Sen. Dianne Feinstein is dead to me!

Well, we don't have to keep obsessing about what to do about her dementia anymore.

Now the big question is who does Newsom appoint.

R2, Cher

Natural causes, Fentanyl or suicide?

What makes you think she's giving up her seat?

I don't get the appeal of staying in office until you croak. It seems so joyless.

I want her pearl collection

You must not be a politician r6

When will the Grim Reaper collect some more Republicans?

No more picketball for Sen. Feinstein. I hope McTurtle follows suit.

R2 based on his statements: an African-American woman who won’t be running for a full term.

Every time I see her, alive and now dead, I smell moth balls and AquaNet. RIP my princess.

Gone too soon.

[QUOTE] I don't get the appeal of staying in office until you croak. It seems so joyless.

Some people don’t know what to do without their jobs. They feel it’s their only purpose in life and don’t want to give it up. And for Dianne Feinstein, that’s what the senate was: her job.

It's too bad she wasn't better at preserving her dignity or legacy.

Yup.

R16 did you think Op was making it up?

I love how she's been dead for five minutes and the highlight reels are running. Shit's been in the can for a decade. Just hit play.

It will either be Barbara Lee or Maxine Waters

Waters who is 85 may be more likely if they want to ensure she won’t run for reelection (Lee is a decade younger)

Quitter!

And now the GOP will make it so that we won't be able to fill her seat on the Judiciary Committee. Thanks, Obama!

Can I have her stuff?

It's fucking California where the majority is Hispanic, then white, then Asian. Blacks are a small percentage, yet, he promises a black woman. Unless she is the best qualified, then it's bullshit.

RIP DiFi.

There are a those people whose lives are so incredibly wrapped up in their jobs that they can’t imagine life without it. And then, when they do retire, they will often die very soon thereafter because life seems so empty without their work.

Her death will now complicate getting federal judge nominees out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

She took the Covid vax and now she’s dead

R19 no dummy it won’t be either. Lee is running for the open seat, so no way. Waters makes no sense at all—and she would never give up her House seniority.

How can they tell?

What did she die of?

The only qualifications are over 30, a U.S. citizen and a California resident. Several million people are qualified… ;)

It’s a holdover appt…remainder of the term is 25 months.

Sorry-15 months!

Will she lie in state at the Capitol?

No

More likely City Hall

[quote]Will she lie in state at the Capitol?

She's been doing that for the past few years, at least

It makes the lawsuit against her stepdaughters much easier to resolve ;)

California does have a Latino Senator R23, that's who Newsom replaced Kamala Harris with. It's because he didn't replace her with another black woman which upset some people, that he promised if he got another appointment he would appoint a black woman.

…

I’m free if Gavin is!

Gavin said he was going to appoint a black woman.

He did not say he was going to appoint Barbata Lee.

I feel sorry for Adam Schiff because I cannot see CA having two male Senators.

Katie Porter is a high powered business attorney and an economics professor. Best candidate but not black. I feel sorry for her white ass.

Is there a high powered black female attorney who also is a business whiz wandering around California?

Hold me Gavin

In a bold move, Gavin will appoint ex-wife Kimbo G-string as the next senator from California.

I like senators who don't die.

Maybe he could appoint Kamala.

R21 I think the Judicial Committee is why she stayed and Dem leaders were fine with it. They will lose the majority on that committee until the next election so that’s the end of Biden judicial appointments. Unless McConnell has an uncharacteristic moment of generosity and agrees to her replacement which is highly unlikely.

MUST be a black woman! disqualifies him from presidency. Folks are so steeped in woke they can't see this.

What are you nattering on about R39? It clearly won’t be anyone already in the race for the open seat.

It will be someone destined to be a placeholder only for 15 months.

r42 Assuming a GOP candidate wins the change election in 2028, which is a safe bet, this also means no more Dem judicial appointments until at least 2032, if not 2037. Make no mistake, this is as bad as RBG's death.

Just goes to strengthen the Republican argument that Biden is too old.

[quote]It will be someone destined to be a placeholder only for 15 months.

didn't someone promise to be a placeholder and then renege on it? I can't remember who it is though.

I’m available!

I guess in the staring contest between Feinstien and McTurtle, she blinked.

As soon as I heard the news, I came straight to Datalounge!

RIP DiFi 🙏

I hate that these people have to die of old age while in office just so they can ensure their party has a majority. Something has got to change

"Have" to, R52? She was the one who decided to run for re-election in a solidly blue state when she was 86 years old..

Ding dong, the witch is dead.

[quote]I hate that these people have to die of old age while in office just so they can ensure their party has a majority.

Sorry but that's not true at all in Feinstein's case. California is fairly solid blue. There were plenty of good younger candidates who would have definitely won in a general election but none felt like they could run against her in a primary. Americans are too enamored of seniority.

Lots of old men have stayed that long, but she may be the first woman to do it.

