MCCAIN: Why I feel so disturbed by Dems visibly reducing struggling lawmakers to political pawns

No reasonable person could have seen the return of Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein to Congress this week without feeling deep sympathy for her.

At the age of 89, this great political icon, glass ceiling breaker, pioneer for women of all political affiliations, was wheeled to the entrance of the US Capitol building on Wednesday and helped into a wheelchair.

She was hunched over, thin and frail. The left side of her face seemed frozen. One of her eyes was closed.

It was heartbreaking.

It had been nearly three months since Feinstein was in Washington DC after being diagnosed with shingles.

Yesterday it was reported that she was actually much sicker than previously known. In addition to the shingles, she was stricken with a terrible complication of the virus that can cause permanent memory and language problems, mood disturbances and other terrible side effects.

She seemed confused, claiming, “I haven’t been away…I’ve been working…I’ve voted.” The senator missed nearly 100 floor votes.

Anyway, Senator Chuck Schumer was there to greet her when she arrived.

It was a sickeningly cynical scene.

Even top Democrats don’t have the courage to ignore the hard truth. They demand that Senator Feinstein be back in the Senate because without her – a member of the Judiciary Committee – they cannot confirm the federal judges despite the objections of Republicans.

“We need her on the committee and on the floor,” Dick Durbin, chairman of the Democratic Judiciary Committee, told Politico. “We’re doing our best to be sensitive to her medical condition.”

So why doesn’t Senate Feinstein just resign?

Several Democrats have called for it, as Congressman Ro Khanna did again on Thursday. “I’m hopeful that people close to her can talk to her and just say, ‘Look, end your shift with dignity. Step aside,'” he said on MSNBC, adding that it was “painfully obvious.” is that the senator is not fit for office.

The senator may not be able to make this decision on his own due to the brutal realities of aging. But her family, close friends, staff and colleagues should know that this is no way for a political legend to end her career.

Well, this week we received reports of what could be behind it all, and it’s the most shockingly horrifying statement imaginable.

Feinstein is joined around the Capitol by Nancy Corinne Prowda, the eldest child of former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, who is said to have “played a pivotal role in Feinstein’s life.”

In fact, when Feinstein traveled by private jet from California to Washington this week, she was accompanied by “her dog, her old housekeeper, and Nancy Corinne Prowda,” according to the New York Times.

The relationship makes many people uncomfortable. I’m downright nauseous.

Because a “confident Pelosi family” admitted to Politico that the powerful ex-House leader does not want Feinstein to step down. According to this source, it is in Nancy Pelosi’s best interest that Feinstein hold her seat as long as possible.

“It’s very difficult, and political, because that’s what they want [Feinstein] stay,” said the anonymous source.

Allow me to explain.

Nancy Pelosi has supported slovenly Representative Adam Schiff, who may have done more than any other member of Congress to spread the Russian collusion hoax, to run for Feinstein’s congressional seat when her term expires in 2024.

However, if Feinstein were to resign, California Governor Gavin Newsom would have to appoint a replacement, and he has vowed to put a black woman in that position.

‘If [Dianne Feinstein] now resigns, chances are that [California Congresswoman] Barbara Lee gets appointed — so it makes it harder for Schiff,” the Pelosi family confidant admitted.

Pelosi’s office denies it all, pointing out that the Pelosi and Feinstein families have been close for decades. But their statement – ​​in my opinion – betrays the game.

“Anyone who knows Senator Feinstein knows that her senate service is entirely her own decision,” said spokesman Aaron Bennett.

I am not pleased to note this, but Senator Feinstein is in no position to make her own decisions. And maybe someone will make them for her.

Yes, there are always political machinations behind the scenes. And yes, there are other powerful legislators, who have remained in office long after their retirement. But should the American people really accept this as business as usual?

Should we all look the other way and ignore the fact that a sick woman may be being supported for the political interests of others?

Is this something that the leadership of the Democratic party will accept?

It would be bad enough if Senator Dianne Feinstein’s case was the only example, but it isn’t.

This week, a video by Massachusetts Senator John Fetterman went viral after the recovering stroke victim struggled through a banking committee hearing. Frankly, his questioning of a former Silicon Valley Bank executive was rambling.

Here’s a sampling: “Isn’t it appropriate that this kind of control gets stricter to prevent things like this from happening, or should we continue to punish anyone, no matter what… their behavior is?”

Fetterman’s performance makes it clear that he cannot meet what is considered a senator’s primary responsibility, which is to clearly question a witness.

It is clear that I feel sympathy for Fetterman, as I do for Feinstein, and both deserve great public service credit. But when should voters demand that the people elected to represent them can actually hold the office for which they were elected?

Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm for today’s Democratic Party. I cannot ignore the fact that President Biden, already the oldest president in the US, is running for election.

Only 32% of American adults believe they have the mental acuity to do the job. A measly 33% say Biden is “physically healthy enough to serve effectively.”

Still, he wants four more years in the Oval Office. What a terrible example for the country. These concerns about age, physical health, and mental acuity shouldn’t be dismissed so easily.

If Dianne Feinstein is advised against stepping down, then that would be an absolute disgrace.

Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, Chuck Schumer, and the entire Democratic leadership should be asked at every opportunity: Which is more important: your political interests or the life of a dedicated public servant? Which do you value more: a seat in the Senate or the confidence of the American people in their representatives?

I shudder to think what their honest answers might be.