Tangle - Should Dianne Feinstein retire?

Episode Date: May 3, 2023

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). The 89-year-old senator has served in the Senate for more than 30 years, making her the longest-serving woman in U.S. Senate history. Last year, The New York Times reported that Feinstein was struggling "to recall the names of colleagues, frequently has little recollection of meetings or telephone conversations, and at times walks around in a state of befuddlement." San Francisco Chronicle and The New Yorker had previously published stories describing similar issues.You can read today's podcast here, the Blindspot report on the left here and on the right here, today’s “Under the Radar” story here, today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can also check out our latest YouTube video here.Today’s clickables: Quick hits (0:50), Today’s story (4:18), Right’s take (6:35), Left’s take (10:24), Isaac’s take (14:12), Listener Question (17:43), Under the Radar (19:03), Blindspot Report (19:45), Numbers (20:21), Have a nice day (21:06)You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here.Our podcast is written by Isaac Saul and edited by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tanglenews/message Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Based on Charles Yu's award-winning book, Interior Chinatown follows the story of Willis Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural who dreams about a world beyond Chinatown. When he inadvertently becomes a witness to a crime, Willis begins to unravel a criminal web, his family's buried history, and what it feels like to be in the spotlight. Interior Chinatown is streaming November 19th, only on Disney+. The flu remains a serious disease. Last season, over 102,000 influenza cases have been reported across Canada, which is Chinatown is streaming November 19th, only on Disney+. yourself from the flu. It's the first cell-based flu vaccine authorized in Canada for ages six months and older, and it may be available for free in your province. Side effects and allergic reactions can occur, and 100% protection is not guaranteed. Learn more at flucellvax.ca.

From executive producer Isaac Saul, this is Tangle. Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, and welcome to the Tangle podcast, a place we get views from across the political spectrum, some independent thinking without all that hysterical nonsense you find everywhere else. I'm your host, Isaac Saul, and on today's episode, we're going to be talking about Senator Dianne Feinstein and some of the calls that have been coming out for her to retire. Before we jump in, though, as always, we'll start off with some quick hits. First up, President Biden plans to send 1,500 active duty U.S. troops to the Mexican border for 90 days ahead of the end of Title 42, a public health measure that had previously been used to expel asylum seekers during the pandemic. Number two, after a days-long

manhunt, Texas police arrested the man they believe fatally shot five people in a neighborhood outside the town of Cleveland, Texas. The suspect, Francisco Oropesa, is a Mexican national who had been deported four times and was reportedly in the United States illegally. Number three, the Biden administration will end a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for federal workers, contractors, international travelers, and healthcare workers. Number four, in one of the largest busts of its kind, 288 people were arrested for trafficking fentanyl and opioids on the dark web, according to a U.S. Justice Department announcement. Number five, in a major labor dispute, roughly 11,500

members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike yesterday. Most late-night television shows started airing reruns last night. Also in some news, the New York Times is reporting on the Tucker Carlson text that purportedly cost him his job at Fox News. Because it is difficult to sum up the text message in one sentence, we thought we would include the text message in full. It reads as follows, quote, a couple weeks ago, I was watching a video of people fighting in the street in Washington, Carlson said. A group of Trump guys surrounded an Antifa kid and started pounding the living shit out of him. It was three against one, at least. Jumping a guy like that is dishonorable, obviously. It's not how white men fight. Yet

suddenly I found myself rooting for the mob against the man, hoping they'd hit him harder, kill him. I really wanted them to hurt the kid. I could taste it. Then somewhere deep in my brain, an alarm went off. This isn't good for me. I'm becoming something I don't want to be. The Antifa creep is a human being. Much as I despise what he says and does, much as I'm sure I'd hate him personally if I knew him, I shouldn't gloat over his suffering. I should be bothered by it. I should remember that somewhere somebody probably loves this kid and would be crushed if he was killed. If I don't care about those things, if I reduce people to their politics, how am I better than he is? You can find previous coverage

