General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Looks like we have a progressive challenger for Dianne Feinstein in CA [View all]nbsmom
(591 posts)I'm a Democrat, born and raised in CA. But I really think DiFi should gracefully bow out.
At 84 years of age, should she prevail in the primaries and stand for reelection in November (which, let's not forget, will be her first time through the ranked-choice voting process), she will be running as an 85-year-old woman for the Class 1 Senate seat previously held by another really old Senator, S.I. Hayakawa. (You may remember him, he was the one who made Alan Cranston look like a sprightly spring chicken.) Sure, she could prevail on name recognition alone, but what are the potential risks?
Unable to complete term
We've seen a lot of off-year electoral shenanigans in CA. It wasn't that long ago that Grey Davis lost his seat to a well-funded "Governator." And then you have a Repub appointing another Repub for at least the interim seat.
Nobody moves up among the Dem ranks
I find it fascinating that California, the very definition of diversity, was represented by two middle-aged Jewish women from the Bay Area for more than 20 years, up until January 3 of this year, when Kamala Harris was sworn in. Ironic, too, that Gavin Newsom (who has done much with his stand-in role as Lt. Governor) will likely face a really tough race against Villaraigosa, Chiang, maybe Eastin? That's because the statewide jobs like Governor and Senator are so infrequently vacant and it costs metric shit tons of money to run a statewide campaign.
What does she gain by continuing?
Maybe the aberration in the judicial hearing the other day -- "the dogma lives loudly within you" -- was a one-off. But maybe it's a sign of things to come. (Not disagreeing with her concern about the appeals judge, mind you. I just think that she expressed herself in an almost dog-whistle sort of way, which I found disturbing.)
It takes a millionaire to replace a millionaire
Since you're such a fan, I'm positive you know that our esteemed Senator and her hubby Richard Blum are worth at least $50 million (which makes her the eighth-wealthiest in the Senate) and I won't belabor the fact that she and the hubs have probably benefited from lots of Federal contracts over the years...