Diane Feinstein returning to Senate

[Muse]

I had no idea why she was absent for 3+ ( ? ) months. I figured she was demented or deathly ill or something. Now it's revealed that she had a case of shingles. She actually looks relatively good right now, well, for an 89 YO woman who was so sick nobody had seen or heard from her for 3+ months! People were complaining she needed to resign immediately. Seemed that nobody knew what ailed her.

I had shingles at age 50. It was no fun, and yes, it would be difficult to function. 3 months is a long time, don't know what she went through. Shingles can vary a lot.

I wonder if she'd been vaccinated. I had the old shingles vaccine maybe 7 years ago (way after I had a case), but the new Shingrix vaccine is much better. After 2 shots (spaced 2-6 months apart) you're "97% protected." I got my first shot 5 days ago. Sore arm not entirely OK yet, but it wasn't too bad. They told me that reaction to the 2nd shot is usually worse. I already have my appt to get it exactly 2 months after the first.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Let's get some judges confirmed ASAP

 

[eelw]

Nope everyone knew she had shingles

 

[theeedude]

I voted for someone else in the primary, but her name recognition was too strong, although she accomplished approximately nothing in 40 years or whatever she was in the Senate.

 

[HomerJS]

Maybe now that Dems have a majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee, let her get some judges confirmed and work on issuing subpoenas to investigate Clarence Thomas.

Once that gets going get a replacement for her. She has another episode the SJC grinds to a halt yet again.

 

[sportage]

I have highest respect for Diane and hope she is indeed returning, however if she has a setback in the next few weeks then that's it. Then she really needs to resign. I say this because I know how health issues go for very old people and especially old people like Feinstein who aren't that healthy in the first place.
My own father is 93. He's goes from living with my niece and some illness setting in, then off to the hospital, then getting better and off to 4 weeks of nursing home rehab, then out of nursing care and back to my niece. And this cycle repeats itself constantly every 4 months. Niece, hospital, nursing home, back to my niece.

So I really have my doubts this will be the end of Feinstein's health issues short term. Not long term, but short term followed by more absentee. Democrats cannot afford this.

 

[Moonbeam]

Nope everyone knew she had shingles

Well, apparently not everyone. I don't think Muse is a non-person. Let's just hope she didn't do too much damage being gone so long. I am personally glad she didn't give Newsom an opportunity to create in incumbent advantage for his own personal choice for California instead of the voters having all new to the Senate contender vs. his choice. She not resigning kept Newsom from putting his thumb on the scale. Not saying he would have made a bad choice but prefer the people of California to make it clean of the incumbent advantage his pic would have received.

 

[Indus]

STUPID RBG and STUPID DF

why couldn't they have just resigned when Obama could have picked their successors?

 

[Muse]

STUPID RBG and STUPID DF

why couldn't they have just resigned when Obama could have picked their successors?

RBG did blow it. If and when DF resigns her successor (temp) will be assigned by Gavin Newsom.

Now, shingles AFAIK isn't susceptible to relapse. She's probably over it. Looking at the video of her yesterday, she looks OK. I doubt she'll cave in soon.

 

[HomerJS]

RBG did blow it. If and when DF resigns her successor (temp) will be assigned by Gavin Newsom.

Now, shingles AFAIK isn't susceptible to relapse. She's probably over it. Looking at the video of her yesterday, she looks OK. I doubt she'll cave in soon.

I heard she was having cognitive issues before the shingles.

 

[Muse]

I heard she was having cognitive issues before the shingles.

Yeah, I seem to remember that. I saw a Steve Schmidt video dealing with it. But all the info I'd gotten never mentioned shingles. Made it seem she'd fallen into a black hole, i.e. like nobody knew WTH was happening with her. The stories I saw yesterday only mentioned shingles. Anyway, she looked in the video I saw yesterday more energetic than all those GOP dipshits in the Senate. And she could actually smile.

 

[Sunburn74]

She needs to retire asap. There is no field or occupation where someone should still be credibly working at that age.

 

[Pens1566]

I wonder if she knows that she's back in DC?

 

[HomerJS]

Picture the day of her return. I don't mean to dump on her but she has to retire for the sake of the party/country.

