As we reported, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) just got back to the Senate last week, after being out for nearly three months while allegedly dealing with a case of shingles. Her absence had temporarily halted the Democratic drive to push through horrible judicial nominees, so they were chomping at the bit to have her back.
But her response to reporters on Tuesday is sparking a lot of calls for her to retire.
The 89-year-old senator was asked by a reporter about how she was feeling and what did she hear from her colleagues on her return, how did they receive her.
Spoke to @SenFeinstein today for a brief minute. I asked her how she was feeling and also about the well-wishes she's heard from colleagues. This is how she responded. https://t.co/vuAQYkHfAj pic.twitter.com/jXkapAVFRo
— Benjamin Oreskes🦅 (@boreskes) May 16, 2023
A couple of us reporters spoke briefly with Dianne Feinstein today. It didn't go well. https://t.co/GhSatNyM9e
— Jim Newell (@jim_newell) May 16, 2023
She said she was “feeling fine” but had “a problem with the leg” but said that it was “nothing that’s anyone’s concern but mine.”
Then her response was concerning — she appeared not to understand that she had been away.
“What have I heard about what?” she asked.
“About your return,” another reporter inquired.
“No, I haven’t been gone,” Feinstein said. “You should follow the — I haven’t been gone. I’ve been working.”
When asked if she meant that she’d been working from home, she responded, “No, I’ve been here. I’ve been voting. Please. You either know or don’t know.”
Feinstein was then wheeled off in a wheelchair.
But do Democrats care about her health? At this point, they want her voting, so they can push through their agenda.
Ensuring she’s in the room and voting is essential for Democrats right now. @SenatorDurbin told The Times that “we’ve talked about her availability” w/her staff. “We need her in the committee. We need her on the floor”@SenBlumenthal framed it similarly. https://t.co/vuAQYkHfAj pic.twitter.com/ZnLDln9NEs
— Benjamin Oreskes🦅 (@boreskes) May 17, 2023
That’s shameful when she’s reportedly had problems for such a long time and her staff is handling most of her responsibilities. As my colleague Sister Toldjah reported, some reporters on the left wanted to shame the staff for their actions.
Again, just like with John Fetterman, we see how problematic an official’s failing health can be, as I wrote earlier regarding his incoherence in a hearing. But all the Democrats care about is how they can hold onto power. As my colleague Becky Noble observed, “Don’t trust Democrats with your Grandma.”
Senator Diane Feinstein has returned to the senate. I am sorry but this seems elderly abuse to me👇 pic.twitter.com/sh7P5gnRC3
— NUSfeed (@Nusfeed_News) May 10, 2023
But unlike Fetterman, some on the left want her out of the way so they can replace her with someone younger and more leftist.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are among the people who have called on her to step down in the past.
Feinstein has already announced that she will not be running again in 2024, so they may get their way, although even that announcement had some controversy, as she appeared to not understand that she had so announced.
Unfortunately, the Democrats running so far to replace her are both worse than her, if that’s possible — Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) and the execrable Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who constantly lied about Russia collusion and was just done in by the Durham Report.
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