of Carlson's firing in an episode from last week. California Democrat Dianne Feinstein knows all too well about the daggers of life in politics. At age 88 and the oldest senator, she is under intense but quiet scrutiny about her mental fitness to serve. Just minutes ago, Senator Dianne Feinstein made it official, tweeting that she will not run for reelection next year. The 89-year-old has served six terms. Her health has been an issue, with reports that some colleagues were concerned about memory lapses. Several Democrats have already announced

they are vying for her seat. Re-election. Well, I haven't made that decision. I haven't released anything. It would be my plan. You put out the statement. I didn't know they put it out. The 89-year-old senator has served in the Senate for more than 30 years, making her the longest serving woman in U.S. Senate history. Last year, the New York Times reported that Feinstein was struggling, quote, to recall the names of colleagues, frequently has little recollection of meetings or telephone conversations, and at times walks around in a state of befuddlement.

San Francisco Chronicle and The New Yorker had previously published stories describing similar issues. This year, Feinstein has been home since March fighting shingles, which has resulted in her missing critical votes for the Senate Judiciary Committee, leaving President Biden short of the necessary votes to advance some of his nominees. Now, Feinstein is under increasing pressure to step down, with calls coming not just from her political opponents and constituents, but also members of her own party. Two weeks ago, Feinstein once again publicly rejected those calls to retire prematurely. She has already said she will not run for re-election in 2024 and instead said she plans to step away from the Judiciary Committee and allow Biden to

appoint a temporary replacement. But Republicans have rejected that idea, knowing it would allow him to begin pushing through his judicial nominees. Biden has now changed course, adopting a new strategy to court individual Republicans to get his judges through. I intend to return as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it's safe for me to travel, Feinstein said two weeks ago. In the meantime, I remain committed to the job and will continue to work from home in San Francisco. While some of Feinstein's colleagues, including Democratic Representatives Ro Khanna and Dean Phillips, have called for her to step down, others have defended her, saying she is the victim of sexist or ageist attacks.

We have male members that have various challenges, and I'm not hearing anybody suggesting that they retire, Senator Debbie Stabenow, the Democrat from Michigan, said. I do think that she has been treated unfairly, and so she'll make the decision, and I will support that decision. Today, we're going to look at some arguments over whether Feinstein should step down with views from the left and the right is saying. Many on the right call for Feinstein to retire and criticize Democrats who are defending her. Some call out the Democrats who say she should retire, asking why they don't apply the same standard to President Biden and Senator John Fetterman. Others call for a competency test for all politicians over the age of 75.

In the Wall Street Journal, Kimberly A. Strassel said Democrats discovered the age issue. California Representative Ro Khanna unloosed the hordes on Wednesday with a tweet demanding Ms. Feinstein resign, citing the need to put country ahead of personal loyalty. He was joined by Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips, who called it a dereliction of duty for Ms. Feinstein to remain in office and for Democrats to remain quiet. But Khanna isn't motivated by civic-mindedness. He's the co-chair of House Representative Barbara Lee's campaign for the seat, and Governor Gavin Newsom has pledged to appoint a black woman if Feinstein steps down. Whatever Connors and Phillips' motivations, they have thrust into central debate the topic of age and competency, Strassel said, which raises the obvious question

of how it is not likewise a dereliction of duty for Democrats to remain silent about Mr. Biden. His decline has become impossible to ignore, and the pace is notable, with weekly if not daily gaffes, stumbles, and confusion. Biden may not be electable in 19 months, and Democrats might view the Feinstein moment as a warning of the danger they are courting by continuing to close their eyes to what the rest of the country so clearly sees. In Fox News, Nikki Haley said it is time for a competency test for politicians over the age of 75. Feinstein is a trailblazer who made an indelible mark in public service, but it's obvious that she's in significant mental and physical decline. She's missed months of votes and clearly

can no longer do her job. I agree with several congressional Democrats who say Feinstein should resign immediately and let someone else who is able to do the job take over, Haley said. At 89 years old, she is a prime example of why we need mental competency tests for politicians. This is not about Feinstein being a woman, Haley added. In fact, the best case for such tests is in fact a man. He's a former senator and the sitting president. The test I'm proposing is not complicated or difficult. It's the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test, which is a widely used tool for detecting cognitive decline. This is not a qualification for office, and failing would not

