Probably the saddest, certainly the most depressing, episode of the four-year-long Trump saga was the sudden death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg only six weeks before the 2020 election. Decency — not to mention Republican precedent — dictated that “the American people be allowed a say in who the next Supreme Court justice is.” Fine, we concurred. But no, we found out that while the confirmation of Merrick Garland was stonewalled and sandbagged for almost an entire year after the death of Anton Scalia, the GOP couldn’t apply its own reasoning in a situation which was less than two months pre-election.
It was a horrible time. And we have Amy Coney Barrett and a lopsided right-wing court to show for it.
Now, we’re in an analogous situation with Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein has come under considerable heat to resign. A few months ago Hillary Clinton articulated why Feinstein couldn’t resign, even if she wanted to, and now Barbara Boxer is coming forward to say the same thing. Basically, Clinton said that if Feinstein resigned right that day, there was no guarantee that Mitch McConnell would allow another Democrat on the judiciary committee. in fact, there was every reason to believe McConnell would not allow it. So Feinstein courageously shows up to vote and let us hope and pray that she can continue to do so. This was what Barbara Boxer said to the Los Angeles Times:
She sees no guarantee that Republicans would allow another Democrat to replace the 89-year-old Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In fact, Boxer is convinced they would not.
“They’ve already showed their hand,” she said, by refusing to let a temporary replacement fill in while Feinstein recuperates from shingles and its severe side effects. “I think it speaks volumes to their lack of humanity.”
Without a tiebreaking Democratic vote on the committee, Republicans could ice President Biden’s judicial nominees for the remainder of his term — the very thing Feinstein’s critics presumably want to avoid. […]
Boxer said she changed her mind about Feinstein’s departure after Senate Republicans blocked allowing a place-holder to fill in for her on the Judiciary Committee. “They forced her back,” Boxer said, even as “they claim to love and respect” the California Democrat.
If a Republican had been incapacitated, Boxer suggested, Feinstein — always a stickler for order — “would have led the fight for them to recuperate” without losing a seat on the committee. “I know that,” she said.
It’s a shame that everything in Washington these days is a brutish, partisan brawl. it would be nicer if the better angels of our nature could be allowed to prevail. But, alas, that is wishful thinking in this climate.
The Republicans are fighting dirty and are bereft of any generosity of spirit due to the fact that their party is a shambolic mess, led — if you can call it that — by a game show host who has already been convicted of sexual assault and who faces litigation for greater crimes, still.
Ergo, Feinstein will continue to have her frailty documented. She’ll be the source of mockery as long as she’s being carried to and from her Senate seat. And I don’t think it would be unfair to say that there are Republicans who are hoping that she’ll just drop in her tracks one day. That’s baked in at this point. We can only wish her well as she finishes out her term and fights to have good candidates appointed.
It’s an awful combination of sad, cruel and despicable a discussion like this is happening but that’s what the GOP is all about. At the same time there are differences between the Senator and the Justice. Despite the various physical illnesses RBG dealt with as she advanced in age her mind remained razor sharp. If efforts were made to persuade her to resign to allow a Democratic President (Obama) to name her replacement (and such efforts were made) it was due to her physical health only. It was uncomfortable to have to think about precisely because her intellect and forceful influence in the Court’s work never diminished. With Feinstein her decline was evident before she made her last run for re-election. It was an open secret that she was no longer “there” intellectually and was no longer the force that Senate GOPers knew better than to mess with. I will always believe she could have and should have stepped aside and let another Democrat run, and it being California take over her seat in the Senate but her staff who had grown too enamored of their own stature and influence blocked that from happening. I hope, I really do that when the time comes no Democrat will ever hire them again. Or, if they try to get a job with some Democratic group or think thank they too will give these people the cold shoulder. AND the same from lobbying firms who know they will be shunned by Democratic lawmakers. Why shell out the big bucks to a lobbyist who can’t get appointments with a lawmaker, or even get their calls returned?
I will always believe GOPers hoped, even prayed daily (and often multiple times per day) that RBG would die while Trump was still in office. Had I still lived in northern VA, or even over on the farm in the panhandle I’d have taken a smartphone and my 9mm over to Arlington and hopped the wall at night for a while, starting with the night she died and headed to where her husband was buried and she would be. And recorded motherf**king GOPers drinking champagne and dancing on the grave. Then, drawing myself up to my considerable height and size walked over and made it clear in “colorful” jarhead language to STFU and get the hell out of there. And if any had pulled a gun on me I could have pulled my own and reminded them I WAS a jarhead and a grunt.
With Feinstein, even though she’s now sometimes able to vote it’s not always and she really can’t do anything else so the Judiciary Committee is hobbled. For that reason, unlike RBG the last thing GOPers want is for her to die. They are milking Feinstein’s physical and yes, mental infirmity for every drop they can get. And hypocritically are running around paintint US as the bad guys for being cruel and having tried to get her to resign!
Can’t wait to see what Schumer will do IF Grassley dies while in office. Let McConnell appointment a replacement forthwith?
Probably.
Sad and maddeningly so. Grassley… has corn growing between ears. But next corn fool… will be just as bad. Ernst… what a sad excuse. But typical R. Sinema is joining the “right” group. Dems need to win some seats or least replace sinema and manchin is a lost. Gonna need a miracle or two (Allred in Texas or Kansas (?)… or someone). Feinstein gets replaced after next January… so… fudge.
you mean a year and a half from now.
