Doing Our Best to Pass the Torch
I know a lot of you may disagree with me, but I was saddened to hear that Dianne Feinstein is running for reelection.
She will be 85 years old on election day in 2018.
I am not trying to discriminate against old people. I am one. But, there comes a time when you need to pass the torch. She is already the oldest serving US senator, and the longest serving female senator.
Feinstein was elected to the senate at the same time as Barbara Boxer. Boxer retired and gave us Kamala Harris. It’s not like a Republican would get elected out of California if Feinstein didn’t run.
She’s had a distinguished career. She could retire now and mentor her replacement.
We got minority whip Steny Hoyer and minority leader Nancy Pelosi, both approaching 80, in the House. We have got to develop some young leadership before the Democratic Party starts looking like Sun City.
Agreed, Ms JJ! Senator DiFi has done her time and deserves retirement. And, as you stated not complete retirement, if she chooses. She could be essential to electing another Senator like Kamala Harris.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
1I agree. Not just for the three names mentioned and not just for Dems. At the risk of being further co-opted by Bannon and Drumpf and even McTurtle, the octogenarian snacilbupeR should be encouraged to as Miz JJ said “retire now and mentor replacements”. I also ack the risk of having old thieves and burglars mentoring less experienced thieves and burglars.
2As one of Sen. Feinstein’s constituents in California, I heartily agree that she should retired. It’s pure ego for a long-serving politician to hang on, perhaps thinking “no one else can do the job better than I can.” Sen. Feinstein needs to gracefully make way for a more progressive, younger representative of the state.
3Amen (from a 70-year-old lifelong Democrat). We need some new talent, preferably while the old talent is still alive and well enough to show the new talent the ropes.
4Agree wholeheartedly. There is plenty she (and others) can contribute with ’emeritus’ status. If we don’t make room for the next generation to rise up, we are not doing this thing right!
5I agree. She’s my senator and she’s just too damn old. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a senior citizen too, and we old folks just know that the brain cells just don’t fire like they used to when we were 20 years younger. Seasoned citizen is one thing; senile is another.
6I knew someone who worked around D.C. some years ago, and had occasion to run into Strom Thurmond and his entourage in his later years, 85-100+. The stories weren’t good. I had the impression he shouldn’t have been in charge of a TV remote control, much less casting votes in the Senate.
Not saying it would be a similar situation for Feinstein in the coming years, but she needs to make sure it doesn’t.
7My congressional rep from NY state is Louise Slaughter, a democrat who has done an excellent job. But like these others, she is in her 80s. I like her and will still vote for her, but I wish she would retire to let a younger group develop.
8Agree. I thought Adam Schiff was considering running for her seat if she did not. He is great!
9I agree with all of you. She would be great mentoring a younger person. As a 78 YO woman, I believe that at her age you can still be sharp as ever, but you still lose a step or two along the way.
10Sen Feinstein is a great roll model. But I agree that it’s time for her to mentor others. Not only in California, but elsewhere. Consider her helping to elect 20 more women to the Senate from all over the Country.
11I rather like Steny and he does have a spot near the top of the seniority pile, which is good for us, but maybe new blood would be good too. But boy howdy is there a lot of elbowing and infighting and everybody trying to get through the door at once when a senior Dem pol retires in Maryland. And every once in a while the Dem candidate effs up and the Eastern Shore and western MD manage to get a GOP in, as with our current semi-sane governor.
12Let’s hope Senator Feinstein doesn’t end up as the Democratic version of that old fart Strom Thurmond, who I swear must have been stuffed and battery-operated for the last ten years he was in the senate.
13As a young 49 year-old I disagree with all the senior citizens here.
Feinstein is an incredible asset to the Democratic Party. She can still admirably serve in the Senate and if the Dem senate caucus wants a different leadership let them choose so.
14As with all jobs, it is time for the younger people to have their day. DH retired because we felt it is time to get out of the way so the younger ones can impliment their ideas.
I trust them.
It’s not like she’s working because she needs the money.
15Maybe she just wants to go for the (eldest) record?
16There is also the ego factor. Being a Senator carries a certain amount of cachet around these parts, not to mention lots of perks and attention. It is hard to give that up to spend 24/7 with your elderly husband.
17I couldn’t agree more. The Dem party had better start finding and promoting some younger, intelligent souls for all levels of government, or we will be…what’s the term?… I dunno….starts with F in the future. It has yet to start, and I am afraid it will not in time. Dems screwed up the last one, and look at the cool stuff we got in the WH….. HELP!!
18Wish I didn’t agree, but I do. If she were running for a House term, maybe, but not a six year run. (And I’m a lifelong Liberal Democrat — two days younger than the inhabitant of the White House,
19‘
A further note on age. Will Bernie and Joe kindly shut up about running in 2020? Joe, at least, is an asset — I won’t quote my opinion of the man who grew up 12 blocks from where I live because Momma would get mad.
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A look at History might make a point. Since the Civil War, the Democrats have elected one non-incumbent President as old as 57 — and that was Wilson. Even Cleveland was younger during his second election. I really doubt that if we try and break that rule, we’ll fail.
Err, no edit button. I doubt if we try and break that rule we’ll elect the nominee.
20This could be a strategic move on Feinstein’s part. She would be an immediate lame duck if she said she is not running. She has ample time to announce her retirement. Meanwhile she is great at fundraising and can share her war chest with the next Dem Senator from California.
21Chloe nailed it. I was waiting for someone to point out she may be trying to stay relevant and not a lame duck. Ditto Orrin Hatch making the same sounds. Adam Shiff could win that race in Calif. I suspect Mittens will take the seat in UT.
22I agree with all y’all who say she needs to retire. I’ve been saying that for the past decade because some of her more “centrist” stands make me want to snatch her bald, and I’ve been her constituent for as long as she’s been in the Senate.
I think part of her wanting to run is that she may feel that if she isn’t a Senator and doesn’t have that work to do, she will die….unlike those of us MUST work until we die, because staying alive means we still have to eat. Decades of Republicans trickling down on working Americans achieved the desired result — stealing our wealth and cravenly hollowing out our middle class. I saw DiFi do little to call attention to it, must less try to stop it. And she’s grown a tad too hawkish for my liking in our foreign policy and military affairs. It’s time for a new generation to lead the California congressional delegation.
23old quaker, re mittens: I think he still thinks his destiny is to be the first mormon president. I think he should just go away and enjoy the millions he made looting companies and firing workers.
24I’m 64. I agree.
25I am 80, work on my farm (spray and chain saw, plant and harvest coffee and mangos) so I know how hard it is to give up work that you love. However if one of my kids wanted to farm I’d do it in a minute. I cannot work at full bore as I used to do. There is a time, and she should recognize that and move over.
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