The issue is not her seat in the Senate (that remains blue) but her seat on the Judiciary committee will in all likelihood go to a Republican.

R57: Yes, but it would not be an issue if she just hadn't run in 2018, as another Dem would now have her seat on the Judiciary Committee. She created the issue.

[quote]Lots of old men have stayed that long, but she may be the first woman to do it.

which old men? There actually can't be that many who stayed until 90-years-old.

Thank Liza and Bette.

[quote]her seat on the Judiciary committee will in all likelihood go to a Republican

It's not that it will go to a Republican—it's that they will not be able fill it over GOP obstruction, so the Committee becomes deadlocked and no judicial nominees can get through to a vote in the Senate. This is what happened in April as she recovered from shingles.

Well, Strom Thurmond is the only one who made it to 100.

The US constitution was written when life expectancy was much lower than it is now. If there's a lower age limit, there should be an upper one as well.

[quote]The only qualifications are over 30, a U.S. citizen and a California resident. Several million people are qualified… ;)

It should be Tori Spelling. Bitch is in desperate need of money.

How long was she dead before her staff realized she died?

This is a timely reminder for why elderly politicians should be retired instead of re-elected.

He should appoint Nancy Pelosi to this seat. Republican heads will explode.

Please don't tempt fate, r49.

It’s so weird. Even though i knew she was ancient, poor health, etc etc., I was more focused on her replacement. I didn’t actually think she would die, which is crazy.

Want to really see Republican heads explode, appoint Jasmine Crockett.

Even Fox News is airing Schumer’s tribute to her live. That’s r-e-s-p-e-c-t.

It's a shame she let her addiction to power ruin her legacy. Bye, Felicia.

R67 hard fucking no to that. Nancy Pelosi is long overdue for retirement, too.

Can we have a senator who is under 60? Someone relatable to actual working people? Not some multimillionaire Boomer who won't let go of literally anything, or make way for anyone younger?

Some of you parrot the Republican party line so well.

The new Senator MUST be a Trans Woman of Color!

Some of you are too stupid to recognize valid criticisms. There is no reason she had to die in office in the throes of advanced dementia. A young Democrat should've had that seat.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg syndrome

Will all the porn theatres in San Francisco dim their marquee lights for her tonight?

[quote]Can we have a senator who is under 60? Someone relatable to actual working people?

We have that guy in the Senate. His name is John Fetterman. Apparently some people are more concerned about what he’s wearing.

How is the potatoe sallad in the Senut caffetearia?

Liza can replace her.

Republicans are in criminal conspiracy against the rules 24x7. The entire party leadership should be in Guantanamo.

Senator Oprah Winfrey

R73 it’s a placeholder appt….15 months

Nominate Kamala Harris to replace her. Kill two birds with one stone. Nobody wants Harris as President when Biden kicks the bucket.

Why was she bungee jumping at her age?

[quote] it’s a placeholder appt….15 months

well, that's the plan, but I do wonder what happens when somebody is actually in the job.

How is Barbara Boxer’s health? If it’s really meant to be an interim thing she could come off retirement to hold the seat til the next election. They did that in NJ when Lautenberg came out of retirement because Torricelli had to drop out of the race. Though Lautenberg ended up staying for a decade, which wouldn’t be the case here.

My wife does politics

There should be a mandatory retirement age of 70 in the Senate.

I was just coming here to post that same thought R88

Makes the most sense - Newsome can say since candidates have already declared their intent to run he's doing this so as to not put his finger on the scale for one over the other and let the voters decide who is best to represent CA.

Please not Maxine Waters. She has some talents and charms but she is very corrupt.

these days, 70 is too young to demand that r90, but honestly 85 might make sense. 80s seems to be when real decline sets in, and 90s, just too damn old.

And of course, this isn't actually a new thing. Leaving the Senate "feet first" is a long and dishonorable tradition.

[quote]The new Senator MUST be a Trans Woman of Color!

This dumb man in a dress is available…

R87. They would have to violate their promise, then raise millions of dollars in no time flat and run against three other established candidates for one of 2 spots in a runoff—

Can you be more silent? Are there degrees of silence?

"The feud over the estate left by Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s late husband, Richard Blum, has many of the ingredients of a Netflix thriller — complete with a billion-dollar fortune and the potential for a season-ending cliffhanger over whether she will unleash political chaos by retiring from the Senate. It’s the story that everyone is whispering about given the messy final chapter in the life of a grand dame of California politics."

Barbara sends her love from Rancho Mirage R88

[quote]Newsome can say since candidates have already declared their intent to run he's doing this so as to not put his finger on the scale for one over the other and let the voters decide who is best to represent CA.

His name is NEWSOM.

She was legendary. An icon. I'll never forget the moment she, as President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, had to announce that Dan White had killed Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Milk. She held her hand over Milk's wound to try and stop the bleeding.

That tragic moment changed San Francisco history, propelled her into the mayor's office, and shaped her subsequent career as a public servant.