When fighting an enemy, one has to lay aside all the internal layers of what should be and deal with what is. This isn’t the first rodeo with nazis, which is NOT an exaggerated description of the guns over people party. The leaders of the world made the mistake in the 30s about the level of murderous depravity the nazis were doing and planned to do. They assumed there was a modicum of civility somewhere in their collective black hearts. There wasn’t. As a result, 70 million people died. Anyone who thinks these evil basterds will act differently, is delusional. If they grabbed absolute power of all three branches of our government, with Trump as president, blood will flow on our streets. Executions will be common to punish the ‘traitors’. There will be no social safety net. Cruelty will be our religion. Rome will have risen from the ashes. Maybe they’ll line the roads with crucified ‘rebels’, leaving thousands to rot on the side of the road as a political billboard to keep the fat, stupid and cowardly citizens in line. Trump will be dictator for life, with another vile human lined up to step in. As the climate worsens and passes the tipping point, earth will eventually look like a scene from mad max. When dealing with absolute evil, it’s best to imagine HELL ON EARTH, as a good place to start. Just look at pictures of the survivors in the concentration camps, with piled of emaciated bodies lying around. Or, pictures of deep trenches full of naked women and children shot and dumped there. Or, read the accounts of villages herded into barns, locked in, and burned to death. All these are FACTS! Time to wake up and realize, just because they wear suits, and speak English, doesn’t mean they aren’t demons. They are. Step by evil step, the slide into fascism proceeds unless we stop it now while we still have the right to vote. The Germans went to bed one night, being a ‘christian’, democratic Republic, with the world admiring their artistic achievements. They woke up another day and found themselves in a living hell. The question is are we on a similar path?
The ‘pubes have been “fighting dirty” for decades. The fact the democrats do not take this to be the permanent g.o.p. M.O. indicates extreme stupidity on the part of democrats.
We have one party wanting to do away with democracy and the other party too stupid to protect us from this. We need an actual multi-party system and yet we are perhaps farther from that than we’ve been in a very long time. WTF people?!? Instead of believing, and stating, the dems are our only possible saviors perhaps we should be constantly blowing the “we need more than two parties” horn. Let us be very, very, honest: the dems are too weak and stupid to protect us from a political party just waiting to tear our nation apart once they get a stranglehold on power.
Yet can’t let multi party system… let the GQP/republikkkan party win . Thanks Nader stein et al. Just hate the Hilary is too evil to choose. When the other is much much worse. So damn Susan Sarandon and other toxic fools (no labels included) who always tear down one side not as pure and keep smiling being so righteous while others suffer the cruelty and wrath of the dictator loving and enabling crowd. One side is fascist the other must be anti fascist…
“I will always believe she could have and should have stepped aside and let another Democrat run, and it being California take over her seat in the Senate”
I totally agree! In fact, I think there should be both term and age limits. No one should serve more than 3 terms and no one should serve past 85 (if even that old). I’m no spring chicken (73) and I know that I can’t relate to some of the current trends of those in their 20’s, but my parents didn’t understand me either. We need fresh brains and fresh ideas, even when we don’t understand them. Too many old geezers forcing their antiquated positions on the country is part of why we’re floundering.
Yes and no. Experience had its usage. Why I get called hard headed and no old dog/new tricks line when it seems when this old clock is right than twice a day…. Crickets!!! The federal government needs: mental evaluations and tests… and especially for judges and legislators. But the us constitution?? Fools after power or influencers (lobbyists) – let the voters decide🤔🤦🏻♂️👀😬🤷🏽♂️
As was stated by the fictional President Bartlett in the first season of West Wing, “When they’re free and fair it turns out we DO have term limits. They’re call Elections!” There is some value in having people who have a whole lot of experience in elected office. Yes, sometimes people suffer cognitive decline, a lot of it when they get old. Some don’t. I’m in my mid sixties and have seen my share of people in their 80s & even past 90 that mentally at least (and sometimes pretty spry physically too) that were in the proverbial prime of their lives. I’ve seen others not even as old as I am who need to get better just to die.
Feinstein isn’t the only Senator who has stayed longer than they should. And their Party leadership has fretted over them not taking the hints and eventually outright behind closed doors pleading to gracefully aside. But now and then? Well, if not for that brain tumor John McCain might still be going strong in the Senate. I know his mom was well into her 90s the last time I recall an nnterview with her and she was a force of nature. If he seemed a bit frail physically, well he was but he’d been that way for decades. Due to the broken bones in his ejection and later years of torture in captivity even in the 1980s he couldn’t lift his arms above his shoulders to comb his own hair. But if I didn’t agree with so many of his views there was no doubt his mind was sharp as a tack. Sure, he could make a boneheaded choice on something important (Sarah Palin in paritcular when he admits to not listening to his instincts) but who among us hasn’t?
So while I think there’s considerable merit to your concerns about people once they get past 80 one has to decide on a case by case basis. And, as Richard Pryor said in one of his routines “You don’t get old being no fool. Lots of young wise folks deader than a motherf**ker!”
My stance on age isn’t about physical or mental decline. It’s that many people I’ve known cling to their beliefs and positions and refuse to bend with the times. A lot of what was relevant in 1950, 1980 and even 2010 probably less relevance today.
One thing is for certain, people who don’t understand the Constitution, know nothing about law, history or context, have no business running our government no matter how old they are – Trump, Greene and Boebert are classic examples of what I’m talking about.
My grandmother lived alone on her farm in the holler of ward’s gap in southern Virginia until her mid 90s. It was so isolated, when I stayed with her for a week, you may have seen one car, and the nearest neighbor was a mile away. At night it was so dark on moonless nights you felt you were in a cave. She raised chickens and pigs, had a big garden, and a root cellar full of stuff. She also raised five boys, all wild as hell. Age doesn’t necessarily mean sh*t. One thing I know is the young are easily fooled. Everytime I hear something about Joe Biden’s age, I jump into the fray. At almost 70, I walk 4 miles EVERYDAY, no matter the weather. I also work with weights 3x week. I see MANY men half my age huffing and puffing to walk into Walmart. Fact.