actively campaigning to replace Feinstein who had announced she was not running in 2024: Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, are running with Eric Sawell and Ro Khanna also being mentioned. None of these are black women. However, Rep. Barbara Lee has been mentioned—the biggest argument against her being that she is 76.

Schiff, Porter and Lee are currently running among Democrats, but Lee is trailing the other two significantly. Unlikely that anybody else will enter the race at this point.

The bigger question is whether Newsom will appoint someone as a well vetted place holder until the 2024 election or whether he will nominate someone who would likely crunch in 2024. What they need now is someone who will be a strong vote for the Dem party.

He already said he would not appoint anybody currently running, much to Lee's chagrin.
California Democrat Barbara Lee rips Gavin Newsom over Feinstein appointment comments

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) comments that he would appoint a Black woman to be Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s replacement — but not someone running for the seat.
Lee, who is Black, is running for the Senate in California. Feinstein is not running for reelection in 2024, but her health problems and absences from the Senate have raised questions about whether she’ll complete her term.
“I am troubled by the governor’s remarks,” Lee said in a Sunday statement. “The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election.”

The whole idea of only considering somebody of a particular skin pigmentation and set of genitals for an appointment is "check the box" by definition.
Lee is just upset because her flailing campaign really needed the incumbent boost.

 

[Toni]

She accomplished a lot and got very wealthy... but was a seller of bullshit. Unfettered bullshit. She didn't become a viable media personality for a long while.

One thing that probably is not on the radar of most men: she helped women to talk about sexual assault, rape, trauma.

To me, these are minutiae.
Winfrey is smart and tough enough to negotiate American society as a black woman. She got as rich as Trump claims to be. She can put together a team that gets shit done.
Those are things I value in a political leader.
It doesn't matter to me that she has some stuff that I find stupid in her past. There's almost nobody, certainly nobody on Capitol Hill, that doesn't apply to.

I want that Senate seat filled by someone who kicks ass and gets things done and doesn't need the bribery and corruption.
That she also represents a hugely underrepresented demographic is icing on the cake.
Tom

I realize that you see being able to come forward and to seek help after sexual assault or rape is minutia.

Unfortunately you are t likely to recognize what that says about you as a person

 

[Derec]

The title of this thread, though …
The deterioration of dead people isn’t a pleasant subject.

The thread was started a while ago. When she just started her decomposition process, but was still technically alive.

 

[Toni]

Prior to her death, several prominent t names in the Democratic Party have been mentioned or are actively campaigning to replace Feinstein who had announced she was not running in 2024: Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, are running with Eric Sawell and Ro Khanna also being mentioned. None of these are black women. However, Rep. Barbara Lee has been mentioned—the biggest argument against her being that she is 76.

Schiff, Porter and Lee are currently running among Democrats, but Lee is trailing the other two significantly. Unlikely that anybody else will enter the race at this point.

The bigger question is whether Newsom will appoint someone as a well vetted place holder until the 2024 election or whether he will nominate someone who would likely crunch in 2024. What they need now is someone who will be a strong vote for the Dem party.

He already said he would not appoint anybody currently running, much to Lee's chagrin.
California Democrat Barbara Lee rips Gavin Newsom over Feinstein appointment comments

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) comments that he would appoint a Black woman to be Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s replacement — but not someone running for the seat.
Lee, who is Black, is running for the Senate in California. Feinstein is not running for reelection in 2024, but her health problems and absences from the Senate have raised questions about whether she’ll complete her term.
“I am troubled by the governor’s remarks,” Lee said in a Sunday statement. “The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election.”

The whole idea of only considering somebody of a particular skin pigmentation and set of genitals for an appointment is "check the box" by definition.
Lee is just upset because her flailing campaign really needed the incumbent boost.

I had not heard that Lee had entered the race.

Where are all the objections to white men getting ( insert office/school/honor/position of wealth and influence)?

Same place they’ve always been, I suspect.

 

[Gospel]

To me, these are minutiae.
Winfrey is smart and tough enough to negotiate American society as a black woman. She got as rich as Trump claims to be. She can put together a team that gets shit done.
Those are things I value in a political leader.
It doesn't matter to me that she has some stuff that I find stupid in her past. There's almost nobody, certainly nobody on Capitol Hill, that doesn't apply to.