The perfect placeholder is Shirley Weber, CA Secretary of State.

R99 Mary!

We all know the story toots—up until then she could barely make it onto the Bd of Supes.

Can't Schumer change the rules to fill Feinstein's seat on the Judiciary Committee with her replacement? McTurtle didn't give a rats ass about the rules until it suited his agenda. Fight fire with fire.

"It is unclear whom Mr. Newsom might pick to fill Ms. Feinstein’s seat for the remainder of her term. The names that have been discussed, since Ms. Feinstein said earlier this year that she would not run again, include Shirley Weber, the California secretary of state; Holly Mitchell, a Los Angeles county supervisor; and Angela Glover Blackwell, a civil rights lawyer in Oakland and the founder of PolicyLink, a research and advocacy nonprofit group."

NYT

What did she die of?

R101 She was President of the Board of Supervisors, meaning she had gotten the most votes, ya dumb fuck.

Fuck off back to MAGA world.

[quote] The new Senator MUST be a Trans Woman of Color!

That eliminates Caitlyn Jenner.

[quote] They will lose the majority on that committee until the next election so that’s the end of Biden judicial appointments.

That's huge. And all because of one selfish person who didn't know when to step aside.

Well that, r107, and some apparently idiotic Senate rules. It should be that each party gets a certain number of seats and decides who fills them. But of course the Senate has to fuck up that rule with some bullshit nonsense about everybody else approving the replacement. Of course they do.

R104, She was fighting off an oil rig fire in the Gulf of Mexico! SHE WAS 90!!!!!

Rep 99: was going to post what you did, but you beat me to it. It's difficult to read all these snarky comments. Remember that when she had to make that announcement it was like 9/11. The whole city came to a sudden stop. Yes, she stayed too long. She also did a lot of good, something these smartass, heartless posters are incapable of.

Not by a large margin at all in the total vote count for Supes…that’s nothing to brag about. She was in the right place at an awful moment …nothing more.

She ran for mayor twice before and didn’t make the top 2 either time. When first elected in her own right, she eked out a win over Quentin Kopp(!)

Mark DeSaulniers

Another casualty of autoerotic asphyxiation?

"She didn't get the most votes by a large margin, so it didn't count."

[quote] How is Barbara Boxer’s health?

Yes. Let's replace her with a fresh and dewy 82-year-old. To Boxer's credit, at least she had the foresight and lack of selfishness to let somebody else have a shot at her seat.

R45 et al, you cannot appoint a successor Senator with qualifications. Ask Blagoyevich. Appointed and done. If they want to run later, not a Governor's consideration.

Her sad last days will only be a footnote to her long illustrious career.

It won’t be a black trans woman of color. Their lives are being lost.

[quote]She was the one who decided to run for re-election in a solidly blue state when she was 86 years old..

The cut off age to run should be 79, that way these people assume office at no older than 80 and are out by 84. It should be illegal to serve at 90 ,full stop

I did admire her composure during the Moscone/Milk nightmare. For San Franciscans it rivaled the Kennedy assassination in the 'you're fucking kidding me' scale.

Hated her staunch pro-Israel war crimes position, but all the Dems are like that.

Remember when she told off a bunch of kids asking her to take climate change seriously?

NJ has a mandatory retirement age for judges at 70. There was recently a proposal to raise the age, which was met with resistance by judges who didn’t want to feel forced to serve longer. Can you fucking imagine the senate ever having that issue??

DiFi’s death won’t stop all judicial nominees from getting through, but it will slow down confirmations to a bare crawl. The Repukes will probably allow a few non-controversial District Court judges to get through. But seats on the Court of Appeals will largely go unfilled. The Repugs may bargain for a few seats here and there as well, but will try and extract a huge price for letting any nominees move forward.

Devin Nunes’ Cow

Female Fresh face Mixed color, mostly black Huge tits Likable, even by rural farmers Knows politics

I think that the 80s are tricky for successful women - they enter their 80s looking and feeling good - looking at you Nancy Pelosi. Everyone admires them for their moxie and trailblazing energy. They keep going to work because they love it and they are good at it. Suddenly something changes in their health and brains but we are slow to see it. It is awful. Before the pandemic my mom was 83 driving and selling real estate. Today at 86 she can’t work the remote control - it happened FAST. At least RBG’s Bain held together. But as far as Feinstein I can’t help but think of Barbara Walters and Helen Gurly Brown. they were lost without their work identity.

Gavin should appoint Lizzo to the position.

She's the bitch who jeopardized the "Night Stalker" case by releasing to the press the fact that the cops had identified the shoes that the killer was wearing.

The killer, Ramirez, threw the shoes off the Golden Gate Bridge after her stunt.

Publicity hungry pol who chose to kiss up to the press while making the search for a psycho killer more difficult.

BITCH.

