Who Will Succeed Diane Feinstein in the US Senate?

I love this person.

 

Hopefully not any of these people.

 

Someone else I would never vote for.

 

Sen. Dianne Feinstein told to 'just say aye' in awkward Senate committee moment

Feinstein began delivering a speech in support of a bill during a vote Thursday, instead of the expected response of "aye" or "nay."


By Summer Concepcion and Frank Thorp V


Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., appeared confused during a vote on a defense appropriations bill Thursday, which prompted a fellow Democratic senator to step in.

During a Senate Appropriations Committee markup of bills Thursday morning, Feinstein seemed to stumble on a vote. Instead of saying the expected response of “aye” or “nay,” Feinstein began delivering a speech expressing her support of the measure: “I would like to support a ‘yes’ vote on this. It provides $823 billion...”


About 15 seconds into Feinstein’s speech, an aide whispered in her ear. Committee chair Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., then told Feinstein: “Just say aye.”

“Aye,” Feinstein said.

Feinstein, 90, was later heard voting against another measure, before being corrected and switching to “yes.”

A Feinstein spokesperson said that Thursday's markup "was a little chaotic" as members work to wrap up government funding bills before leaving for a six-week break, with senators "constantly switching back and forth between statements, votes, and debate and the order of bills."

"The senator was preoccupied, didn’t realize debate had just ended and a vote was called," the spokesperson continued. "She started to give a statement, was informed it was a vote and then cast her vote."

Last year, Feinstein pushed back against a news report citing multiple anonymous lawmakers questioning her mental fitness to continue serving. She was absent from Washington for months earlier this year due to a severe case of shingles. She repeatedly appeared to struggle answering questions from reporters, and at one point was being protected by Senate officials from journalists trying to take pictures and video of her.

Feinstein faced calls to resign from her Democratic colleagues amid her lengthy absence that complicated their efforts to confirm some of President Joe Biden’s nominees, given her key vote on the Judiciary Committee. The panel went from an 11-10 majority to a 10-10 stalemate during her absence.

Democrats attempted to temporarily replace Feinstein on the committee with Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., but Republicans blocked the effort, with many of them saying they could not vote to make it easier for Biden to seat judicial nominees whom they found to be radical or otherwise unacceptable.

Feinstein returned to the Senate floor in May, after missing 91 floor votes while she recovered from shingles, according to an NBC News tally.

Feinstein, who was first elected to the Senate in 1992, is the chamber’s oldest member. She has said that she plans to retire from Congress at the end of 2024, after three decades in the Senate.

After her return to the Senate in May, NBC News and other news outlets reported that Feinstein had experienced more complications than had been publicly disclosed. In addition to the shingles, Feinstein also suffered from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which occurred when shingles spread to her head and neck, and a case of encephalitis, which is swelling of the brain, a person familiar with her situation told NBC News at the time.

CORRECTION (July 27, 2023, 3:25 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s age. She is 90, not 89.


https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/co...aye-awkward-senate-committee-moment-rcna96697

 

She's a warrior for battling it out in the senate. She's doing a big favor to the left. If she retires we confirm no more judges. What happens if Thomas or alito die?

She's doing the proper thing

 

breathing?

 

Yup. Whatever state she's in she has to show up. We can't stop confirming judges after Trump rigged the judical with MAGA judges everywhere.

 

What? She would just be replaced by someone selected by Gavin Newsom. If Dianne Feinstein Resigns, Here's What Happens to Her Senate Seat (businessinsider.com) Do you think he is going to pick someone that doesn't support the Democratic Party? The seat doesn't just remain vacant.

 

To replace someone on a Senate committe you need a new organizing resolution which takes 60 votes in the senate. Technically yes you'll replace her in the senate but the new nominee won't be on the same committe assignment as Dianne which means no more judges etc

 

Tied votes in the judiciary committee can be advanced out of committee by a floor vote. Since they need a floor vote to confirm as well, losing Feinstein from the committee just adds another step to the process. Ketanji Brown Jackson was advanced that way when the judiciary committee deadlocked 11-11 along party lines.

 

They can only be advanced out if the rules are in the organizing resolution that both parties vote for at the beginning. This was the case last congress when dems had a 50/50 senate but when they gained a senator this past year the rules changed. If Feinstein retires mitch won't allow for a new resolution

 

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, falls at home and goes to hospital, but scans are clear, her office says

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress, fell in her home and went to a hospital for a short time, her office said on Wednesday.

The 90-year-old California Democrat, who has faced mounting concerns about her health and her ability to perform the duties of a senator, “briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home,” her office said in a statement.

All of her scans were clear, and she returned home later Tuesday, said her spokesman Adam Russell, who provided no further details.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement he spoke with Feinstein on Wednesday morning.

“She said she suffered no injuries and briefly went to the hospital as a precaution,” Schumer said. “I’m glad she is back home now and is doing well.”

announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection in 2024. Several Democrats have already entered the race to replace her.

During her hospitalization in the spring, some progressive House Democrats publicly called on her to resign, saying her absence had grounded the push to confirm President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees. However, leading Democrats, including Biden and Schumer, publicly stood beside her.

Nonetheless, Feinstein’s retirement plans have sparked a competitive Democratic contest to replace her, led by a trio of House lawmakers, U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff.

If Feinstein resigns before the 2024 election, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom would name her replacement, potentially reordering the race to succeed her. The governor said in 2021 that he would nominate a Black woman to fill the seat if Feinstein, who’s white, were to step aside.

Lee is Black, and becoming the incumbent could be a decisive advantage in the contest, but it’s unknown if Newsom would consider Lee, given that she is already running for the seat. Porter and Schiff are white.

Feinstein has had a storied political career that broke gender barriers as she rose from San Francisco’s City Hall to leadership posts in the U.S. Senate. She played key roles in political battles over issues including reproductive rights and environmental protection, gaining a reputation as a pragmatic centrist.

In recent years, however, she has taken a step back from senior roles at the Capitol. She relinquished the top Democratic spot on the Judiciary Committee in 2020 amid criticism from liberals on how she handled the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. And earlier this year, she declined to serve as the Senate president pro tempore, the most senior member of the majority party who daily opens the Senate chamber, even though she was in line to do so.

Feinstein had also requested to be replaced on the Senate Judiciary panel during her 10-week hospital stay earlier this year, but Republicans declined to allow the replacement. Even after she returned, concerns continued that she would not be able to make it for every crucial vote.

The Senate is expected to resume work in Washington in early September.

https://apnews.com/article/dianne-feinstein-fall-hospital-31a1358e1c25839b45bb699d83c75d58

 

I really hope that it's Porter. She's such a great representative for her constituents.

 

Hoping for Katie. I really do love what she does and feel she would be a solid addition to the US Senate.

 

a disgraceful exit for all parties involved, including the voters of California

they chose this

 

A bit melodramatic.

Get ready to see more of this across the entire country, especially in the least competitive districts.

 

Damn y'all are fast. was just coming here to post that Feinstein had passed away.