result in removal, but it's about transparency. Voters deserve to know whether those who are making major decisions about war and peace, taxation and budgets, schools and safety can pass a very basic mental exam. In The Federalist, John S. Tobin called out the double standard from Democrats on mental acuity. Senator John Fetterman just returned to Congress, and while Democrats celebrated, C-SPAN video of him chairing a Senate subcommittee provided sobering evidence of the recovering stroke victim's limitations. a Senate subcommittee provided sobering evidence of the recovering stroke victim's limitations. Much like his disastrous election debate in last October, at the hearing, Fetterman's halting speech, barely understandable comments, and inability to communicate without electronic aid illustrated his incapacity, Tobin said. But while Democrats are quick to slam as bigots

anyone who had the temerity to notice Fetterman's problems, they are not feeling quite so generous about another member of their Senate caucus. The double standard creates an ominous precedent that ought to hang over the 2024 presidential election. Democrats reacted to questions posed by Fetterman's obvious limitations as a senator with denial and an attempt to shame skeptics with pious rhetoric about ableism, but they're indifferent to the effort to push Feinstein out on grounds of ageism, which have just as much validity as their defense of Fetterman. All right, that is it for the rightist saying, which brings us to what the left is saying. All right, that is it for the rightist saying, which brings us to what the left is saying. The left is divided, with some commentators calling on Feinstein to retire and others saying she should be given more time. Some on the left say Feinstein is hurting the party and clearly has cognitive issues. Others say Feinstein deserves patience from her colleagues to see how she recovers from shingles.

In MSNBC, Marissa Cabas said Democrats have a big Dianne Feinstein problem. Since the ultra-conservative takeover of the Supreme Court that was completed by former President Donald Trump led to Roe v. Wade being overturned, confirming liberal justices in the lower federal courts has been an even more crucial part of President Joe Biden's agenda. And it's why, during the 2022 midterms, Democrats stressed the importance of having 51 and not just 50 senators they could count on to vote with them, she wrote. But Feinstein has been away, which means Democrats have been unable to advance any Biden nominees to the federal judiciary. While so many of our country's current and past ills can

be traced back to misogyny, this isn't one of them, Kava said. Feinstein made a conscious decision to run for re-election in 2018 at age 85, and since her re-election, there have been multiple stories questioning her cognitive abilities. Feinstein isn't any regular woman. She's one of the most powerful in the nation, and her power is being squandered by hubris. In the San Francisco Chronicle, Emily Hoven said it was too early to call for Feinstein to retire. Feinstein's determination and steeliness are admirable. It's those qualities, after all, that have defined her career and made her a political icon.

Based on Charles Yu's award-winning book, Interior Chinatown follows the story of Willis Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural who dreams about a world beyond Chinatown. When he inadvertently becomes a witness to a crime, Willis begins to unravel a criminal web, his family's buried history, and what it feels like to be in the spotlight. Interior Chinatown is streaming November 19th, only on Disney+. The flu remains a serious disease. Last season, over 102,000 influenza cases have been reported across Canada, which is nearly double the historic average of 52,000 cases. What can you do this flu season? Talk to your pharmacist or doctor about getting a flu shot. Consider FluCellVax Quad and help protect yourself from the flu. It's the first cell-based flu vaccine authorized in Canada for ages six months and older, and it may be available for free in your province. Side effects and allergic reactions can occur and 100% protection is not guaranteed. Learn more at flucellvax.ca. Her toughness helped her break through rampant misogyny to become the first female mayor of San Francisco in 1978 and to fight off repeated challenges from the left, including in 2018 when the California

