Sen. Dianne Feinstein's Deterioration

[Trausti]

Nonono! I made a typo! Anyone except a partisan bigot would see AOC as imminently qualified.

View attachment 38178

P.S.: You say she is "imminently qualified". So you contend that she is not qualified yet, but will be very very soon?

She’s 32 years old. By that metric, she’s qualified.

 

[lpetrich]

... Few who are at all unbiased would argue that AOC is qualified and capable. Marge 3 names? Cawthorne? Boebert? Hard nope.

Are you saying that AOC is unqualified and incapable? I think that she's very good.

But I agree on Marjorie Taylor Greene, Madison Cawthorn, and Lauren Boebert.

Nonono! I made a typo! Anyone except a partisan bigot would see AOC as imminently qualified.

Now going to try to fix my post!

Do you mean "eminently qualified"?

 

[Toni]

Nonono! I made a typo! Anyone except a partisan bigot would see AOC as imminently qualified.

View attachment 38178

P.S.: You say she is "imminently qualified". So you contend that she is not qualified yet, but will be very very soon?

Autocorrect + typo plus too much multitasking: extremely qualified is what I meant to type

 

[Toni]

... Few who are at all unbiased would argue that AOC is qualified and capable. Marge 3 names? Cawthorne? Boebert? Hard nope.

Are you saying that AOC is unqualified and incapable? I think that she's very good.

But I agree on Marjorie Taylor Greene, Madison Cawthorn, and Lauren Boebert.

Nonono! I made a typo! Anyone except a partisan bigot would see AOC as imminently qualified.

Now going to try to fix my post!

Do you mean "eminently qualified"?

Yes or extremely. Typo/multitask blah blah blah stupid autocorrect.

Thank you!

 

[southernhybrid]

I agree that Feinstein should resign, not because of her age, but because she is showing signs of mental decline. I read an article recently that gave evidence that some people are at their most creative and productive when they are in their 70s and 80s. I've known a few ultra sharp people in that age group. Not me! I am not nearly as sharp in my 70s as I was in my 50s and 60s but then I don't want a job. I love being retired. I might have stayed sharper if I still worked, but I like feeling free.

I doubt we will ever get enough support for term limits, but I think they would be a good thing. Maybe something like 18 years would be a good limit. Experience is important but there are plenty of sharp, knowledgable people who don't need much experience to do the job. Elizabeth Warren is very popular, and she was in her 60s when she first ran for the Senate. She acts like she has more experience than many Senators that actually have been in the Senate far longer. Should she retire since she will be about 75, when her current term expires?

MTG 's problem isn't her lack of experience, it's her attitude and her refusal to be a decent, respectable person, who is willing to learn and apply that knowledge to her position. There are others like her who have more experience and who are grads of ivy league schools. They may not act as nutty as MTG but they are obviously trying to destroy our fragile democracy, by making false claims of voter fraud and by trying to disenfranchise people from voting etc. So, despite Feinstein's mental decline, she is not a threat to democracy, as far as I can tell. I do find it very strange that some people have such a hard time giving up their positions when the time seems right to do it. I guess some hate giving up the power, regardless if they are conservatives or liberals. They could become activists or simply enjoy the sense of freedom that retirement usually brings.

 

[thebeave]

I agree that Feinstein should resign, not because of her age, but because she is showing signs of mental decline. I read an article recently that gave evidence that some people are at their most creative and productive when they are in their 70s and 80s. I've known a few ultra sharp people in that age group. Not me! I am not nearly as sharp in my 70s as I was in my 50s and 60s but then I don't want a job. I love being retired. I might have stayed sharper if I still worked, but I like feeling free.

I doubt we will ever get enough support for term limits, but I think they would be a good thing. Maybe something like 18 years would be a good limit. Experience is important but there are plenty of sharp, knowledgable people who don't need much experience to do the job. Elizabeth Warren is very popular, and she was in her 60s when she first ran for the Senate. She acts like she has more experience than many Senators that actually have been in the Senate far longer. Should she retire since she will be about 75, when her current term expires?

MTG 's problem isn't her lack of experience, it's her attitude and her refusal to be a decent, respectable person, who is willing to learn and apply that knowledge to her position. There are others like her who have more experience and who are grads of ivy league schools. They may not act as nutty as MTG but they are obviously trying to destroy our fragile democracy, by making false claims of voter fraud and by trying to disenfranchise people from voting etc. So, despite Feinstein's mental decline, she is not a threat to democracy, as far as I can tell. I do find it very strange that some people have such a hard time giving up their positions when the time seems right to do it. I guess some hate giving up the power, regardless if they are conservatives or liberals. They could become activists or simply enjoy the sense of freedom that retirement usually brings.

