Unfortunate even the home nursing can be a problem. After my mother had kidney
failure and was sick she wanted to be at home with a visiting nurse. The nurses
have an incentive program with the nursing home to get people in there for
"rehab". The nursing supervisor even admitted that once my mother went in for
rehab she would be deemed unsafe to return to her home and be kept in the
nursing home indefinitely, al the while the nurse and nursing supervisor get a
cut of the action. Believe it or not, because of the nursing home lobby in CT
that practice is completely legal and folks can be kept against their will. A
week later I moved her up to MA to live with me where at least there is some
respect for the rights of seniors.
Frank
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Miriam Vieni
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 3:25 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle Supreme
Court Battle
It is a God awful, brutal system. And when someone we love is sick and
damaged, we're so vulnerable that we often can be talked into things that are
absolutely the wrong choices for us to make. One of my problems is that my
older daughter is accustomed to submitting to what the system provides,
at least when it comes to me. Several years ago, she had hip replacement
surgery. She was told that she would need to go to a nursing home for rehab
after the surgery. The hospital routinely provides the names of three nursing
homes with available beds when someone is about to be released. I told her and
her husband that her husband had to check out the three nursing homes and pick
the best one. They wouldn't listen because her husband is an ignorant
know-it-all. So they just accepted the nursing home that the hospital sent her
to after the surgery, and that night, she called me in panic because it was a
filthy smelly place and she was terrified. My advice was for her husband to
take her home and for them to get a nurse temporarily and look into physical
therapy at home. But they were too frightened to do that. He did get her
transferred to a much better nursing home but it took several days. My daughter
is a lawyer. Her husband is part owner of a business. But their judgment, is
terrible. So I'm wondering, is it not possible for your wife to be cared for in
your home by a home health aide with visits from a nurse? Wouldn't she be
happier at home or is she too sick?
Miriam
Miriam-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Andy Baracco
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 2:40 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle Supreme
Court Battle
The knee surgery was successful, but the post surgery infections and pneumonia
caused some kind of brain insult. imaging was done, and there was no sign of
stroke. For a while, she had dimentialike symptoms and had difficulty
swallowing. This is why the doctor said that she may be long term in a nursing
home and a feeding tube. When I got her out of the nursing home and plugged in
new doctors, they changed the meds that the other doctor prescribed and the
dimentia and swallowing issues cleared.
They thought that her physical abilities would then return, and they have to a
certain extent, but she still has balance issues that are affecting her ability
to walk. When she was in the nursing home, the social worker wanted me to get
her on MediCal, but I would have had to divest and restructure my assets and I
didn't want to do that.
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 6:49 AM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle Supreme
Court Battle
Andy,point.
That's a terrible story. But you are lucky that you found a good board
and care home. There's a podcast called Reveal and a while back, they
did an expose on board and care homes in California, homes run for
profit by people who hired untrained undocumented immigrants and had
them working 24 hours a day for little pay. The employees couldn't
complain because they were undocumented. My income wouldn't cover
that kind of care, but we do have community Medicaid here. I tried it
briefly. I had to legally hide all my assets which are now in an
irrevocable trust and I'm not happy about that.
But it cost a lot of money, besides the legal fees. The agency that
handles one's case, makes a fortune, and the care is poor, under the
control of home health agencies who are obligated to no one except
huge private not for profit agencies regulated by the state. A patient
and family have no control because we are not paying the bills. There
is a program to pay a care giver chosen by the family. The pay, last
time I checked, was $10.50 an hour.
Theoretically, what one has to do is to find someone who wants the job
and then supplement that salary. It is an absolute nightmare.
I had a hip replacement done in 2005. I was living in my house back
then with a partner. I refused to go to a nursing home. They sent a
physical therapist to my home several times a week. My partner was
blind, by the way.
He moved the furniture out of my den and a hospital bed was set up
there where there was also a half bathroom. Before I left the
hospital, the physical therapist there, taught me how to go up and
down stairs. I had a walker downstairs and one at the top of the
stairs. I had a grab bar in the shower, and I managed. After a few
days, I was able to get into my home office which was converted from a
double garage and was down a few steps, so I could begin working. But
one hip is not nearly as disabling as two knee replacements.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Andy Baracco
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 12:05 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
Last October my wife underwent knee replacement surgery. The surgery
was successful, but she suffered a series of complications that
resulted in her being transferred to a nursing home. The nursing home
doctor unexplainably changed long standing medication regime. Her
condition worsened. i had great difficulty finding out who the doctor
was, and was never able to make contact with him. in early February
she developed viral pneumonia and ended up in the hospital. To my
dismay, the nursing home doctor, who also had privileges at the
hospital was in charge of her case. I was unable to change this.
This doctor told me that she would always require nursing home care,
and would require a feeding tube. Fortunately, she recovered to some
extent and didn not need the feeding tube, but even though she
recovered from the pneumonia she was unable to return home because she
still had some physical issues and needed more care than could be
provided at home. I located a board and care home, where she now
resides. it is a 4 bedroom home, and there are two care givers, who
lprovide good care. She was receiving in-home PT and OT through a
home care agency. In March COVID happened, and the house was locked
down. i have not been able to visit her since March 23rd. Also, the
PT and OT were suspended, and she basically laid in bed with little
activity for 3 months. All of the gains she made were lost and she was
back to square one. Because of our self advocacy, the PT and OT were
restarted in the beginning of july, but because of Medicare
limitations, they were recently stopped again. She has an appointment
for PT and OT evaluation for outpatient services at a local hospital
for october 5th.