R114 simmmer down. We both know that at that time the title of Board President went to the highest vote getter among the district winners. The President had no special power beyond filling in as acting mayor. She chaired Board meetings.

You sound just ridiculous with your MAGA yelling.

I voted for for Feinstein more than half a dozen times during my CA days—step back, please.

R93, 85? Because that's when dementia sets in? Why do we need to wait until THEN?

Senators serve US. Senate seats don't exist to pad out the resumes of narcissistic workoholics. Our system is broken and we need younger people in these seats STAT. GTFOOH with "let's wait until they reach the age of dementia before imposing limits."

Let me guess, you're over 70 or close to it? And clinging to everything you can grab onto until your dying breath.

Of course she wasn't 100 a saint, but she was an early supporter of us as a people. And she brought California the bacon, so to speak.

R128 Fuck off, MAGAt.

Senator Cockgobbler has a nice ring to it.

Thank for your enlightened contributions to this thread—R131

No I'm not actually over 70 r129 and definitely not clinging to anything. I can't imagine why anybody wants to die at work. The fact is, though, if you look around, the average person in their 70s isn't decrepit these days. That was actually true once upon a time, but it really isn't true any more. 85 is arbitrary, but any mandatory retirement age is arbitrary. It seems a reasonable age to me, much more reasonable than 70.

r100, That's an excellent choice. She's 75, I don't know about her health. She's a well-liked, has earned it, has a great biography and track record, orginally from Hope, Arkansas until her family was chased out. A great contrast to Clinton who grew up there at about the same time.

R135, another spring chicken.

She pissed all over her legacy by refusing to leave her position when it was clear she was no longer up to the task. Mitch McConnell, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Queen Elizabeth all hung onto power way past the time when they should have been transitioning their role to the next generation. That’s how you secure your legacy. These ancient leaders are just a sign of workaholics who don’t have anything else to do.

Wrap up article re what’s going on with the Judiciary spot.

[quote]That’s how you secure your legacy.

My legacy is just fine, r137.

Meghan Markle is the obvious choice for a replacement, yes?

[quote]My wife does politics

[quote]—Prince DumDum

JFC, you post the same thing on every thread. Your obsession is scary. Seek help.

Politicians should be disqualified after 40 years old. Especially if they can’t show concern for future. Climate change is going to roast the planet and these old buzzards don’t give a rats ass. Feinstein was a classic corporate handmaiden delivering the voter to the corporation at every turn.

Oprah! She could, write, vote and pay for her own legislation. We know, that bitch knows how to get things done. The GOPigs would lose their minds. He should do it just to "own them".

I'm not entirely joking when I suggest Barbra Streisand as the temp. It would be so much fun!

She's all over Instagram these days filming her every mundane act. Give her something to do!

Has anyone checked on Lady Lindsey this morning? Is she wearing a festive grief frock?

Appoint Oprah.

She found a hairstyle she really liked and wore for decades.

Got to love the anti-Semitic Palestine lovers on here. As soon as I hear someone going on about Palestine I know they’re a woke sheep who will go anywhere the groupthink wind blows.

^ She was another style icon, like Maggie Thatcher.

I think Babs is 81.

r148... yawn

The CBS News bobble heads are going on about wanting to see a black woman in the seat. The black population in CA is 6%

What about an Hispanic woman?

R25, is that you Dee P.?

R143. Oprah could use vibrations to manifest all the Democratic legislation we desire.

Sad that the first thought that came to mind was, why did everyone lie about how fit for office she was? Isn't it better to bow out gracefully than put on some lengthy, grotesque charade that you're hard at work when you're really brain dead?

R83, thank you for chiming in Oprah.

Hillary is house shopping as we speak.

R125. It is true that so many women seem vital in their early 80s. Very few are vital in their late 80s. Those that are often seen live into their late 90s or past 100.

Nobody is vital in their 80s.

R159, I suspect most DLers start fading in their late 30s.

Lemme see, Live in my 100 million dollar house with my dogs, in Montecito/Maui (when it chilly, and my jet and a billion dollars, or schlep to DC and fight with a bunch of assholes while making myself a target from the crazy monsters I've tried to avoid my whole life. Call me if there's a sudden opening for a... higher position, and we'll talk.

R159. Are you living in a cave? Many women in their early 80s can do all the everyday activities anyone else can do. No, they aren’t competitive athletes, but when it comes to living a normal life, there often aren’t many limitations.

Dial N for Replacement

[quote] Politicians should be disqualified after 40 years old. Especially if they can’t show concern for future. Climate change is going to roast the planet and these old buzzards don’t give a rats ass.

Well, the answer to that is simple: get the under-40 people to actually vote, and to vote like they actually give a fuck. This should be top priority, of course, but until voters actually make it a top priority, politicians won't.

I will say the young people's vote is ticking up, and Taylor Swift is doing her part, but there is a lot more who could be giving a fuck and getting their asses to the polls. Hell, just order an absentee ballot when the time comes. I know Republicans will do everything to stop anyone but old white gun nuts from voting, but you actually can vote if you try.

