California Voters Get What They Asked For
By 
When a California Democrat in Congress recently engaged in an extended conversation with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, they prepared for a rigorous policy discussion like those they’d had with her many times over the last 15 years.
Instead, the lawmaker said, they had to reintroduce themselves to Feinstein multiple times during an interaction that lasted several hours.Rather than delve into policy, Feinstein, 88, repeated the same small-talk questions, like asking the lawmaker what mattered to voters in their district, they said, with no apparent recognition the two had already had a similar conversation.
The episode was so unnerving that the lawmaker — who spoke to The Chronicle on condition they not be identified because of the sensitivity of the topic — began raising concerns with colleagues to see if some kind of intervention to persuade Feinstein to retire was possible. Feinstein’s term runs through the end of 2024. The conversation occurred several weeks before the death of her husband in February.
Adding urgency to the recent concerns: If Democrats retain control of the Senate next year, Feinstein will succeed retiring Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy as the Senate’s president pro tem — putting her third in line for the presidency. Feinstein has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission that would allow her to run in 2024, a formality that lets her keep her fundraising accounts active, though she has not yet declared whether she intends to run.
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.”
I mean sure, but then admitting there’s a problem might cause other questions for Pelosi, Schumer, Clyburn, Biden, etc. about their own age. After all, Ruth Bader Ginsburg refusing to resign only is leading to the end of Roe but she’s a HERO and so CAN DO WHAT SHE WANTS ALSO I LOVE MY RBG TATTOO THAT WILL TOTALLY INSPIRE THE MASSES AFTER ROE IS OVERTURNED THIS SPRING and then it took a full court press to get Breyer to step down. At least Leahy is FINALLY moving on at the end of his term.
When people are old, they need to move on. There’s no irreplaceable person. Anyone can do these jobs. Putting our future in the hands of people with declining mental acuity is not a good thing.
Of course, California voters did have a choice. They could have voted for Kevin de Leon. But no, how can we not elect St. Feinstein even though she’s been basically a below average Democrat even when she was 100% mentally? What an outrage to even consider it.
And yes, the obituary is tanned, rested, and ready.