Update: Laphonza Butler sworn-in as Dianne Feinstein's replacement in the Senate

[SaysWho?]

 

Colleagues worry Dianne Feinstein is now mentally unfit to serve, citing recent interactions

WWW.SFCHRONICLE.COM

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Four U.S. senators, including three Democrats, as well as three former staffers and a...

 

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“I have worked with her for a long time and long enough to know what she was like just a few years ago: always in command, always in charge, on top of the details, basically couldn’t resist a conversation where she was driving some bill or some idea. All of that is gone,” the lawmaker said. “She was an intellectual and political force not that long ago, and that’s why my encounter with her was so jarring. Because there was just no trace of that.”

 

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They said that the memory lapses do not appear to be constant and that some days she is nearly as sharp as she used to be. During the March confirmation hearing for soon-to-be-Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Feinstein appeared composed as she read pertinent questions, though she repeated comments to Jackson about the judge’s composure in the face of tough questioning. But some close to her said that on her most difficult days, she does not seem to fully recognize even longtime colleagues.

 

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“It’s bad, and it’s getting worse,” said one Democratic senator. This person said that within the Senate, Feinstein has difficulty keeping up with conversations and discussions.

 

“There’s a joke on the Hill, we’ve got a great junior senator in Alex Padilla and an experienced staff in Feinstein’s office,” said a staffer for a California Democrat.

 

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Still, there’s a sense of resignation about the situation amid the sadness and frustration, The Chronicle found, as discussions about how to persuade Feinstein to step aside have yet to produce any results.

 

“It shouldn’t end this way for her. She deserves better,” said the California Democratic member of Congress. “Those who think that they are serving her or honoring her by sweeping all of this under the rug are doing her an enormous disservice.”

 

[legend]

[CayceG]

I posted this in the Useless Women thread, but it's BAD. 

 

 

This piece goes into the implications of having an old-ass Senate.

 

Dianne Feinstein and the Problem of the Oldest Senate Ever - The Atlantic

WWW.THEATLANTIC.COM

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And that’s the problem.

 

[Jason]

Dianne Feinstein Argues She Still Perfectly Mentally Fit To Continue Captaining Submarine

WWW.THEONION.COM

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WASHINGTON—Defending her performance against recent reports of cognitive decline, senior United States senator Dianne Feinstein argued Friday that she was still perfectly mentally fit to continue captaining the submarine. “If my fish colleagues have any doubts about my ability to damn the torpedoes or up the…

 

[marioandsonic]

If I were in charge, I would make it so no one in the Legislative, Executive, or Judicial branch could be over 65.

[Jason]

1 minute ago, marioandsonic said:

If I were in charge, I would make it so no one in the Legislative, Executive, or Judicial branch could be over 65.

 

ageist

[Ricofoley]

Lawrence O'Donnell had a really embarrassing Twitter thread yesterday in defense of Feinstein where among his arguments were, "Probably 50 out of 100 Senators don't know what's going on without their staffers" and "Most Senators just do whatever leadership tells them to anyway". Which, like, if you really know that to be true... that's an argument for the abolition of the Senate. The whole point of why we need a separate chamber from the House where each state gets equal representation is supposed to be that each state has unique needs that they need Senators to advocate for. If Senators are just a bunch of zombies that just kind of shamble around until Chuck Schumer or Mitch McConnell tells them what to do, then just get rid of this shit and we can have an actual unicameral legislature with proportional representation like an actual country.

[TyphoidHater]

2 hours ago, CayceG said:

I posted this in the Useless Women thread, but it's BAD. 

 

 

This piece goes into the implications of having an old-ass Senate.

 

Dianne Feinstein and the Problem of the Oldest Senate Ever - The Atlantic

WWW.THEATLANTIC.COM

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And that’s the problem.

 

 

Thanks for posting this.  Great article.

[CitizenVectron]

It's very sad that she is being subjected to this in order for others to wield power and influence through her. This is why there should be a mandatory retirement age. In Canada it's 75 for the Senate, but I'd be happy with 65.

[TyphoidHater]

1 minute ago, CitizenVectron said:

It's very sad that she is being subjected to this in order for others to wield power and influence through her. This is why there should be a mandatory retirement age. In Canada it's 75 for the Senate, but I'd be happy with 65.

 

I dislike the argument that because some elderly retain their mental acuity and overall health it's unfair to have any restrictions whatsoever.

 

There are sub-35 year olds that would make great Presidents even though most might be too politically novice.

 

Arbitrary limits exist everywhere.

[stepee]

makes sense since she’s 88

[Uaarkson]

All politicians should be subjected to yearly mandatory mental fitness tests.

[Brick]

Will she remember to resign then? 

[Keyser_Soze]

Why retire when you get paid to do nothing already?

[TyphoidHater]

1 hour ago, Uaarkson said:

All politicians should be subjected to yearly mandatory mental fitness tests.

 

Why stop at mental?  Some physical parameters should be required.

[CitizenVectron]

6 minutes ago, TyphoidHater said:

 

Why stop at mental?  Some physical parameters should be required.