Was she still able to ride a bike?

R145. Lady Lindzebelle, Senátrice, is in mourning. Dianne Feinstein is no longer around to give her hugs.

I was living in San Francisco when she announced the death of George Moscone and Harvey Milk. I watched it live, deeply shocking.

All the shameless lying and cynical careerism, for years, around this woman's ability to serve.

So young

R167, You be old.

Good

Why not Kim Kardashian? She’s a lawyer now too.

R152: are they going on that it's terrific Newsome is doing it, or that they don't think it's a great idea?

The most popular and well-liked Californian is Jennifer Aniston, by a large margin.

Jimmy Carter outlives another one.

r173, see r98.

So two old cunts who didn't know when to retire have fucked up the country: RBG and Feinstein. Thanks.

He appointed Alex Padilla to Kamala Harris's vacant seat. Black women deserve at least ONE seat at the grown up table, doncha think?

The problem with setting maximum ages for politicians is that it’s arbitrary. Many senators in their 80s are no longer competent; others do just fine. Then again, some senators in their 40s and 50s are totally incompetent. No age limit will expel THEM.

Let’s do what we do with drivers’ licenses. Make senators re-test beginning at age 65 and then at regular intervals. Memory, hearing, knowledge of procedure, the works.

(In fact, they should be tested before they’re ever allowed to hold office.)

I think she was a really good Senator. But- she stayed too long.

Newsome should appoint himself.

[quote]Black women deserve at least ONE seat at the grown up table, doncha think?

They already got Kamala Harris one step away from the White House, AND Justice Katanji Brown Jackson, AND they’ve got Symone Sanders-Townsend on MSNBC. That’s sufficient for now.

Black women are the backbone of the Democrats' GotV. They've turned the tide in many an election. They get things done. Their voices should be represented at all levels, in all capacities.

In her will Ms Feinstein stipulated she still must retain her Senate seat.

If you want a change to happen, then never vote for another Republican Senator. Change will only happen with a Democratic Senate Supermajority.

How about we replace her with Kamala and have a do over for VP?

[quote] Black women are the backbone of the Democrats' GotV.

Then they can vote for other black women and shouldn't need to have positions handed to them based on their skin color and genitalia.

[quote]and shouldn't need to have positions handed to them based on their skin color and genitalia.

As you know, r186, this is restitution for decades and decades and *decades* of being denied positions based on their skin color and genitalia. But, feel free to keep trolling.

Has Mitch promised to steal her Senate seat yet? Or is that just something he does for SCOTUS?

Put in a placeholder and let the electorate decide who the next Senator is. Who can forget Elizabeth Warren’s promise to have a trans person as Secretary of Education? Please Dems stop with the quotas for political jobs. Just say best person ..diversity. leave it at that.

r180, see r98.

[quote]If you want a change to happen, then never vote for another Republican Senator.

I've never voted for a Republican anything. Also, each state only has 2 senators and they serve 6 year terms. Your advice, in the actual context of reality, is asinine.

[quote]Nancy Pelosi is long overdue for retirement, too.

Not so fast. Should something happen to Biden before the convention next year, you better believe they've got Pelosi on the table as a potential presidential candidate, mature as she is. And Hakeem J. would replace Kamala in that scenario.

Trust.

You're a jackass, R192.

[quote] As you know, [R186], this is restitution

No, it’s entitlement. White evangelicals are the backbone of the Republican Party, but they don’t go around demanding that all appointments go to white evangelicals. Only black women do that.

Aren't you absolutely precious with your idiotic false equivalency, r194! C'mon trolls, please hone your skills before you enter the hallowed halls of DL.

Appoint me.

If the dems were smart they'd make sure in a closely divided Congress where everything is political that the youngest & healthiest dem Senators were on the Jud. Committee but no senior this, female that & race everything comes before making sure your party can get its job done. Just like Ruthie they will say how smart & influential Diane was but with no nominees moving forward now, she helped the other party more than she should've by running again.

How fast can Anita Hill move to California?

Clarence & wifey's heads would explode.

Where does former Planned Parenthood & one time talk show host Faye Wattleton (another successful black woman) live?

I knew it was trouble when she was reelected this last cycle. She should've retired at least a decade ago, and she has been cognitively declining for some time.

Feinstein voters shoulder some blame for this for voting her in.

[quote]but no senior this, female that & race everything comes before making sure your party can get its job done.

You just had to bring your racism and misogyny into a discussion about age.

Fuck off you stupid troll.

DF was a great public servant but never should have run at 86. Back in the day pols like LBJ would have found a way to ace her out with a carrot or a stick. Promise to give her daughter a plum government job. It’s tougher to do that stuff now but Democrats need to try.

You're so dumb R200.