Pretty much agree with this. Its past time for her to go. She had a good, long run in politics, and I think she did an overall decent job as our Senator in CA, and I would have put her on my short list for President had she decided to run during her prime. Certainly a better choice than a lot of candidates in recent years who threw their hat in for a chance at POTUS.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Nonono! I made a typo! Anyone except a partisan bigot would see AOC as imminently qualified.

View attachment 38178

P.S.: You say she is "imminently qualified". So you contend that she is not qualified yet, but will be very very soon?

Autocorrect + typo plus too much multitasking: extremely qualified is what I meant to type

Well, obviously, you are not extremely qualified to post!

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I agree that Feinstein should resign, not because of her age, but because she is showing signs of mental decline. I read an article recently that gave evidence that some people are at their most creative and productive when they are in their 70s and 80s. I've known a few ultra sharp people in that age group. Not me! I am not nearly as sharp in my 70s as I was in my 50s and 60s but then I don't want a job. I love being retired. I might have stayed sharper if I still worked, but I like feeling free.

I doubt we will ever get enough support for term limits, but I think they would be a good thing. Maybe something like 18 years would be a good limit. Experience is important but there are plenty of sharp, knowledgable people who don't need much experience to do the job. Elizabeth Warren is very popular, and she was in her 60s when she first ran for the Senate. She acts like she has more experience than many Senators that actually have been in the Senate far longer. Should she retire since she will be about 75, when her current term expires?

I don't think term limits would be a good idea, it keeps a lot of qualified people out because it would mean disrupting their career to spend some years in office.

However, I would like to see some mental function tests to remain in office.

 

[southernhybrid]

I agree that Feinstein should resign, not because of her age, but because she is showing signs of mental decline. I read an article recently that gave evidence that some people are at their most creative and productive when they are in their 70s and 80s. I've known a few ultra sharp people in that age group. Not me! I am not nearly as sharp in my 70s as I was in my 50s and 60s but then I don't want a job. I love being retired. I might have stayed sharper if I still worked, but I like feeling free.

I doubt we will ever get enough support for term limits, but I think they would be a good thing. Maybe something like 18 years would be a good limit. Experience is important but there are plenty of sharp, knowledgable people who don't need much experience to do the job. Elizabeth Warren is very popular, and she was in her 60s when she first ran for the Senate. She acts like she has more experience than many Senators that actually have been in the Senate far longer. Should she retire since she will be about 75, when her current term expires?

I don't think term limits would be a good idea, it keeps a lot of qualified people out because it would mean disrupting their career to spend some years in office.

However, I would like to see some mental function tests to remain in office.

Don't worry. Term limits won't happen in our lifetimes. I used to be against them, but now I think they are needed. There are plenty of new people who would freshen up Congress, bring in new ideas, add more diversity, etc. Plus, I don't like the idea of anyone having so much power for such a long period of time in government. Too many people become corrupt or too influenced by outside forces once they are in these positions for many years. There are plenty of other opportunities for excellent people to serve society, if that's what they feel they were meant to do. But, as I said, I don't see it happening. Some tried in the 90s and didn't get anywhere. Too bad because the thought of MTG and a few of her ilk being in Congress for decades is nauseated. It could happen.

 

[Toni]

Nonono! I made a typo! Anyone except a partisan bigot would see AOC as imminently qualified.

View attachment 38178

P.S.: You say she is "imminently qualified". So you contend that she is not qualified yet, but will be very very soon?

Autocorrect + typo plus too much multitasking: extremely qualified is what I meant to type

Well, obviously, you are not extremely qualified to post!

I tell you, I am not!

 

[Metaphor]

I don't know that I am for either term limits or age limits. But I worry about the kind of person who continues to work as a legislator in their 70s and 80s. These people cannot be working because they are financially precarious. They just cannot let go of power.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

70's is one thing. I know plenty of people in their 70s that aren't mentally compromised.

88... seems too old. Granted, my grandfather was sharp at 89. But he didn't need to work DC politics hours... and he was much smarter than the above average politician. If nothing else, 88 just seems like a time to let it go, but for some people, change in their 80s is something that is feared. Routine for some becomes everything. What else would Feinstein do?

But if Trump can be President, why the heck not Feinstein be a senator at 88. The guy bragged about passing a basic competency test that he said was hard, but he was savvy enough to pass .

 

[Terrell]

Feinstein has been alive longer than the Golden Gate Bridge has been open. The bridge opened on May 27, 1937. She was born in June of 1933. The oldest Boomers were born in 1946. It's long past time for her to retire.

