Andy, if only that were true. My short term memory is like a sieve. And
names and words disappear when I need them, just fly off into thin air.
Aging is very weird. I haven't lost my intelligence, but my capabilities are
disappearing and my mind isn't as alert and quick as it was. These people,
judges, politicians, who refuse to retire at a reasonable age, as far as I'm
concerned, they just aren't admitting to themselves that they are incapable
of functioning adequately enough to remain in their jobs. And they have
people around them who enable them to continue. But it's dangerous. Biden is
a perfect example. I'm in better mental shape than he is, even if he's
younger than I am, and everyone is pretending that he's capable of being
President. Trump had mental problems before he was burdened with aging
difficulties. We have all these Supreme Court Justices in their eighties,
along with a bunch of congress people and senators. It's insane!
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Andy Baracco
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 3:54 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
WOW!
And your mind has the agility of someone in their 20s.
I hope that i have those capabilities in 10 years.
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 12:38 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
I'm certainly dating myself. I'm old. There aren't many people on thisage 85.
list who remember the day when our country dropped the first atom
bomb. I do. I also remember the day our country declared war on Japan.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Andy Baracco
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 3:18 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
Miriam, you are dating yourself when you refer to that book. i
believe it was written in the 1960s.
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 6:49 AM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
Frank,model for them.
I read that book about 50 years ago so I don't remember the details.
But the point was, I think, that the blindness system was inefficient
and it benefited the people who worked in it more than the people
whom it served.
It was rigid and institutionalized. On the other hand, rehab of blind
veterans was flexible and focused on the needs of the individual, and
its goals were to get the client functioning fully as soon as
possible and as independent from the system as he could be. I'm sure
the book still exists and is accessible, and you can read it for
yourself. It was produced by NLS.
I read it in braille.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Frank Ventura
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 4:44 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
Miriam, what was it about the VA that was different?
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Miriam Vieni
Sent: Friday, September 25, 2020 9:39 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
Way back, there was a book called, The Making of Blind Men. The
author's thesis was that most agencies for the blind were doing a
terrible job and that the V A was doing a really good job and should
be a
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Andy Baracco
Sent: Friday, September 25, 2020 6:14 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
I retired in 2016 from my job as a rehabilitation counselor for the
VA in West LA working specifically with vets who were homeless, and
who had MH and/or SA issues.
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, September 25, 2020 2:43 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
I know that there are some really exceptional old people like Noamresult."
Chomsky with his photographic memory and Daniel Ellsberg, (who is
beginning to sound to me like he's slowing down a bit), and 2 or 3
more whose names escape me right now because I'm slowing down a bit,
but really, I think there should be an age limit for public office,
probably eighty, possibly seventy five.
What CA facility are you referring to?
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Andy Baracco
Sent: Friday, September 25, 2020 4:46 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't
Handle Supreme Court Battle
Here in CA many Dems regard Feinstein as a do nothing senator who
should have been a Republican.
I had the opportunity to meet her in 2014 when she visited our VA
facility.
The one thing she was passionate about was veterans issues, and she
visited our facility because she didn't think we were doing enough
to help homeless veterans.
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, September 25, 2020 1:25 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle Supreme Court Battle By John
Bresnahan and Marianne LeVine, POLITICO
25 September 20
s the Senate prepares for yet another brutal Supreme Court
nomination fight, one particularly sensitive issue is creating
apprehension among
Democrats:
what to do with 87-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking
member of the Judiciary Committee.
Feinstein, the oldest member of the Senate, is widely respected by
senators in both parties, but she has noticeably slowed in recent
years. Interviews with more than a dozen Democratic senators and
aides show widespread concern over whether the California Democrat
is capable of leading the aggressive effort Democrats need against
whoever President Donald Trump picks to replace the late Justice
Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The Judiciary Committee is the critical battleground in the Supreme
Court confirmation process. At stake, her own Democratic colleagues
worry, is more than just whether the party can thwart Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in his rush to fill the
seat. Some Democrats privately fear that Feinstein could mishandle
the situation and hurt their chances of winning back the majority.
Feinstein sometimes gets confused by reporters' questions, or will
offer different answers to the same question depending on where or
when she's asked. Her appearance is frail. And Feinstein's genteel
demeanor, which seems like it belongs to a bygone Senate era, can
lead to trouble with an increasingly hard-line Democratic base
uninterested in collegiality or bipartisan platitudes.
Just this week, Feinstein infuriated progressives after declaring
her opposition to ending the Senate's legislative filibuster - a
top goal of party activists if Democrats win full control of the
Congress and White House in November. Some on the left called on
her to resign over the comments, although other Democratic
moderates have expressed similar views.
In a phone interview, Feinstein pushed back hard against
suggestions she could no longer effectively serve as ranking member
of the Judiciary panel or is incapable of handling the upcoming
nomination fight.
"I'm really surprised and taken aback by this. Because I try to be
very careful and I'm puzzled by it," Feinstein told POLITICO. "My
attendance is good, I do the homework, I try to ask hard questions.
I stand up for what I believe in."
Feinstein relies heavily on her ever-present staff to deal with any
issues, frequently turning to them for help in responding to
inquiries. Feinstein had to be coaxed into wearing a mask around
the Senate during the early days of the pandemic, despite being
part of the most vulnerable age groups for the disease. She's only
made two floor speeches in the last nine months, her last being in
early July, although she remains active in committee hearings.
