NY Times: Sen. Feinstein ‘Should Resign’

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has had a “distinguished career,” but her illnesses and growing infirmities mean she and Senate leaders have a “painful choice to make” about her future, the editorial board of The New York Times said Friday. 

“If she cannot fulfill her obligations to the Senate and her constituents, she should resign and turn over her responsibilities to an appointed successor,” the board wrote, adding that if Feinstein, 89, can’t make that decision on her own, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats should “make it clear to her and the public” that she must step down. 

“Under the circumstances, Mr. Schumer should turn up the public pressure on her to return or resign, setting aside the antique Senate gentility that can hobble common-sense decision-making there,” the editorial said. 

Feinstein’s health issues have kept her out of Washington and the Senate for two months, while legislation and judicial nominations are hanging, the board wrote.

Senators have a “primary and inescapable duty” to show up and vote, and “if they cannot do that for extended periods, they are depriving their constituents — and California has 39 million of them — of a voice and fundamental representation,” the board said.

Feinstein has been elected six times. Now, with the Senate remaining closely divided and Biden administration judicial nominations remaining hanging, she’s not only depriving Californians but American voters of “full representation” on appointments and legislation, the Times board wrote. 

Democrats have also lacked a majority during proceedings at the Senate Judiciary Committee, which allows proxy voting but doesn’t let a proxy vote decide if nominations advance to the floor. 

Seven of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees are waiting for a vote in the committee, and while Feinstein has offered to step away, GOP senators have blocked efforts at appointing someone to replace her, the Times board noted. 

Democrats will also likely need all 51 members on a vote for the debt ceiling, along with votes from at least nine Republicans. 

The Times also noted that Feinstein is having difficulties with her advancing age that predate her current health issues. 

Feinstein’s hometown newspaper, The San Francisco Chronicle, reported last year that her memory had deteriorated to the point that she can’t fill her job duties, and colleagues said she can’t keep up with conversations. 

They also said she does not seem to recognize other senators and relies on staff members, leaving them to assume the duties of her job. 

“It’s a deeply saddening situation, but even the most dedicated public servants cannot serve forever, and they may be the last to realize or act upon their incapacity,” the board wrote. “Some people are unfit on the day they first set foot in Congress, because of their character or ethical failings; others do stellar work for decades but gradually lose their effectiveness.”

Feinstein has also put Schumer and Democrat leaders in a difficult position by saying she will come back, but not saying when. 

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who at 83 is six years younger than Feinstein, has said the pressure being put on Feinstein is sexist, as there have also been long absences by aging male members. 

In 2001, Sen. Strom Thurmond, D-S.C., then 98, was wheeled into the Senate to vote, even though there was concern about his mental fitness, the board wrote, but in all cases, “the senators ignored concerns about their capacity and pleas from their colleagues as long as they could.”

The tradition of allowing senators to remain should have been discarded years ago, the editorial board concluded. 

“Senate seats are not lifetime sinecures, and if members can’t effectively represent their constituents or work for the benefit of their country, they should not hesitate to turn the job over to someone who can,” the Times board said. “Ms. Feinstein owes California a responsible decision.”