I want that Senate seat filled by someone who kicks ass and gets things done and doesn't need the bribery and corruption.
That she also represents a hugely underrepresented demographic is icing on the cake.
Tom

Wealth, or its comparison with another's, should not be equated with one's aptitude for political leadership. Scrutinizing a political candidate's past actions, is normal irrespective of the prevailing political environment. Dismissing past errors because 'everyone has them' is unproductive. Additionally, while representation is important, race alone doesn't qualify someone for leadership. The U.S. Constitution enshrines the equality of all citizens, and political leaders should represent everyone, regardless of the current divisive dynamics in our government.

Edit: In my opinion, any politician who doesn't listen to and act for every American, yet deliberately responds to only a select few, should be promptly removed from their position.

Edit 2: When I say 'every American,' I mean every citizen within their jurisdiction. I know some people enjoy word games. Perhaps consider supporting printed newspapers; they could benefit from the patronage.

 

[Elixir]

Feinstein is not running for reelection in 2024,

The Hill …

The thread was started a while ago.

Upon her passing, a new thread might have been appropriate … or not, depending on your sense of humor and how it conflicts with your other feelings.

 

[Derec]

Feinstein is not running for reelection in 2024,

The Hill …

Not sure what that is for. The article is from two weeks ago. I posted it to say that Newsom already said that he would appoint a caretaker before the events of this morning.

Upon her passing, a new thread might have been appropriate … or not, depending on your sense of humor and how it conflicts with your other feelings.

Nobody started a new thread and people just started posting in this one. Not a big deal, I think.

 

[Gospel]

FTFY

 

[Derec]

I had not heard that Lee had entered the race.

Yeah, she entered back in February.
Rep. Barbara Lee joins race for California US Senate seat

Where are all the objections to white men getting ( insert office/school/honor/position of wealth and influence)?

Nobody is saying that they would only consider white men for some position like SCOTUS, Veep or Senate.
It's not about appointing a black woman. It's about saying you will not consider anybody else.

 

[Toni]

I had not heard that Lee had entered the race.

Yeah, she entered back in February.
Rep. Barbara Lee joins race for California US Senate seat

Where are all the objections to white men getting ( insert office/school/honor/position of wealth and influence)?

Nobody is saying that they would only consider white men for some position like SCOTUS, Veep or Senate.
It's not about appointing a black woman. It's about saying you will not consider anybody else.

Heh. I know you weren’t born here but until quite recently, that was so much a rule that it wasn’t even discussed: it was just assumed.
Thurgood Marshall and Sandra Day O’Connor broke those barriers. Barack Obama broke another barrier as has Kamala Harris ( actually breaking 3 barriers). All of those were in my lifetime.

 

[laughing dog]

Not even the most stupid Congresscritters on either side of the aisle are quite this incoherent.

Your Majorie Taylor Greene is worse.

Ah, it would not be ld without playing the race card.

Besides, this is her photo. Doesn't seem to be much "color" there.

However, judging by her facial expression, she might be trolling us all ...

Wouldn’t be Derec without an attack on a woman’s appearance or competence.

 

[laughing dog]

The number one problem in California politics today is that there are just way too many black woman senators. We've had zero already! When does it end? What if there are two some day?

I do dislike those kinds of vague promises of color coded appointments, they play right in to the right-wing narrative and they are rude as hell to the appointee. But let's not pretend the disingenuity is partisan in nature. Both left- and right-wing white politicians (in general) see the appointment of any black person to a position of power as a cynical, populist-minded act. Some get votes by playing along, others get votes by pounding the desk, but they all "know" (that is, believe) that such a concession is all for show. And it shows, more than they think it does, how racist to the core most politicians actually are.

I agree.

However, if Newsom appointed a black woman without making that promise, the same crowd would make the same complaints.

 

[Toni]

The number one problem in California politics today is that there are just way too many black woman senators. We've had zero already! When does it end? What if there are two some day?

I do dislike those kinds of vague promises of color coded appointments, they play right in to the right-wing narrative and they are rude as hell to the appointee. But let's not pretend the disingenuity is partisan in nature. Both left- and right-wing white politicians (in general) see the appointment of any black person to a position of power as a cynical, populist-minded act. Some get votes by playing along, others get votes by pounding the desk, but they all "know" (that is, believe) that such a concession is all for show. And it shows, more than they think it does, how racist to the core most politicians actually are.

I agree.

However, if Newsom appointed a black woman without making that promise, the same crowd would make the same complaints.

But I wonder if it wouldn’t come across as somehow less cynical. I’m not too bothered by any appearance of cynical pandering. I can’t help but think about the career of Jackie Robinson and how far we have and have not come. Cynical or not, we absolutely need to get to a point where the sex, gender, skin color, religion or heritage of office holders is not seen as a political gimmick or chit to be played, but as a simple recognition that exceptional talent and ability is not confined to one color or one gender or a special combination of the two.