We need a mandatory retirement age & term limits for all government officials. I'm not sure exactly where the mandatory retirement age should be set, but it should work as follows as far as age is concerned. You cannot run for any office where you'd reach mandatory retirement age before your term concludes. For term limits, anything over half a term counts as a full term.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I don't know that I am for either term limits or age limits. But I worry about the kind of person who continues to work as a legislator in their 70s and 80s. These people cannot be working because they are financially precarious. They just cannot let go of power.

Some people enjoy it. It's not just about power.

 

[thebeave]

Feinstein has been alive longer than the Golden Gate Bridge has been open. The bridge opened on May 27, 1937. She was born in June of 1933. The oldest Boomers were born in 1946. It's long past time for her to retire.

We need a mandatory retirement age & term limits for all government officials. I'm not sure exactly where the mandatory retirement age should be set, but it should work as follows as far as age is concerned. You cannot run for any office where you'd reach mandatory retirement age before your term concludes. For term limits, anything over half a term counts as a full term.

It does seem a a bit strange and contradictory that we have mandatory retirement ages for individual jobs that have little impact on society as a whole, but apparently not for jobs that could result in huge detrimental impacts on the country as a whole. DF is over 20 years past the usual retirement age of 65, but wields lots of power in the state of California and the US. And she can't remember what was said 10 minutes ago in a meeting?

 

[lpetrich]

The race is on to succeed her.
The shadow race is on to succeed Feinstein - POLITICO - "California's long-serving senator hasn't revealed her 2024 plans, but Democratic hopefuls are making moves."

Mentioning Reps. Adam Schiff (62), Ro Khanna (46), Katie Porter (48), and Barbara Lee (76).

Three hopefuls have contacted former Sen. Barbara Boxer to seek her advice, marking the incipient stages of a fierce fight between California Democrats for a seat that has not been open for a generation.

“They’re starting to call me to get ready for what is a massive campaign – truly, massively expensive and hard-fought,” Boxer said. “It will be a very crowded field.”

I've listed these contestants' ages to compare to DiFi's age: 89.

But while it is widely believed that the California senator will not seek another term in 2024, she has not said anything explicit about her intentions — a Feinstein spokesperson contacted about the story said he had “no updates” — and people who know her say she bridles at being backed into a corner.

Surely DiFi must know about all the criticism she's gotten for showing signs of mental deterioration. But she may be in denial about that.

California's top-two system and Democratic dominance mean that many seats have two Democrats facing off against each other in the general election, and that is likely in this upcoming US Senate election.

 

[lpetrich]

I've found more articles on DiFI, searching for "Dianne Feinstein senile".

As Dianne Feinstein Declines, Democrats Wrestle With Open Secret - The New York Times - May 2 - "Democrats have quietly accepted the California senator’s memory issues as the status quo, even as her inner circle frets that the spectacle of her difficulties on the job could tarnish her legacy."

t 88, Ms. Feinstein sometimes struggles to recall the names of colleagues, frequently has little recollection of meetings or telephone conversations, and at times walks around in a state of befuddlement — including about why she is increasingly dogged by questions about whether she is fit to serve in the Senate representing the 40 million residents of California, according to half a dozen lawmakers and aides who spoke about the situation on the condition of anonymity.

On Capitol Hill, it is widely — though always privately — acknowledged that Ms. Feinstein suffers from acute short-term memory issues that on some days are ignorable, but on others raise concern among those who interact with her.

Ms. Feinstein is often engaged during meetings and phone conversations, usually coming prepared and taking notes. But hours later, she will often have forgotten those interactions, said the people familiar with the situation, who insisted that they not be named because they did not want to be quoted disparaging a figure they respect.

...
One Democratic lawmaker who had an extended encounter with Ms. Feinstein in February said in an interview that the experience was akin to acting as a caregiver for a person in need of constant assistance. The lawmaker recalled having to reintroduce themself to the senator multiple times, helping her locate her purse repeatedly and answering the same set of basic, small-talk questions over and over again.

However,

Ms. Feinstein’s supporters argue she did her party a favor by staying. The decision meant that Democrats “avoided an expensive open-seat race in California, so our state’s Democratic donors could focus on helping other candidates across the country,” said Jeffrey Millman, who served as her campaign manager that year. “Today, with her seniority, Senator Feinstein is an effective and indispensable leader for our state in the Senate.”

What a monstrously stupid argument.

 

[lpetrich]

Former Staffer: 'Diminished' Feinstein Still Better Than Junior Senator

In an interview published Monday in The Cut, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California sometimes forgot questions posed to her and depended heavily on an aide to help her recall key details.

But one former staffer who spoke anonymously to the outlet insisted that despite the 88-year-old senator's apparent shortcomings, she's still able to get more done than a younger, more recently-elected senator could.

"Is a diminished Senator Feinstein better than a junior California senator?" the staffer asked. "I would argue, emphatically, yes."

What a dumb argument. Keeping her in office as some placeholder.

