Some in California’s Congressional Delegation Question Sen. Dianne Feinsein’s ‘Mental Fitness’ to Serve – Opinion

Many members of the Senate have become more similar to nursing homes, many in their 70s and sometimes 80s. They are still fighting for their position of power. We’ve seen what age can do to someone in regards to Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi, and now a top Democrat senator is reportedly mentally unwell, at least according to multiple sources.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D. CA), which ironically is one of the moderater voices in her party’s party, seems to have dementia-like symptoms.

When a California Democrat in Congress recently engaged in an extended conversation with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, they prepared for a rigorous policy discussion like those they’d had with her many times over the last 15 years.

Instead, the lawmaker said, they had to reintroduce themselves to Feinstein multiple times during an interaction that lasted several hours…

…Rather than delve into policy, Feinstein, 88, repeated the same small-talk questions, like asking the lawmaker what mattered to voters in their district, the member of Congress said, with no apparent recognition the two had already had a similar conversation.

The episode was so unnerving that the lawmaker — who spoke to The Chronicle on condition they not be identified because of the sensitivity of the topic — began raising concerns with colleagues to see if some kind of intervention to persuade Feinstein to retire was possible. Feinstein’s term runs through the end of 2024. It was several weeks before Feinstein’s husband died in February.

None of that sounds good, and it’s sad to see someone suffering in their later years like this but still refusing to retire in order to spend their remaining days with their family. The grip of power is intoxicating, no doubt, but it’s not healthy to still be in office into their 80s. And to be sure, this isn’t just a Democrat problem. Some figures from the right are also refusing to give up. For example, Feinstein, Chuck Grassley and Mitch McConnell appear to have mental health, however, there is no reason for me to dislike younger politicians. The same applies to the presidency.

But there’s more. Feinstein is deeply disliked by far-left members of the Democrat Party. For years, they have been trying to force her into retirement. So while she may in fact be suffering from dementia or similar decline, it’s at least possible these sources are exaggerating the situation in a power play to force her retirement. I do not think that’s the case, though. Where was the last time Feinstein spoke in public? I think something is going on.

As to the balance of power in the Senate, a Feinstein retirement wouldn’t change it on its own. But, Gavin Newsom would be appointing her replacement. Her term is up in 2025. Democrats almost certainly would replace Feinstein with a radical far-leftist. That’s an objectively bad thing for the nation. Unfortunately, with California being what it is politically, Feinstein’s ride into the sunset was always going to be the end of any moderation regarding the Golden State’s US Senate seats.