The board and care home is not covered under Medicare or insurance.
Perhaps
LTC insurance would pay if we had it. It is costing me $4300 per month
to keep her there. Hopefully she will be able to return home at some
majority.
The point of all this is to suggest that if you find yourself needing
to move to a care facility, if you have funding, you should seek a
board and care instead of a nursing home. I believe that there are B
an Cs that accept Medicaid if you have that.
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 6:41 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
Well, that's what I've told my daughter, over and over again. ButGinsburg.
nevertheless, I suspect I'll end up in one because in order for that
not to
happen, she and my son-in-law would have had to have bought a more
adequate house for me to rent and someone who is competent and caring
would have to be available to check on the person who is hired to
care for me.
It
is much easier for adult children with busy lives to hand their aging
sick parents over to nursing homes and to believe, or pretend to
believe, the lies they are told about the care that is provided. My
mother was in Calvary Hospital, a facility dedicated to the care of
terminally ill cancer patients. But she took more than a year to die.
She was receiving medicare.
Calvary didn't accept medicaid and the medicare funding for
hospitalization ran out at the end of a year. They transferred her to
a nursing home. I chose, what was reputed to be one of the best
available to us. The first thing the nursing home doctor did was to
change her pain medication, the formula which Calvary had found to
keep her free from pain as she was dying from cancer, because he
thought the drugs were too addictive. He reduced the amount of pain
medication and the pain returned. I had this terrible argument with
him to convince him to restore the levels she had been on, and he did.
But she was miserable and alone there and frightened. She asked me if
I could hire an aide just to stay with her. But before I could figure
out how to do that, within about 2 days of her request, she died.
But I can also tell a horror story about a doctor at Sloane Kettering
Memorial Center where my husband was as he was dying of brain cancer,
and that was a high quality cancer hospital. The medical profession
has turned into a nightmare.
It has changed radically from what it was like back in the seventies.
But so has everything else.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Andy Baracco
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 6:49 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
My mom died a few days before her 77th birthday of uterine cancer.
She also had diabetes and heart problems.
She spent the last 3 years of her life in a nursing home, due to the
effects of her illnesses. I am not a fan of nursing homes. i told my
wife that I would rather die than be in one of those places.
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 3:41 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't Handle
Supreme Court Battle
My father was 56 when he died of colon cancer. He'd been a factorysenators.
worker and had to stop working several years before he died due to a
heart attack.
My mother was 84 when she died of cancer, but she'd been ill for
several years before her death.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Andy Baracco
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 6:03 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't
Handle Supreme Court Battle
My dad died at age 47. My mom was never able to get to the point
where she would consider a new relationship, and she became more
lonely and depressed as she grew older.
Very sad!
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 2:48 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't
Handle Supreme Court Battle
If that's what seems important, finding a new partner, than you'reimpossible.
correct.
And for people in their sixties and seventies, people who are
physically healthy, that might be important. If you're a woman in
your eighties with health issues, physical disabilities, finding a
partner is hardly a priority. I think that losing someone with whom
one has had a longterm, intimate relationship, is very hard.
Replacing such a relationship, really replacing it with something
similar, is close to
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Andy Baracco
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 5:37 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't
Handle Supreme Court Battle
The one advantage that old men have is that women tend to outlive
men, so if an older man happens to be single, he would have an
easier time finding a female companion. I remember when my mom
lived in a senior mobile home community. They had a singles club,
which might as well have been a single women's club, because there
was never more than one man at any of their functions.
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 2:26 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't
Handle Supreme Court Battle
Yes, I read Mary Trump's book and a number of others and I know
that Trump had issues from toddlerhood on. But people who know him
have also written about how some of his capabilities have waned in
the past few years, and that probably has to do with aging. It's
certainly true that people would become upset at age limits being
set for people holding political office.
At
the same time, our society is very comfortable segregating the
elderly and consigning their care to under paid, under educated
caregivers in largely profit making institutions where they are
warehoused, victims to infections due to lack of proper sanitary
conditions, and to abuse and, at the moment, a pandemic. And
while Diane Feinstein is permitted to stay in her position where
she might inadvertently harm our nation, most of us old women, are
treated with a kind of gentle disregard by everyone, including our
loving children who do not see us as the fonts of wisdom due to
our experience, but as old fashioned, forgetful nuisances. The
position of old men is somewhat better.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Andy Baracco
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 5:10 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't
Handle Supreme Court Battle
I agree with what you say about aging politicians but if an age
cap were even to be suggested, you would hear the cries of age
discrimination loud enough to wake you from your sleep.
Donald Trump's issues have little to do with aging. He is at best
a narcissist who was both enabled and abused by his father, but
the real family tragedy was how Fred Trump Sr. treated his oldest
son Fred.
Usually
the oldest son get favored treatment in families, but in this case
Fred Jr.
was the child singled out for the worst abuse.
Even though she obviously has an agenda, mary Trump's book is a
good case study of the Trump family dynamic.
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 1:48 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Democrats Worry Feinstein Can't
Handle Supreme Court Battle
Andy, if only that were true. My short term memory is like a sieve.air.
And names and words disappear when I need them, just fly off into
thin
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
insane!It's
Japan.
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 this 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
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
Noam 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
POLITICO.platitudes.majority.
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
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
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
questions."My attendance is good, I do the homework, I try to ask hard
hearings.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
fight.
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
seats.
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
result."
"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
Republicans.age 85.
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 raised
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
together.Senate.
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
puzzling to me."
"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
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
Commerce.torture report.
"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
both positions.
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
Sen.
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
86.
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
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."
