Originally published at: Katie Porter is running for US Senate in 2024 regardless of what Diane Feinstein does | Boing Boing
…
20 Likes
35 Likes
Her track record is nothing to sneeze at compared to most anyone else in the Senate; she did make a meaningful impact on issues ranging from gun control to environmental protections to banning torture. But no matter what one thinks of her politics it’s been an open secret that Dianne Feinstein has been gradually slipping for years and no longer has the cognitive capacity to exercise the duties of a U.S. Senator.
I really hope Feinstein doesn’t fight this and steps down with grace in 2024. There’s hardly any shame in retiring from public service at age 91.
43 Likes
I did not know she was 91! No one should feel like they have to work at that age! Even people who feel called to public service should retire, there’s still amazing things she could do if she still feels like she needs something to do. But especially the back and forth travel of a Senator at that age has to be tiring.
And Katie is a girl after my own heart. Bring the receipts, the graphs, the charts, the peer reviewed double blind studies and the full bibliography.
30 Likes
She’s 89 now, but will be 91 by the end of her current term.
I don’t want to make ageist generalizations but by all accounts she is not really up to the demands of the job anymore. That’s not an insult, she’s put in the work a lot longer than most people ever could.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/dianne-feinstein-senate-17079487.php
22 Likes
29 Likes
I agree with all of this.
Also, CA proudly was the first state to have two female senators. Though sadly the Senate as a whole still only has 25. That’s a bad ratio.
The house isn’t any better with only 144 out of 539 (edit 435).
I wish Katie Porter luck and will gladly vote for her.
15 Likes
30 Likes
Senator Booker did the same thing when he announced that he was running for Senate the first time. Senator Frank Lautenberg was the aged senator then. I don’t know if there is a monetary reason to do it, but when Booker made his announcement Lautenberg was busy dying and it was gross.
1 Like
Yes, better to let a dying man keep the seat out of respect instead of having someone who can, you know, DO the job…
I’m sorry, but someone being ill or actually dying seems like a great reason to go ahead and vacate the seat. We actually have shit in this country that we need to get done, or we’re all fucked. I’m sick of everyone treating government like it’s something that is not doing anything, rather than something that is meant to be representing us and taking care of the work of government. If Feinstein is really not capable of doing her job, then she needs to STEP DOWN rather than hanging onto the seat for… whatever-the-fuck reasons…
28 Likes
13 Likes
Nitpick: 539 is all of Congress. The House is stuck at 435.
9 Likes
Kinda feel like this is another thing in US politics that should be more closely tied to the day-to-day of the citizenry: maybe there should be a law that says if you are or would be older than the current average life expectancy during any point of your term, you can’t run for a Senate seat. The youngs are being denied opportunities by the olds; and for every Bernie or Biden, there’s at least one Feinstein or Grassley.
That’s just anti democratic.
5 Likes
I don’t like picking any arbitrary number.
How about we make it so that there aren’t advantages to the individual incumbent politician or their party for them to hold onto their seat after the point they are no longer effective? That way Sen Feinstein can retire with dignity and we can also get rid of MTG in one step.
11 Likes
That sounds like a nightmare to implement fairly since “expected lifespan” has not only changed over time but varies dramatically due to factors like sex, weight, family history, income and so on.
Far better to take a case-by-case approach and provide voters with enough transparency to decide if their elected officials are still fit for office.
8 Likes
Somehow I’m on Porter’s campaign email list (though I’m not in her district) and I got her announcement earlier today. I clicked the link and donated straight away. And, I would finally get to vote for her!
Diane, with all due respect, it is time to step down. We thank you for your service and sacrifice.
6 Likes
It’s an open secret that she hasn’t been for a while. No-one is doing her any favours by pretending otherwise.
5 Likes
That was part of my point: the interests of potential Senate candidates and the general public would be aligned, since both would want the average life expectancy at birth to be as old as possible.
Right now, the (relatively) rich and (relatively) old people in Congress have healthcare, pension, and other employment perks that the average worker does not. Maybe starting with an upper bound on the privilege of running for Senate (shouldn’t be controversial: there’s already an arbitrary lower age limit) doesn’t need to be the first place to align incentives, but it would likely help ensure the Senate looked more like the rest of the country.
?
Unless I’m very much forgetting something (always possible), what exactly has Dianne Feinstein had to “sacrifice”?