And then there's the lingering fallout over Feinstein's role in the
hugely controversial Judiciary Committee hearings for Justice Brett
Kavanaugh in 2018, an issue that factors deeply into the questions
about her suitability for this latest nomination fight.
Feinstein waited for several weeks before disclosing allegations by
Christine Blasey Ford that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her
when they were teenagers. The bombshell accusations nearly sank
Kavanaugh's nomination, and senators in both parties questioned why
Feinstein didn't move more quickly to disclose Blasey Ford's statement.
A Democratic senator, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said
a group of Feinstein's colleagues want Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) or
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) to serve as the top Democrat on the
Judiciary panel for the upcoming nomination hearings, which are
expected to be extraordinarily contentious. This senator is worried
that potential missteps by Feinstein could cost Democrats seats.
"She's not sure what she's doing," the Democratic senator said of
Feinstein.
"If you take a look at Kavanaugh, we may be short two senators
because of that. And if this gets [messed] up, it may be the same
"I think it could impact a number of seats we can win," the senator
added.
Another Democratic senator said party leaders were "in an
impossible position," pointing out that Senate Minority Leader
Chuck Schumer
(D-N.Y) and other senior Democrats can't replace a female senator
for hearings on an expected female nominee to replace a deceased
female Supreme Court justice.
However, the senator said there have been discussions among some
Democrats about making changes to the seniority system next year
due to their concerns over Feinstein. The California Democrat would
be Judiciary chair if Democrats win the majority.
A third Democratic senator put it this way: "She can't pull this off."
Other Democrats privately said there have been complaints to party
leaders that Feinstein is not capable of handling the Judiciary
post in the current situation. Some of these senators said
Feinstein should have retired rather than run for reelection in 2018 at
Feinstein's age was an issue in that campaign and was raisedSen.
repeatedly in news reports, but she defeated Democrat Kevin de Leon
by almost 10 points.
Feinstein has already stumbled once in tangling with Amy Coney
Barrett, who is widely seen as the frontunner to be Trump's Supreme
Court nominee. At a
2017 hearing for an appeals court seat, Feinstein told Barrett that
"the dogma lives loudly within you" - a remark that was instantly
seized upon as anti-Catholic bias by Republicans.
Schumer declined to comment on Feinstein or her role on the
Judiciary Committee.
To Feinstein, her work on the panel is comparable to what she's
seen from other Democratic ranking members across the Senate.
"And so it's difficult for me to see, I don't know what people expect,"
Feinstein said. "I've been on the committee for a while. I've seen
how the committee works and I've seen how other chairs on our side
of the aisle work. I don't see, to be very blunt and honest, I
don't see a big difference. I'm prepared, so that's puzzling to me."
Feinstein also pointed out that as the minority, Democrats only
have limited weapons to wield in any nomination fight. McConnell
eliminated the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees, so Democrats
can slow the confirmation process down, but they can't stop it as
long as Republicans stick together.
"Let me say this - I know it's going to be a fight, I understand that."
Feinstein said. "I don't have a lot of tools to use, but I'm going
to use what I have. We can try to delay and obstruct but they can
run this process through. That doesn't mean that we won't fight
tooth and nail."
Feinstein - the first woman to serve as ranking member on Judiciary
- has built a long record of legislative success since becoming a
senator. She authored the 1994 assault weapons ban, pushed to
increase automobile fuel-efficiency standards, and has been a
leader on environmental and civil rights issues. Feinstein also led
a long probe into the CIA's post-9/11 interrogation and detention
programs that led to the historic 2014 torture report.
When asked whether Feinstein is still capable of doing the job of
ranking member, Durbin said, "I believe she is." Durbin is next in
line on the panel behind Feinstein. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has
served longer on Judiciary than any other Democrat, but he serves
as ranking member on Appropriations and can't hold both positions.
Durbin said he wasn't aware of any discussion over replacing Feinstein.
And
as to suggestions from some of his colleagues that he should take
over the Judiciary post, Durbin added, "I'm not going to get into
that speculation."
Whitehouse, a former U.S. attorney, wasn't eager to discuss the
Feinstein situation either, offering only a terse comment on the
matter.
"She's a very distinguished lady for whom I have great affection,"
Whitehouse said, declining to comment any further.
There is recent Senate precedent in both parties for replacing
senior senators who are seen as no longer capable of handling the job.
The late Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) was replaced as the chairman
of the Armed Services Committee during the late 1990s. And in 2008,
the late
Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) voluntarily gave up his role as
Appropriations Committee chairman. Over on the House side,
committee chairs have been forced out at several key panels in
recent decades, including Appropriations and Energy and Commerce.
But Feinstein is also not alone when it comes to aging lawmakers in
powerful positions.
Feinstein is the second-oldest member of Congress behind Rep. Don
Young (R-Alaska), who is almost two weeks older. Sen. Chuck
Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Finance Committee, is also 87,
while Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) is 86. Armed
Services Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), who is seeking reelection
this year, is 85. Among House leadership - Speaker Nancy Pelosi and
Majority Whip Jim Clyburn are 80 and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is
81. Former Vice President Joe Biden will turn 78 shortly after
Election Day and Trump is 74.
Some Judiciary Committee Democrats defended Feinstein and said they
see no reason to try to replace her as ranking member.
"She's an extraordinary person and I'm fully confident in her
leadership,"
said Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
"Her leadership has been really steadfast and courageous," said Sen.
Richard
Blumenthal (D-Conn.). "She has extraordinary insights and instincts
based on her vast experience. I see no reason to question this
leadership."