It's about the bottom line of getting nominees thru the committee that don't have racist & misogyny in their veins (also anti-gay & anti trans values as well but why bring them up on a LGBT message board eh?) but while you enjoy her last term "in office", the repubs are uncorking bottles of wine now celebrating her stupidity to run again & thus giving all of the upcoming vacancies over to their candidate if they win in the fall of 2024.

Fuck off racist.

Blocked.

[quote] Please Dems stop with the quotas for political jobs.

If that happened political jobs would be 95% white guys.

Has anybody told Dianne she's dead, because it's entirely possible she may not understand what's happened.

I think the answer has been staring us in the face.

DL fav Viola Davis.

It's time.

[quote]They already got Kamala Harris one step away from the White House, AND Justice Katanji Brown Jackson, AND they’ve got Symone Sanders-Townsend on MSNBC. That’s sufficient for now.

A word about the obvious missing, please? (And that word is exhausted.)

Are they going to burn her?

R194, not white evangelicals, white Catholic Stooges. Roberts, Gorsuch, Alito, Thomas and Barrett, all Catholic stooges put into position by White Evangelicals to keep their hands clean.

[quote] They already got Kamala Harris one step away from the White House, AND Justice Katanji Brown Jackson, AND they’ve got Symone Sanders-Townsend on MSNBC. That’s sufficient for now.

The arbiter has spoken.

Being dead hasn't stopped Dianne from being Senator. According to sources she has just reanimated, is now officially a member of the Undead, and will be back in the Senate Chamber on Monday.

R209 you're splitting hairs.

Go to the light, Dianne? Go to the light? Look up there. See the light. Go to it. Get out of your Senate chair. It is not yours anymore. Hold my hand. Float to the light!

R213 = Tangina.

[quote]Being dead hasn't stopped Dianne from being Senator. According to sources she has just reanimated, is now officially a member of the Undead, and will be back in the Senate Chamber on Monday.

Who's she wearing?

Did anybody really think that this whole Weekend at Bernie's act re: Feinstein was going to have a happy ending for our party?

Did this woman mentor a future replacement? She had almost 40 years to do so.

Now they'll take a year to replace her out of "respect".

No they won't, r218.

I got four people on hold but I can talk.

[quote]Who's she wearing?

She pulled a Fetterman and got the Senate to approve shrouds on the Senate floor.

Designs by Dolly Madison

Senator Viveka A. Fox has a nice ring to it darlings. She's put in her time on those Car Sheild commercials after all.

Who will Newsom appoint?

I remember the first time I told her to retire.

[quote] Politicians should be disqualified after 40 years old. Especially if they can’t show concern for future. Climate change is going to roast the planet and these old buzzards don’t give a rats ass.

40? Completely unworkable. You would be cutting off from serving many people who have finally obtained the necessary experience, expertise, and knowledge to help run the government. I think 435 people in the House and 100 people in the Senate, all of whom are under 40, is a recipe for disaster.

OMG has anyone's name matched their picture as precisely as Lateefah Simon?

If she was a black woman, her funeral would drag on for three months.

I think 80 or 85 should be the upper age limit.

R228, And several costume changes, a la Aretha.

I think Corpse (aka Dionne Warwick) is up to the job.

R231, She’ll be in DC in December to receive her Kennedy Center Honor.

Has PETE begged Newsom yet? It's really Petes only chance at ever becoming a senator. Plus California must have a lot of ribbons to cut and Pete has been practicing doing that for over 2 years now.

Will we get nonstop media coverage of the DiFi funeral like when the Queen died? Or will it just be a one day story since the government is shutting down on Saturday?

R234, There’s always dry ice.

R233, Pete lives in Michigan.

R236 = That won't stop Pete. He USED to be from Indiana. Pete will be at the DMV first thing Monday morning getting a California Drivers License to prove how committed he is to replacing Dianne.

Appoint a straight white guy to replace her - that will severely piss people off!

Hillary Clinton didn't really have ties to NY, but she moved there and became a US senator.

That said, Newsom should pick someone with ties to CA, preferably northern CA.

They should just embalm her and do a weekend with bernie on the senate floor

90! There have to be age limits introduced for federal politicians. Retire at 70. Anything older is too old.

Just look at McConnell - he should be in a nursing home.

Retire at 70. That's long enough and old enough. Same for the Supreme Court.

[quote]Hillary Clinton didn't really have ties to NY, but she moved there and became a US senator. That said, Newsom should pick someone with ties to CA, preferably northern CA.

Pretty much every senator from California between Pete Wilson and Alex P. has been from northern California. Don't you think (1) the Bay Area and (2) Jewish women were over-represented for decades?

Hated her.

R242, it may be that R239 is thinking of Eureka or Mt. Shasta. They need representation!

R242 you are funny🤠

Just to name two: Wilson was mayor of San Diego and Padilla was on the LA City Council.

I don’t see how it will be anyone other than the Duchess of Montecito.