 

[akugami]

Yeah. She needs to retire.

I mean, thank her for her service, but at a certain point, she needs to understand she can help the country more by stepping down.

Look at Ruth Bader Ginsburg. RBG actually helped the republicans, and skewer women's rights (and who knows what else), by not retiring during Obama's term.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

I had no idea why she was absent for 3+ ( ? ) months. I figured she was demented or deathly ill or something. Now it's revealed that she had a case of shingles. She actually looks relatively good right now, well, for an 89 YO woman who was so sick nobody had seen or heard from her for 3+ months! People were complaining she needed to resign immediately. Seemed that nobody knew what ailed her.

I had shingles at age 50. It was no fun, and yes, it would be difficult to function. 3 months is a long time, don't know what she went through. Shingles can vary a lot.

I wonder if she'd been vaccinated. I had the old shingles vaccine maybe 7 years ago (way after I had a case), but the new Shingrix vaccine is much better. After 2 shots (spaced 2-6 months apart) you're "97% protected." I got my first shot 5 days ago. Sore arm not entirely OK yet, but it wasn't too bad. They told me that reaction to the 2nd shot is usually worse. I already have my appt to get it exactly 2 months after the first.

Fuck her, she's horrible. That worthless piece of shit should have resigned or died so the Democrats could have kept approving federal judges.

 

[BoomerD]

Yeah. She needs to retire.

I mean, thank her for her service, but at a certain point, she needs to understand she can help the country more by stepping down.

Look at Ruth Bader Ginsburg. RBG actually helped the republicans, and skewer women's rights (and who knows what else), by not retiring during Obama's term.

It wouldn't have mattered if she had retired...Mitch wasn't gonna let OBummer appoint a USSC justice.

 

[BoomerD]

Picture the day of her return. I don't mean to dump on her but she has to retire for the sake of the party/country.

She's definitely not looking good...IMO, way past time to bow out. I voted for her several times during the 25 years we lived in CA...but she's past her expiration date.

 

[Jaskalas]

It wouldn't have mattered if she had retired...Mitch wasn't gonna let OBummer appoint a USSC justice.

*cough *cough

Obama had a lunch with her in 2013 back when Democrats still held power. Seems he was smart enough to try.
She wasn't having it, and people are livid that this is where we find ourselves.

Now, Senate seats are much less about the individual person than a seat on the SCOTUS is. And California is an absolute lock for how a replacement would go. Straight party line, zero risk. It is madness for a person, their party, and the electorate to all pretend there isn't an issue amidst the razor thin margins in the Senate, and the risk of an 89 year old's health. Sure, anyone could fall ill. But then anyone should be replaceable.

 

[eelw]

But was RBG’s health a concern back in 2013? It really took a nosedive in 2019/2020

 

[Pens1566]

But was RBG’s health a concern back in 2013? It really took a nosedive in 2019/2020

Yes. IIRC, she had already survived one round of pancreatic cancer ... which is terribad.

Oh, and a previous diagnosis of colon cancer as well.

 

[pauldun170]

Picture the day of her return. I don't mean to dump on her but she has to retire for the sake of the party/country.

I don't think that's her natural hair color.
Just a guess

 

[fskimospy]

If my understanding of Senate procedure is right she should NOT retire, at least if you care about confirming judges and that's probably all that matters right now as Republicans will block most/all legislation in the House.

As I understand it if she retires then her spot on the judiciary committee will be empty. To fill that spot the Senate needs to pass a new resolution, one that can be filibustered. Since Manchin and Sinema are unlikely to nuke the filibuster in those circumstances her seat will remain empty for the rest of the term, meaning no D majority on the committee, meaning no D judges passed through.

So while it sucks to have a frail, demented old lady in that position so long as she can drag her corpse to the committee hearings and vote aye now and then we're better off with her than without her.

 

[kt]

Picture the day of her return. I don't mean to dump on her but she has to retire for the sake of the party/country.

Holy crap, man. She needs to retire. Pronto!

 

[eelw]

That’s a dumb rule if senator retires and I’m assuming if they die, committee assignment isn’t replaced.