Democratic Party endorsed her challenger, the more progressive and since disgraced Kevin de Leon. Californians stuck with Feinstein, electing her with more than 54% of the vote. Last year, she became the longest-serving female senator in U.S. history. But has this toughness morphed into stubbornness to the detriment of herself and the disenfranchisement of her constituents? Shingles typically resolves in the first month or two, but if it lasts past three, her current symptoms are unlikely to go away. Despite Democrats understandable and patience, the question of whether she is an effective representative for $40 million can't be definitively answered until Feinstein's diagnosis hits at least the three-month

mark. Given her circumstances, Feinstein deserves the opportunity to make a full recovery before being jostled out of office. In Jacobin, Liza Featherstone said calling for her retirement is stating the obvious. As a result of Feinstein's latest absence, the Senate voted to overturn a critical Biden administration effort to control truck emissions, Featherstone said. The vote on truck emissions was 50 to 49, with Joe Manchin, Cole Barron, an ally of the Death Drive faction of U.S. politics, joining the Republicans, who said the Biden regulations were too burdensome on the trucking industry. People will die because of this vote, a disgraceful yet fitting finale to Feinstein's career, which has been spent

faithfully serving capital. Predictably, Feinstein has her defenders, all accusing the critics of various isms. Nancy Pelosi suggested the calls for Feinstein to step down were sexist. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand agreed, as did California Representative Norma Torres, Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, and even some Republican women, like Senators Marsha Blackburn and Joni Ernst of Tennessee and Iowa, respectively. Others have cried ableism and ageism, real problems but not applicable to a situation where one person not showing up to work has such a devastating impact on the larger society. All right, that is it for the left and the right are saying, which brings us to my take. A few months ago, Feinstein's office put out a statement from her that she wouldn't seek re-election in 2024. A reporter then asked her about her plans to retire. Well, I haven't made

that decision. I haven't released anything, she said, apparently unaware or forgetting that she had literally released something the day before. Senator, we put out your statement, a staff member for Feinstein corrected her. You put out the statement, she said. I should have known they put it out. That exchange just about sums this whole thing up. The drama around Feinstein is a nice encapsulation of how absurd our politics have become and how ad hominem attacks are now the go-to defense when someone is making an obvious point you don't like. It isn't ageist to suggest someone who doesn't show up to work should retire. It isn't sexist to suggest someone who can't remember what meeting they are

in should not be serving in the Senate. I think the standard she's being held to is unacceptable and unprecedented, Senator Gillibrand said. Huh? What standard? Coming to work? Remembering your colleagues' names? Representative Norma Torres, the Democrat from California, tweeted that when men age or get sick, they get a promotion. I'd very much like to be pointed to the men who got promoted when they missed two months of work for being sick. The idea that there is some unevenness here in how men and women are being treated is just plainly untrue. I understand that sexism has permeated American politics for decades, and in many ways it still does, but this is not that. Let's deal with the present. Senator Chuck Grassley, the Republican from Iowa, has been urged to retire pretty much every single year since he turned 80. And just like Feinstein, he continues to refuse. Unlike Feinstein, he shows up to work and isn't displaying obvious signs of cognitive decline. The number one

attack line against President Biden right now is his age and his public appearances. Every single time Biden forgets what country he was just in or mixes up words, there are hows for him to retire or for Democrats to abandon his 2024 campaign. And as much as I worry about Biden's mental acuity, even his most unsettling public appearances aren't as worrisome as the stories from Feinstein's camp. In fact, I'll take it a step further and say that accusing people of sexism and ageism and ableism for refusing to accept Feinstein's current perch in the Senate is actually damaging to women, the elderly, and anyone who is an able-bodied. It's precisely the kind of hollow accusation that deserves mockery and also undermines actual

sexism, ageism, and ableism when it really happens. It's the boy-who-cried-wolf dynamic, and far too many Democrats are falling for it. Senator Feinstein, who by all accounts is an American legend and the kind of person buildings will be named after in Washington, D.C., is no longer capable of serving in Congress. We have ample evidence for this simple reality, and we have had it for years. Every day she spends staving off retirement is another day tarnishing her reputation and undermining a legacy that is widely respected by people on the left and the right. This shouldn't be complicated or controversial. The singular argument for keeping her in office is that California constituents put her there, but that was two years ago, and the flood of stories on top of her absences should now be

disqualifying. Biden's issues and Fetterman's issues are different and should be addressed separately, but Feinstein's case is far less complicated. It's time for her to step down, and it's time for defenders to stop attacking anyone who says so for stating the obvious. Alright, that is it for my take, which brings us to your questions answered. This one is from Connor in Greenville, South Carolina. Connor said, what advice would you give to a political candidate who wants to win an election without compromising their morals and beliefs? I generally lean Democrat, however, I am pro-life, and I feel this would hinder me if I ran for political office. How should someone