 

Bench press more than 300lbs and the senator gets to cast two votes

[Jason]

23 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

 

Bench press more than 300lbs and the senator gets to cast two votes

[thewhyteboar]

53 minutes ago, TyphoidHater said:

 

Why stop at mental?  Some physical parameters should be required.

Punching Rand Paul in the face would be a mandatory part of the Senator Physical Fitness Test. 

[Jwheel86]

On 4/15/2022 at 11:27 PM, TyphoidHater said:

 

Why stop at mental?  Some physical parameters should be required.

 

This exists, those on Disability can't run for office, even unpaid. 

 

 

[Zaku3]

22 minutes ago, Jwheel86 said:

 

This exists, those on Disability can't run for office, even unpaid. 

 

 

 

Wait our best president was in a wheel chair?

[PaladinSolo]

4 minutes ago, Zaku3 said:

 

Wait our best president was in a wheel chair?

Its not that they can't run for office they just lose their benefits, which unless the position you're running for has good benefits and pay is an unpassable bar for most.

[Jwheel86]

1 minute ago, PaladinSolo said:

Its not that they can't run for office they just lose their benefits, which unless the position you're running for has good benefits and pay is an unpassable bar for most.

 

Even if they have good benefits, Medicaid (which you get as part of SSI) is the only benefit that'll fund Long Term Support, private health insurance (which government employees get) doesn't. 

 

I thinkkkkkkkkkk I'd get away with it in my situation (since I work already), but it be a gamble. #Jwheel4America #Let'sTryACrippleAgain

[thewhyteboar]

6 hours ago, Jwheel86 said:

 

Even if they have good benefits, Medicaid (which you get as part of SSI) is the only benefit that'll fund Long Term Support, private health insurance (which government employees get) doesn't. 

 

I thinkkkkkkkkkk I'd get away with it in my situation (since I work already), but it be a gamble. #Jwheel4America #Let'sTryACrippleAgain

You have my illegally cast second ballot.

[Kal-El814]

7 hours ago, Zaku3 said:

 

Wait our best president was in a wheel chair?

 

 

[Dre801]

Too many 80+ geezers in Washington who've been  there since before some people here were even born. 

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

1 hour ago, Dre801 said:

Too many 80+ geezers in Washington who've been  there since before some people here were even born. 

Kick out the old farts 

[finaljedi]

On 4/15/2022 at 9:19 PM, TyphoidHater said:

 

I dislike the argument that because some elderly retain their mental acuity and overall health it's unfair to have any restrictions whatsoever.

 

There are sub-35 year olds that would make great Presidents even though most might be too politically novice.

 

Arbitrary limits exist everywhere.

 

I think limits are fine.  Even if your mental acuity doesn't fade by 70 years old, especially in the higher levels of politics, you just aren't part of the current world anymore.  Technology and culture develops that didn't exist when they were even middle aged.  T

[Jason]

On 4/15/2022 at 6:19 PM, TyphoidHater said:

 

I dislike the argument that because some elderly retain their mental acuity and overall health it's unfair to have any restrictions whatsoever.

 

There are sub-35 year olds that would make great Presidents even though most might be too politically novice.

 

Arbitrary limits exist everywhere.

 

The current mayor of my city, during a city council meeting, was complaining about pedestrians wear black at night or some stupid bullshit like that while sitting there openly volunteering that she keeps driving at night even though she can no longer see properly at night.

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

There should be set numbers of reps that are within given age bands relative to their population rather than one old fart who represents millions and can’t remember what they had for breakfast while at lunch

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

Also, not for nothing here, but there might be a story to tie in here to Fienstein

[CitizenVectron]

Yep:

 

 

[Kal-El814]

There’s gotta be a happy medium between a 60 year old version of Logan’s Run and Diane Feinstein Presents Weekend at Bernie’s. Ageism is bad in general and in politics but we shouldn’t be beholden to an octogenarian’s “good days.”

[stepee]

2 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

There’s gotta be a happy medium between a 60 year old version of Logan’s Run and Diane Feinstein Presents Weekend at Bernie’s. Ageism is bad in general and in politics but we shouldn’t be beholden to an octogenarian’s “good days.”

 

Ideally that check would be voters not voting in the person obviously incapable of holding office butttttttt

[Kal-El814]

Just now, stepee said:

Ideally that check would be voters not voting in the person obviously incapable of holding office butttttttt

 

Brand recognition and inertia’s are some of the most powerful forces in politics, so it “makes sense.”

[finaljedi]

8 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

There’s gotta be a happy medium between a 60 year old version of Logan’s Run and Diane Feinstein Presents Weekend at Bernie’s. Ageism is bad in general and in politics but we shouldn’t be beholden to an octogenarian’s “good days.”

 

When it comes to people who make laws and big decisions involving a few hundred million people then I'm fine with it.  Diane Feinstein was in her 40s in the 1970s.  During Trump's court appointments she was the ranking member and the Republican chairman was also closer to 90 than 80.  Maybe come up with an elder legislators program where they can advise on procedures and customs or something and not making laws for a world that is very different from the one they lived in before they entered the bubble of politics.  They're not too old for the world, they can still do things, hang with the family, take up painting, write books, whatever, they're just too old to write laws and make big decisions for everyone else.