Democrats and their allies have made conservatives the real feminists, though that was entirely accidental. The movement forcing us to accept transgender athletes has made us de facto feminists, the only people who seem to find it unfair that those who are biologically male can compete with female athletes. And we also think that those who are biologically female should be the only ones considered for accolades regarding advancing women’s rights. How would women feel if the National Organization for Women’s leadership board was entirely male? The same goes for all the rest, but the Left has made me at least a Dianne Feinstein defender, and I resent that very much.
As noted, I’ve heard nothing but good things about Ms. Feinstein personally. Politically, we’re oceans apart, and that’s fine. We can disagree in America, which even liberal Democrats like Feinstein still recognize. But her mental facilities have been eroded to the point where if it weren’t for her exceptional staff, her office would have derailed and crashed years ago. Pushing 90, she’s been saddled with health issues that have caused her to miss multiple votes. Given the composition of Congress, confirming judges is the only path where Democrats can score quick wins. Feinstein’s absence has imperiled that quest.
And the Left has been incessant in a nasty plot to remove her from office. They want her to step down now. Feinstein’s goodwill within her party seemingly evaporated when she didn’t put up a big enough fight regarding the Supreme Court nomination of now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has not made it a secret that he would appoint a black woman to replace Feinstein should she resign. An aged relic of the Clinton era is washed away, and a progressive woman of color will take her place. It’s the left wing’s dream scenario. And more than a few op-eds have been called for Feinstein to go (via MSNBC):
Feinstein, a necessary member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been away since late February with shingles, which means Democrats have been unable to advance any Biden nominees to the federal judiciary. As more and more Democrats call for the 89-year-old’s resignation, her defenders have spoken up. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who’s the former Speaker of the House, says sexism may be the real culprit. Pelosi’s statement doesn’t acknowledge the fact that Feinstein’s absence is blocking what could be crucial wins for feminism.
Feinstein finally addressed the implications of her being away from Washington in a statement Wednesday evening. Referring to Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, she wrote, “I understand that my absence could delay the important work of the Judiciary Committee. So I’ve asked Leader Schumer to ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve until I’m able to resume my committee work.”
[…]
While so many of our country’s current and past ills can be traced back to misogyny, this isn’t one of them. Feinstein made a conscious decision to run for reelection in 2018 at age 85. And since her reelection, there’ve been multiple stories questioning her cognitive abilities.
[…]
If Feinstein were just a regular woman two months shy of her 90th birthday, then she would be left alone to live the rest of her life however she saw fit. But Feinstein isn’t any regular woman; she’s one of the most powerful in the nation, a leader whose power is being squandered by hubris. Just because you’ve had a remarkable past does not mean you have the right to jeopardize the future.
[…]
It’s tempting to draw comparisons to Strom Thurmond, Robert Byrd, Thad Cochran, and other white male senators who held onto their positions for far longer than they should have. But that comparison breaks down when one acknowledges that American women have never had a louder political voice in America than we do now, nor in recent memory has there been such an organized and sustained effort to strip women of our rights.
That’s why it’s essential for us to have leadership that serves as a conduit for our causes — not someone whose stubbornness impedes them. Saying Feinstein should retire does not betray disrespect for American women. To the contrary, it reveals the belief that American women deserve a senator who’s fully available to fight for us.
It's laughable—the hypocrisy and the blatant bias here. Of course, these people will argue that that is a different situation because they’re Democrats, perfect creatures by default. Wall Street Journal Kimberley Strassel warned that harping on Feinstein’s age and cognitive abilities makes a case for Joe Biden’s removal from office. Have you seen him lately?
If Feinstein is supposedly half brain dead and should resign for the good of the party, the country, and women’s rights, then the leader of her party, who controls our nuclear arsenal, should go as well. These judicial logjams could have been avoided if Biden didn’t pick unqualified or outright lunatics to fill these vacancies. We’ve already seen a transportation secretary nomination go down in flames after being brutally exposed as unsuitable for the position.
It's all about power. I don’t think Nancy Pelosi’s accusation of sexism and misogyny is at play here, though that narrative was bound to creep into this debate. Democrats see a window to overhaul the courts. They saw what Trump and the Senate Republicans did. They’re really going to try and throw Feinstein off the cliff for this, but do they know they’re making an argument for Joe Biden to be thrown off next?