navigate this dilemma? So I think the most important thing is to be honest about your views. I'm not sure what compromising your values or beliefs looks like in this situation, but I absolutely would not change or conceal your views on abortion in order to win an election. I think you have two options. One, you can be honest about your perspective and try to convince Democratic voters that your position on abortion is superior. Or two, you can be honest about your perspective and try to convince Republican voters that you'll stand for pro-life positions and you're right about other issues where you might disagree. Obviously, both of those are difficult tasks, but you might be surprised

how many pro-life Democrats there are, how many Republicans are really just pro-life and pretty left of center on everything else. I think a lot of folks on both sides are hungry for moderation and honesty. So I'd just lean in to who you genuinely are and let the cards fall where they may. All right, that is it for your questions answered, which brings us to our under the radar section. On Monday, the Supreme Court said it would reconsider a 1984 precedent some conservatives argue gives too much power to federal regulators. The precedent directs courts to refer to an agency's legal approach when Congress has left statutory language ambiguous. Initially, this so-called Chevron deference from Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council was used by the Reagan administration to

fend off challenges from environmentalists. Now, though, conservatives argue that federal judges should have more power to set aside regulations. The Wall Street Journal has the story, and there's a link to it in today's episode description. All right, and today we're featuring our Blind Spot Report. Once a week, we present the Blind Spot Report from our partners at Ground News, an app that tells you the bias of news coverage and what stories people on each side are missing. The right missed a story last week about Will Wilkerson, who once helped run Trump's Truth Social, then blew the whistle on the former president and now works at a Starbucks. The left missed a story about the release of

Jeffrey Epstein's calendar, which included planned meetings with an Obama administration official and the CIA chief. Next up is the numbers section. The percentage of registered California voters who approved of the job Feinstein was doing was 30% in a February 2022 poll. The percentage of registered California voters who disapproved of the job she was doing was 49%. The percentage of registered California voters who approved of the job Feinstein was doing in 2017 was 48%. And that same year, the percentage of registered California voters who disapproved was 38%. The percentage of Democrats nationwide who think Feinstein should retire, according to a poll conducted in April by The

Economist and YouGov, was 64%. The percentage of Democrats nationwide who had a favorable view of Feinstein was 54%. All right, and last but not least, our have a nice day section. You've probably heard a lot about sargassum recently. In case you haven't, it's the invasive seaweed that often looks reddish or brown in color and is piling up on beaches across the Caribbean and Mexico. Sargassum blobs have been growing in size recently due to warming waters and pollution, and they're becoming a major issue for tourism destinations and beaches across the Americas. But Omar de Jesus Vasquez Sanchez is offering a solution, Cereblock. His small company based in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula is transforming the algae into construction blocks. Today, he's

selling the blocks to construction companies and using them to build sustainable housing. There's a link to the story from Christian Science Monitor in today's episode description. All right, everybody, that is it for today's podcast. As always, if you want to support our work, please go to readtangle.com slash membership and keep an eye out for a new YouTube video we have coming out later today. Hope you guys have a good one. We'll be right back here same time tomorrow. Peace. Our podcast is written by me, Isaac Saul, and edited by John Law.

Our script is edited by Ari Weitzman, Bailey Saul, and Sean Brady. The logo for our podcast was designed by Magdalena Bokova, who's also our social media manager. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet75. For more on Tangle, please go to readtangle.com and check out our website. We'll see you next time. becomes a witness to a crime, Willis begins to unravel a criminal web, his family's buried history, and what it feels like to be in the spotlight. Interior Chinatown is streaming November 19th, only on Disney+. The flu remains a serious disease. Last season,

over 102,000 influenza cases have been reported across Canada, which is nearly double the historic average of 52,000 cases. What can you do this flu season? Talk to your pharmacist or doctor about getting a flu shot. Consider FluSilvax Quad and help protect yourself from the flu. Thank you.