CSPAN on Twitter: ".@SenSchumer on Senator Dianne Feinstein and her ability to serve: "I've had a good number of discussions with Senator Feinstein but I'm keeping them to myself." (vid link)" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Worrying phone call adds to concerns about Dianne Feinstein's cognitive health : NPR - June 13

Journalist Rebecca Traister set out to write a profile of the oldest sitting U.S. senator, Dianne Feinstein of California, who turns 89 on June 22. And while Traister's feature piece does center on Feinstein's long and storied career, it also evokes questions about the senator's cognitive health.

NPR's All Things Considered spoke with Traister, a writer for The Cut, about a worrying call she had with Feinstein two days after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

"It felt to me to be deeply disconnected from the very urgent and chilling realities that we are very much in the midst of," Traister said on All Things Considered.

...
"Really, for the last couple of years, I've been hearing that Dianne Feinstein has been struggling, particularly with short-term memory issues, so that her staff will brief her and then she'll forget what she's been told or that she's been briefed at all," Jane Mayer of The New Yorker told All Things Considered in 2020.

...
The current political system rewards those with seniority, providing incentives for elected officials to stretch out their tenures as long as possible. Not only are individuals able to maintain power, but there are also benefits for states to have senior officials, Traister noted.

"We are run by a gerontocracy on both the Democratic and Republican sides," Traister said. "The Senate works by offering increased power to those who've been there for the longest."

Even if they are political zombies?

 

[lpetrich]

Dianne Feinstein’s Long Fight for Abortion and Gun Control - June 6

On election night in San Francisco in 1969, a 36-year-old woman who had run a campaign for the Board of Supervisors that featured the unconventional use of just her first name, Dianne, was waiting anxiously for results in a race she was not expected to win. The local media had barely covered her. She had earned the endorsement of only one elected official, the state assemblyman Willie Brown. She had initially run the race out of her own house and had taken a risky, forward-looking tactical approach: cultivating support from the city’s growing population of gay voters and environmental conservationists.

As the returns began to trickle in, “it soon became clear that a big local story was unfolding,” Jerry Roberts later wrote in his 1994 book, Dianne Feinstein: Never Let Them See You Cry. “Dianne was not only winning, she was topping the ticket, an unheard-of showing for a nonincumbent, let alone a woman.”

...
The next day, San Francisco’s daily papers blared news of Feinstein’s stunning upset on their front pages. The press homed in on Feinstein’s “dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty” and made sure to note that the woman who would, as the top vote-getter, soon assume control of the Board of Supervisors was dressed in “a fashionable blue Norell original with a bolero top and a wide white belt.”

Then comparing her election to that of another young woman 49 years later: AOC.

"As Feinstein consolidated her power at the top of the Senate, the party’s losses steadily mounted." - like abortion, assault weapons, ...

As the storied career of one of the nation’s longest-serving Democrats approaches its end, it’s easy to wonder how the generation whose entry into politics was enabled by progressive reforms has allowed those victories to be taken away. And how a woman who began her career with the support of conservationist communities in San Francisco, and who staked her political identity on advancing women’s rights, is now best known to young people as the senator who scolded environmental-activist kids in her office in 2019 and embraced Lindsey Graham after the 2020 confirmation hearings of Amy Coney Barrett, a Supreme Court justice who appears to be the fifth and final vote to end the constitutional right to an abortion. As Feinstein told Graham, “This is one of the best set of hearings that I’ve participated in.”

'You didn't vote for me': Senator Dianne Feinstein responds to young green activists | Dianne Feinstein | The Guardian

When Feinstein pushes back on the young activists’ request, one child says: “The government is supposed to be for the people, by the people, and all for the people.”

“I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I know what I’ve been doing,” Feinstein responds. “You come in here and say it has to be my way or the highway. I’ve gotten elected. I just ran. I was elected by almost a million vote plurality and I know what I’m doing. Maybe people should listen a little bit.”

“I hear what you’re saying,” a teenage activist says. “But we’re the people who voted you, you’re supposed to listen to us.”

“How old are you?” Feinstein asks her.

“I’m 16,” the young woman responds.

“Well, you didn’t vote for me,” Feinstein says.

Later in the clip, Feinstein tells a young activist, “Well, you know better than I do. So I think one day you should run for the United States Senate and then you do it your way.”

“Great, I will,” the teenager responded.

Sunrise Movement on Twitter: "This is how @SenFeinstein reacted to children asking her to support the #GreenNewDeal resolution -- with smugness + disrespect.
This is a fight for our generation's survival. Her reaction is why young people desperately want new leadership in Congress. (vid link)" / Twitter

That sort of smugness may be why she has been unwilling to resign -- she seems very sure of her competence, much more sure than can reasonably be justified.