Too bad "gay activists" Pete and Chasten have never bothered to go to Castro. They even turned down the invitation to attend the D.C. Pride Parade last year. Such heroes..

R242 And John Seymour was mayor of Anaheim. That leaves the three women from the Bay Area.

So from the early 90s there have been three men from the south and three women from the north as CA’s senators.

I'm going to try to rot after I die, not before.

Nothing at all against her and her political views or life.

Just saying.

R246 you need help for your addiction, your fucking loon.

Like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dianne Feinstein ruined her legacy by refusing to bow out gracefully. She’ll be remembered as a craven bitch…a doddering old fool…instead of the trailblazer she truly was.

[quote]Rep 99: was going to post what you did, but you beat me to it. It's difficult to read all these snarky comments.

Some of the comments on the video at R99 are suggesting that Feinstein was responsible for Moscone and Milk's deaths.

I'm so tired of conspiracy theorists. Are we stuck with them forever?

Well said R251.

Dianne hit me on the head with a fondue pot!

You had it coming Kim.

[quote]I'm so tired of conspiracy theorists. Are we stuck with them forever?

Yes!

Consphirashy theorishts!

[quote] I think 80 or 85 should be the upper age limit.

Absolutely not. 85 is not much of a concession, is far, far too old, and it's how we've found ourselves in this mess in the first place.

The Canadian Senate, which is a much less powerful institution on both a real and relative basis, stipulates mandatory retirement at age 75. More than reasonable.

The age limit should be the oldest you can seek the office of US Senator: 70. Since the term is 6 years you could have Senators as old as 76 but that's it.

Our system is broken

[quote] Like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dianne Feinstein ruined her legacy by refusing to bow out gracefully. She’ll be remembered as a craven bitch…a doddering old fool…instead of the trailblazer she truly was.

I hope not. She definite!y stayed too long at the fair but I hope that does not overshadow the historic aspects of her career as a public servant.

She had a hot ass but it couldn't last forever.

[quote] but I hope that does not overshadow the historic aspects of her career as a public servant.

It kind of did. Kind of how professional athletes who refuse to throw in the towel tarnish their reputation by sticking around way past their prime.

Qui etait cette cunt?

Did she choke on a Twinkie?

[quote] found a way to ace her out with a carrot or a stick. Promise to give her daughter a plum government job.

The woman had a net worth of nearly $100 million. Did she really need any more incentives?

The unelected Canadian Senate should be abolished.

What a predictably muted response from Datalounge's Know-Everything Centrists.

I admired Feinstein for spearheading the assault weapons ban that was passed under President Clinton.

On the downside, she harmed the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee by running for another term at age 86.

This is not a nursing home!

Turns out - it IS a nursing home R271!

R270, the last major thing that Feinstein accomplished being way back in the 1990s sounds about right.

She'd been going dotty in this last term, but to say her last major accomplishment was in the 90s is ridiculous. Into her last decade she was still a force against the gun lobby, and her surprising stand against the CIA, torture, and corruption was borderline heroic, to take two examples. But this thread doesn't seem interested in talking about her public record very much.

R274, what has she accomplished since 2018 (her last reelection)?

I never left!

Was Katherine seen leaving the residence wih a pillow?

She stayed in the seat for only one reason and that was to make sure as many judicial appointments as possible could get through the Judiciary Committee. The Republicans will block appointment of her successor and the Dems knew that. Now, whether keeping her reanimated corpse alive long enough to push through judicial appointments was worth the cost to her permanent reputation was worth it remains to be seen.

Actually the Republicans have already said they won't.

I don't think she did overshadow her legacy despite the past few years. Ginsburg's hubris had consequences, which is why it mattered so much. Feinstein's clinging on didn't cause same level harm, so probably, in time, her twilight will be far less significant than her history. She was an impressive senator with a hell of story. It's a shame they let her linger as she did but I don't think it sticks in the long term, not like what Ginsburg did.

r245 Please look up "between."

Mine was a fair reading of that post—

So many old geezers running our country, we need more people in their 30s and 40s who have an understanding of contemporary society and culture.

R283, such as Matt Gaetz & George Santos?

Your point is understood, and more energetic and productive representatives for the public good are much needed. However, there are the young, ambitious Madison Cawthorn types that bring trouble.

We need people of all generations in positions of power. And from Biden's accomplishments in starting to undo the rightwing agenda (to take one example) it's obvious how much we need someone with long experience and detailed knowledge of the whole system.

Nothing on funeral arrangements?

[quote]We need people of all generations in positions of power.

You can have an 80 year old as supervisor of the Greeters at Walmart. We definitely don't need an 80 year old as president.

Has her son Michael commented yet?

Battle over her estate coming soon.

Her daughter vs. her late husband’s three daughters.

[quote] We need people of all generations in positions of power.

Millennials who have now reached 40 years old own exactly 3% of American wealth. This does not even include Generations Z and Alpha.

Boomers, by comparison, owned 21% at the same age.

