Should Dianne Feinstein Resign?
AllSides Summary
Concerns about Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) health have divided Democrats over whether the 89-year-old should resign before the end of her fifth and final Senate term.
Latest Developments: Feinstein returned to the Senate on May 9 after being hospitalized for shingles in early March. Since then, the California senator has been followed by reports on her apparently ailing mental fitness. In mid-May, she appeared to forget her monthslong absence from the Senate, telling reporters, “I’ve been here. I’ve been voting.” In late May, The New York Times (Lean Left bias) reported that Feinstein relied heavily on her aides and “expressed confusion” about Vice President Kamala Harris presiding over the Senate, reportedly asking colleagues, “What is she doing here?”
For Context: Senate Democrats need Feinstein’s vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee to approve nominees opposed by Republicans. Her temporary absence prevented Democrats from approving judicial nominees without at least some Republican support. These judges could impact high-profile issues like abortion rights and investigations into Supreme Court ethics.
Perspectives: Some voices from the left, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, supported Feinstein staying in the Senate to prevent Republicans from taking her tie-breaking spot on the Judiciary Committee. Others argued she should resign, allowing California Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint her replacement. Voices from the right were generally critical of Feinstein, citing her as an example of “gerontocracy”; one Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) writer called her “breathtakingly selfish” and a “useful idiot.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
Feinstein’s health has Newsom in a political trap of his own making
Whither Dianne Feinstein?
Feinstein, a fixture of California politics for more than a half-century and a U.S. senator for three decades, recently returned to the Capitol after a weeks-long battle with shingles, a very debilitating disease.
One might have thought that her return, after much carping from those on the Democratic Party’s left wing about her absence, would quiet those who wanted her to resign.
However, the critics didn’t miss a beat. They could no longer complain that she was AWOL and thus inhibiting the party’s ability to advance an agenda in the...
From the Left
I fear Dianne Feinstein’s resignation from the Senate more than her staying put
Dianne Feinstein has become a painfully sad spectacle, being wheeled through the Capitol as she so visibly struggles to perform the basic duties of a United States senator. She has joined the ranks of formidable leaders who stayed in office too long. Yet at this point, I fear her resignation more than I fear her remaining in office. 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...
From the Right
Dianne Feinstein literally forgot her three-month vacation from the Capitol
Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) breathtakingly selfish refusal to step down from her Senate seat may be benefiting Republicans, who get to watch President Joe Biden's judicial confirmations stagnate as they wait for the California Democrat to show up to work. But there's little question that the hubris of Feinstein, who turns 90 next month, sets a precedent that is bad for the republic as a whole.
Feinstein, who took nearly three months of leave from the Capitol under the guise of "shingles," returned to Congress only last week in a wheelchair and with a visage...
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