Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is 89 and in poor health. She recently missed more than ten weeks of work after an outbreak of shingles that spread to her face and neck, causing vision and balance impairments and facial paralysis known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
The virus also brought on a case of encephalitis, a swelling of the brain that can leave sufferers with long-term memory or language problems, sleep disorders, bouts of confusion, mood disorders, and difficulties walking.
When Feinstein returned to the Senate, she was in a wheelchair, with “the left side of her face frozen and one eye nearly shut, she seemed disoriented as an aide steered her through the marble corridors of the Senate, complaining audibly that something was stuck in her eye,” The New York Times reported.
But Tom Philp, an opinion writer with the Sacramento Bee, says, “I fear Dianne Feinstein’s resignation from the Senate more than her staying put.”
“Since Feinstein effectively became the decisive vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee after the 2020 election, the window for her to resign without potential consequences to the judicial system was closed. Republicans blocked efforts to replace Feinstein temporarily after a recent hospitalization as they would now if she retired,” he wrote.
“The politics of maintaining a razor-thin majority on a committee that forwards President Joe Biden’s judicial nominations to the full Senate has an undeniable impact on the future governance of the U.S. Supreme Court. They dictate why establishment Democrats fall in line behind Feinstein despite her frail condition,” Philp wrote.
So despite the clear evidence that Feinstein has problems (and there are dozens more examples of her being confused and disoriented), the writer wants her to stay in office purely for politics. “These high stakes are also why Feinstein should make every effort to stay, even as it becomes more painful to behold with each passing day,” he wrote.
But consider this: If Feinstein were to resign effective immediately, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, would appoint her replacement, who would serve until the current Congress ends in January 2025. He would, no doubt, appoint a Democrat. And Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) would appoint a replacement on the Judiciary Committee.
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Philp goes on to say Feinstein should stay on the committee so it can investigate “the repeated failures of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to disclose various gifts from billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow of Texas.”
But more than two-thirds (67%) of voters in California think Feinstein is not fit to serve in the Senate, according to a poll by conducted by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies.
Those voters see the writing on the wall. It’s a shame others want to play politics with a senator who is clearly not able to handle the duties of her office.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.