Rather we need to be mindful of how much better we are when we have more points of view and more voices to reach a consensus.

 

[Elixir]

The number one problem in California politics today is that there are just way too many black woman senators. We've had zero already! When does it end? What if there are two some day?

I do dislike those kinds of vague promises of color coded appointments, they play right in to the right-wing narrative and they are rude as hell to the appointee. But let's not pretend the disingenuity is partisan in nature. Both left- and right-wing white politicians (in general) see the appointment of any black person to a position of power as a cynical, populist-minded act. Some get votes by playing along, others get votes by pounding the desk, but they all "know" (that is, believe) that such a concession is all for show. And it shows, more than they think it does, how racist to the core most politicians actually are.

Those color coded promises make me cringe SO badly. I am positive if few things, but one of them is that people experience a sense of upset when they hear “I’m going to appoint a ______ “, regardless of their political stance toward affirmative action or fondness for ______. Even if that’s who they want, and the feeling is subconscious, it is still there.

 

[Derec]

Heh. I know you weren’t born here but until quite recently, that was so much a rule that it wasn’t even discussed: it was just assumed.
Thurgood Marshall and Sandra Day O’Connor broke those barriers.

Marshall was appointed to SCOTUS in 1967, 56 years ago and quite a bit before I was born.
SDoC was appointed in 1981. I was alive - just.

Barack Obama broke another barrier as has Kamala Harris ( actually breaking 3 barriers). All of those were in my lifetime.

Barack Obama was far more recent, yes, but note that he won the primary (against heiress apparent, no less!) and then won the general election decisively, twice. That is very different than getting appointed because Biden or Newsom pledged to only consider black women. I am sure Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate because she is a black(ish) woman. She yet has to show she has what it takes to win a national election in her own right. A lot of people are skeptical.

 

[Derec]

Your Majorie Taylor Greene is worse.

She is not "mine". I do not live in her district and would not have voted for her if I did.
We can disagree about her politics, but her website is nowhere near the level of the website for that Fepbrina woman. No spelling and grammar errors in every sentence, no incoherent word salad. Not even mid-90s web design.
You can't compare the two.

Wouldn’t be Derec without an attack on a woman’s appearance or competence.

I only mentioned the shit-eating grin in her photo and that it was a hint that she may be trolling us.
And her website is testament enough of her incompetence. Has nothing to do with her gender.
Do you attack MTG only because she is a woman too?

 

[Derec]

Ya know who I'd love to see in there? Oprah Winfrey. She's incredibly smart and accomplished. Great communicator, name recognition...
Imagine if Winfrey did a special show on the importance of "Get out the Vote!"

LMAO. I really do not get this infatuation with celebrities. Might as well appoint Taylor Swift if she didn't have the unpardonable moral failing of having been born with too little melanin.

 

[Toni]

Heh. I know you weren’t born here but until quite recently, that was so much a rule that it wasn’t even discussed: it was just assumed.
Thurgood Marshall and Sandra Day O’Connor broke those barriers.

Marshall was appointed to SCOTUS in 1967, 56 years ago and quite a bit before I was born.
SDoC was appointed in 1981. I was alive - just.

Barack Obama broke another barrier as has Kamala Harris ( actually breaking 3 barriers). All of those were in my lifetime.

Barack Obama was more recent, yes, but note that he won the primary (against heiress apparent, no less!) and then won the general election decisively, twice. That is very different than getting appointed because Biden or Newsom pledged to only consider black women. I am sure Biden picked Kamala Harris because she is a black(ish) woman. She yet has to show she has what it takes to win a national election in her own right.

Yes, I’m aware of what year Marshall and O’Connor were appointed. I am probably old enough to be your……aunt, so these appointments are not just within my lifetime but within my memory. It’s just not that long ago. I don’t know if you fully appreciate just how enormous change those two appointments were. For nearly 200 years prior, not only were no black people on the SCOTUS but they were not even considered. They were barely considered human beings 100 years prior. And women could not even get checking accounts, credit cards or mortgages in their own names until 1974. Not only was I born but I could legally vote in 1974.

Harris won her US Senate seat in 2016. She was elected as VP in 2020. Ask John McCain if your choice of VP can help or hurt your ticket. Yeah, I know he’s dead but Palin guaranteed I would not be voting for him. Fortunately I was delighted to vote for Obama.