What does that say about a society when 97% of a nation's wealth is owned by people over 40 years old?

And these same over 40 year olds are the same ones trying to gut abortion, Social Security, making it illegal to say gay.

Her family sound like a bunch of greedy cunts.

R289 that battle ends with her death—

The fight was over DiFi’s rights while alive. She ain’t alive no more.

DiFi was a cunt.

R279, why aren't the Republicans going to block Dianne Feinstein's replacement on the Judiciary Committee? That seems unusually kind of them. What's the catch?

Is she still dead?

The Dems need to grow a pair and tell the Repugs to go fuck themselves.

So what did she die of?

R292, Wrong. The battle has yet to begin.

This is an unintentionally hilarious thread. Because upon news of DiFi's death, the names being lobbed about as her replacement, there's not a single person under 75-years-old.

A replacement for 15 months. It isn’t hilarious, but intentional.

#297, they said 'natural causes' but you have to wonder if that nasty bout with Shingles did some major damage. It obviously affected her eye, which is dangerous and can cause blindness. But it was reported later that she had Encephalitis as well. Then there was that fall in August...

She should never have foolishly returned to work.

R300, I think we can find a replacement for her who isn't 77-years-old!

Any younger, active public figure would not want to a placeholder. Any older public figure couldn’t get elected to a full term…not so hard to see why Newsom would appoint an older person whose career is nearer to its end….Senate history is full of people like that who stepped in for a short time upon the death of senator.

The only qualified replacement candidates in the state of California, pop. 39 million, are 6 over 75 year old black women.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

No one bandied that name about beyond the confines of the liquor cart in the DM “newsroom”

They are assholes, but they are amusing how they troll her.

R294, the catch is probably precedent. The Republicans don't want to create a new one that could fuck them in the future. When a member dies, they get replaced. It's long settled. If you read the article, that seems to be the Republican position, based on the quotes. This is different than Garland. Mitch made a lucky, lucky gamble when he blocked Garland back in the day. That Court is now so packed with comparatively young Conservatives they've fucked it for a generation and the idea of blocking a President's nominee in an election year probably won't come back to haunt them for a long time. But refusing a replace dead sitting member on committees.... that's riskier in that dinosaur museum. They'll be dropping like flies for the next decade.

If they pulled a fast one —just wait—Mitch or Grassley will get the shiv next

[quote] why aren't the Republicans going to block Dianne Feinstein's replacement on the Judiciary Committee? That seems unusually kind of them. What's the catch?

We see the battles in the press, but there’s a huge amount of respect and trust from both sides for the processes and procedures. For example, when the Senate is on hiatus and they have one senator gavel the Senate into session every three days and then immediately end the session, so that the Senate is not formally adjourned, the ruling party could show up unannounced and do whatever they like while the other senators were on vacation.

It was a really big deal when Harry Reid did the nuclear option to screw over the minority. The Senate hasn’t recovered from that, but still, most of the trust is still there.

R310, I was gonna explore the trust element in R308 but I didn't have the heart because it feels so long ago. But I agree, generally the trust is there. McConnell must have done untold damage to it with the Garland move but as a piece of loathsome political wizardry, it was legendary. It just took the lack of a soul to actually do it.

One thing I hate about politics is the degree to which they all do get along. They don't hate one another nearly as much as they pretend. I wonder if people wouldn't be so down on government if they'd just admit they actually do try many times to work together to an outcome. Not always, not as much, but more than they let on. It's all such a sham.

The worst part, especially in the Senate, is the arcane set of rules that last long beyond their “sell by” date. They are so wedded to tradition that it returns to haunt each side over and over again. I know the history: the Senate is the saucer that cools the hot tea of the House…but it could done much better in this century.

[quote]He appointed Alex Padilla to Kamala Harris's vacant seat. Black women deserve at least ONE seat at the grown up table, doncha think?

[quote]"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

[quote] A replacement for 15 months. It isn’t hilarious, but intentional.

Yes. Because nobody under 75-years-old could use that experience and run with it.

That wasn’t the point being made, but thanks.

Can’t stand her. Glad she’s dead

R311, that's the point that bothers me the most too. They put on a show for the public.... for what?

[quote]They are assholes, but they are amusing how they troll her.

What's amusing is how MM lives rent free in your head.

Rather than imposing arbitrary age limits, reform the seniority system, thus taking away a key incentive for voters to keep re-electing these people long after they have lost the ability to dress themselves without assistance.

Nothing would be please me more, R318, that to never hear or see or speak about that talentless aberration and the marginalized trash that pants after her. To be so hopeless and pointless that Meghan Markle is your cause. Jesus. But she can't be escaped. She's everywhere. For all the wrong reasons, and always will be, but still you can't really accuse us of letting her live rent free when media can make so much money mocking her. Though the way her aspirations are heading, living rent free is probably a skill she should master. I imagine your kind could give her a few tips.