It S Time For Sen. Dianne Feinstein And A Few Others To Go

If left unmanaged, they can be left astray and lose the right path. Ginsburg was a feminist image that served many notable years in the Supreme Court, but did not know when to leave. Despite being an octagonal cancer survivor, she refused to step down in court, while Democrat Barack Obama had a friendly Senate in place to nominate her successor. She died shortly before the 2020 election, allowing then-President Donald Trump and a GOP-led Senate to nominate her successor and form a conservative 6-3 majority in the Supreme Court – which, not coincidentally, will likely upset Roe vs. Wade at some point soon. For Democrats, Ginsburg’s decision not to retire was a catastrophe whose effects will be felt for decades to come. Feinstein, 88, is unlikely to wreak havoc on her own reluctance to leave the Senate: She is from California, a state firmly in the hands of Democrats. Her replacement — whether elected by the governor or by state voters — is almost certain to be a Democrat as well. But it is becoming increasingly difficult to defend the continuation of her service as an elected official. The San Francisco Chronicle reported last week that some of its colleagues (all anonymous, of course) believe she has become mentally incapable of serving, saying she is suffering more and more from memory gaps that have made it difficult for her to maintain long conversations. “She was a spiritual and political force not so long ago, and that’s why my meeting with her was so tumultuous,” a lawmaker told the newspaper. “Because there was no trace of it.” Feinstein issued a statement to the newspaper defending her background, saying “there is no doubt that I continue to serve and deliver for the people of California” and several colleagues – including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (also with California) – spoke to her. favor. But concerns about Feinstein’s ability to do her job have been an open secret for years. They are not going anywhere. The story goes on Apparently, Feinstein’s colleagues are not of the same age. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is also 88 years old and running for re-election. Pelosi is 82. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) is 71, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Is 80. President Joe Biden – you may have heard – is approaching also fast in the 80s. There is a tradition of this kind of thing, especially in the Senate: Strom Thurmond (RS.C.) served in the Chamber for up to 100 years. This is not really a great precedent – Thermond’s inability to do his job in his last years in the Senate was also widely known – but it is what some of Feinstein’s allies are now saying in defense of it. They “trifle” in the senator’s criticisms, the Chronicle reported, “when the history of Congress is full of older male politicians who have remained in power despite their decline.” Let’s call it “Ginsburg defense”. When late justice came under liberal pressure during Obama’s second term to retire, some of her allies suggested that sexism might be the real underlying cause for control. “Tell a strong woman what to do many times and she will tell you (kindly, if you are lucky) to fill it,” Emily Bazelon wrote in a 2013 Slate article entitled “Stop telling Ruth Bader Ginsburg to retire.” . “ How did this come to be resolved for the kinds of issues Ginsburg was interested in? Wrong, I would say. Understandably, Ginsburg and Feinstein – who served in national leadership positions almost unthinkable for previous generations of women – may have less than significant motivation among their critics: Of course, they both had a lot of sexism during their careers. But time is of the essence and it comes to all of us regardless of gender. Sometimes, it’s time to leave the stage. For what it’s worth, this is not just a matter of Dianne Feinstein. As David Graham of the Atlantic points out, the average age in the Senate is 64 years – the oldest that has ever been a Chamber membership. There may be some experience and wisdom that benefits the country, but the exchange is a smell of old age for the whole business, a sense that the country is run by and for a group of people who (however well-meaning) do not necessarily have a large share in the long run of. There is a danger of having a government full of elected officials who have been stuck for a long time. Good leaders look to the future for a time when they will no longer be in control. Sometimes that means reading politics and leaving while there is a chance to find a suitable successor, as Ginsburg failed to do. Sometimes it means recognizing that a new generation of leadership is needed or that someone else can bring a new energy injection into leadership work. This is an opportunity that Feinstein – and Grassley, and so many of their older colleagues – should consider right now. This is the question of the future: it goes on without us, sooner or later.

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